New York Times bestselling author Douglas Adams and zoologist Mark Carwardine take off around the world in search of exotic, endangered creatures.

Join them as they encounter the animal kingdom in its stunning beauty, astonishing variety, and imminent peril: the giant Komodo dragon of Indonesia, the helpless but loveable Kakapo of New Zealand, the blind river dolphins of China, the white rhinos of Zaire, the rare birds of Mauritius island in the Indian Ocean. Hilarious and poignant—as only Douglas Adams can be—Last Chance to See is an entertaining and arresting odyssey through the Earth’s magnificent wildlife galaxy.
 
Praise for Last Chance to See
 
“Lively, sharply satirical, brilliantly written . . . shows how human care can undo what human carelessness has wrought.”—The Atlantic

“These authors don’t hesitate to present the alarming facts: More than 1,000 species of animals (and plants) become extinct every year. . . . Perhaps Adams and Carwardine, with their witty science, will help prevent such misadventures in the future.”—Boston Sunday Herald
 
“Very funny and moving . . . The glimpses of rare fauna seem to have enlarged [Adams’s] thinking, enlivened his world; and so might the animals do for us all, if we were to help them live.”—The Washington Post Book World
 
“[Adams] invites us to enter into a conspiracy of laughter and caring.”—Los Angeles Times
 
“Amusing . . . thought-provoking . . . Its details on the heroic efforts being made to save these animals are inspirational.”—The New York Times Book Review

Imagine fuel without fear. No climate change. No oil spills, no dead coalminers, no dirty air, no devastated lands, no lost wildlife. No energy poverty. No oil-fed wars, tyrannies, or terrorists. No leaking nuclear wastes or spreading nuclear weapons. Nothing to run out. Nothing to cut off. Nothing to worry about. Just energy abundance, benign and affordable, for all, forever.

That richer, fairer, cooler, safer world is possible, practical, even profitable-because saving and replacing fossil fuels now works better and costs no more than buying and burning them. Reinventing Fire shows how business-motivated by profit, supported by civil society, sped by smart policy-can get the US completely off oil and coal by 2050, and later beyond natural gas as well.

Authored by a world leader on energy and innovation, the book maps a robust path for integrating real, here-and-now, comprehensive energy solutions in four industries-transportation, buildings, electricity, and manufacturing-melding radically efficient energy use with reliable, secure, renewable energy supplies.Popular in tone and rooted in applied hope, Reinventing Fire shows how smart businesses are creating a potent, global, market-driven, and explosively growing movement to defossilize fuels. It points readers to trillions in savings over the next 40 years, and trillions more in new business opportunities.Whether you care most about national security, or jobs and competitive advantage, or climate and environment, this major contribution by world leaders in energy innovation offers startling innovations will support your values, inspire your support, and transform your sense of possibility.Pragmatic citizens today are more interested in outcomes than motives. Reinventing Fire answers this trans-ideological call. Whether you care most about national security, or jobs and competitive advantage, or climate and environment, its startling innovations will support your values, inspire your support, and transform your sense of possibility.

Part philosophical ponderings on humanity's relationship to the universe, part scientific extrapolation on what technological advancement might bring to that understanding, this long essay, first published in Century Illustrated Magazine in June 1900, is yet another example of the genius of Serbian inventor NIKOLA TESLA (1857-1943), the revolutionary scientist who forever changed the scientific fields of electricity and magnetism. From the possibilities presented by robotics to the "civilizing potency of aluminum," from a "self-acting engine" to one of the first proposals to use solar power to run industrial civilization, and much more, this is a wide-ranging but illuminating look into the thoughts of an unsung hero of scientific philosophy.

This long-awaited successor to Daniel Yergin’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Prize provides an essential, overarching narrative of global energy, the principal engine of geopolitical and economic change

A master storyteller as well as a leading energy expert, Daniel Yergin continues the riveting story begun in his Pulitzer Prize–winning book, The Prize. In The Quest, Yergin shows us how energy is an engine of global political and economic change and conflict, in a story that spans the energies on which our civilization has been built and the new energies that are competing to replace them.

The Quest tells the inside stories, tackles the tough questions, and reveals surprising  insights about coal, electricity, and natural gas. He explains how climate change became a great issue and leads readers through the rebirth of renewable energies, energy independence, and the return of the electric car. Epic in scope and never more timely, The Quest vividly reveals the decisions, technologies, and individuals that are shaping our future.

“A lively, exciting, and definitely thought-provoking book.” —Booklist

Things looked grim for American energy in 2006, but a handful of wildcatters were determined to tap massive deposits of oil and gas that giants like Exxon and Chevron had ignored. They risked everything on a new process called fracking. Within a few years, they solved America’s dependence on imported energy, triggered a global environmental controversy, and made and lost astonishing fortunes.

No one understands the frackers—their ambitions, personalities, and foibles—better than Wall Street Journal reporter Gregory Zuckerman. His exclusive access drives this dramatic narrative, which stretches from North Dakota to Texas to Wall Street.

This great "how to" book covers the various mechanics of natural gas trading, including the physical (cash) market for natural gas production, transportation, distribution, and consumption. The heart of the text is the definition and demonstration of financial trading tools and techniques. It closes with discussion of more complex structures of trading and the author's philosophy on how a risk management department should function within a natural gas trading company.

From seashores and riverbanks to mountains, valleys, and overgrown fields, the beautiful Southeast is rich in wild edibles.
 
Forager, farmer, teacher, and chef Chris Bennett helps you find the most delicious plants—from delectable wild greens, like the often-overlooked sweet, fan-shaped leaves of common mallow to wild hazelnuts, hickory nuts, and fruity black walnuts. Try making syrup from summer’s honeysuckle blooms, simmer a rosehip jam, or pickle some blackberries in vinegar to spark up a savory dish. Whether you venture out on the water for cattail corndogs and wild rice or stay close to home for the candy-crunch of hackberry fruits, this book will help you find an abundance of wild plants right outside your door.

In the middle of the Mojave Desert, Las Vegas casinos use billions of gallons of water for fountains, pirate lagoons, wave machines, and indoor canals. Meanwhile, the town of Orme, Tennessee, must truck in water from Alabama because it has literally run out.

Robert Glennon captures the irony—and tragedy—of America’s water crisis in a book that is both frightening and wickedly comical. From manufactured snow for tourists in Atlanta to trillions of gallons of water flushed down the toilet each year, Unquenchable reveals the heady extravagances and everyday inefficiencies that are sucking the nation dry.

The looming catastrophe remains hidden as government diverts supplies from one area to another to keep water flowing from the tap. But sooner rather than later, the shell game has to end. And when it does, shortages will threaten not only the environment, but every aspect of American life: we face shuttered power plants and jobless workers, decimated fi sheries and contaminated drinking water.

We can’t engineer our way out of the problem, either with traditional fixes or zany schemes to tow icebergs from Alaska. In fact, new demands for water, particularly the enormous supply needed for ethanol and energy production, will only worsen the crisis. America must make hard choices—and Glennon’s answers are fittingly provocative. He proposes market-based solutions that value water as both a commodity and a fundamental human right.

One truth runs throughout Unquenchable: only when we recognize water’s worth will we begin to conserve it.

The Northeast offers a veritable feast for foragers. The woods, meadows, seashore, and even city neighborhoods are home to an abundance of delicious wild edible plants. Learn how to find spicy peppergrass seedpods in a sunny meadow to replace store-bought peppercorns. You can gather delicious cattail shoots for a spring salad and even tame some weedy, pungent garlic mustard in your next stir-fry.

It’s Never Too Late to Top Your Personal Best.

Both a riveting account of a life spent pulling off improbable triumphs and a report back from the front of the global-energy and natural-resource wars, The First Billion Is the Hardest tells the story of the remarkable late-life comeback that brought the famed oilman and maverick back from bankruptcy and clinical depression. Along the way, the man often called the “Oracle of Oil” shares the insights that have made him a legend–and describes the billion-dollar bets he is now making in hopes of securing America’s energy independence.


“Sassy...breezes along...salted with earthy aphorisms.”—Bloomberg.com

“Boone’s analysis of America’s energy situation is 100 percent on the money....The country should listen to him–now!” —Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

“Self-deprecating and audacious...overall, it’s decidedly informative about the machinations of business.” –Dallas Morning News

“A fascinating, eye-opening book by one of America’s greatest iconoclasts and entrepreneurs. Boone Pickens’ sense of daring and innovation has never been sharper.”–Steve Forbes, president and CEO, Forbes Inc., and editor in chief of Forbes magazine


From the Trade Paperback edition.

From the authors of Cradle to Cradle, we learn what's next: The Upcycle
The Upcycle is the eagerly awaited follow-up to Cradle to Cradle, one of the most consequential ecological manifestoes of our time. Now, drawing on the green living lessons gained from 10 years of putting the Cradle to Cradle concept into practice with businesses, governments, and ordinary people, William McDonough and Michael Braungart envision the next step in the solution to our ecological crisis: We don't just use or reuse and recycle resources with greater effectiveness, we actually improve the natural world as we live, create, and build.
For McDonough and Braungart, the questions of resource scarcity and sustainability are questions of design. They are practical-minded visionaries: They envision beneficial designs of products, buildings, and business practices—and they show us these ideas being put to use around the world as everyday objects like chairs, cars, and factories are being reimagined not just to sustain life on the planet but to grow it. It is an eye-opening, inspiring tour of our green future as it unfolds in front of us.
The Upcycle is as ambitious as such classics as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring—but its mission is very different. McDonough and Braungart want to turn on its head our very understanding of the human role on earth: Instead of protecting the planet from human impact, why not redesign our activity to improve the environment? We can have a beneficial, sustainable footprint. Abundance for all. The goal is within our reach.

"The genius of Hanson's fascinating, inspiring, and entertaining book stems from the fact that it is not about how all kinds of things grow from seeds; it is about the seeds themselves." --Mark Kurlansky, New York Times Book Review
We live in a world of seeds. From our morning toast to the cotton in our clothes, they are quite literally the stuff and staff of life: supporting diets, economies, and civilizations around the globe. Just as the search for nutmeg and pepper drove the Age of Discovery, coffee beans fueled the Enlightenment and cottonseed sparked the Industrial Revolution. Seeds are fundamental objects of beauty, evolutionary wonders, and simple fascinations. Yet, despite their importance, seeds are often seen as commonplace, their extraordinary natural and human histories overlooked. Thanks to this stunning new book, they can be overlooked no more. This is a book of knowledge, adventure, and wonder, spun by an award-winning writer with both the charm of a fireside story-teller and the hard-won expertise of a field biologist. A fascinating scientific adventure, it is essential reading for anyone who loves to see a plant grow.

For readers of The Smartest Guys in the Room and When Genius Failed, the definitive take on Brian Hunter, John Arnold, Amaranth Advisors, and the largest hedge fund collapse in history

At its peak, hedge fund Amaranth Advisors LLC had more than $9 billion in assets. A few weeks later, it completely collapsed. The disaster was largely triggered by one man: thirty-two-year-old hotshot trader Brian Hunter. His high-risk bets on natural gas prices bankrupted his firm and destroyed his career, while John Arnold, his rival at competitor fund Centaurus, emerged as the highest-paid trader on Wall Street. Meticulously researched and character-driven, Hedge Hogs is a riveting fly-on-the-wall account of the largest hedge fund collapse in history: a blistering tale of the recent past that explains our precarious present . . . and may predict our future.
 
Using emails, instant messages, court testimony, and exclusive interviews, securities analyst turned investigative reporter Barbara T. Dreyfuss charts the colliding paths of these two charismatic traders who dominated the speculative energy market. We follow Brian Hunter, the Canadian farm boy and elbows-out high school basketball star, as he achieves phenomenal early success, only to see his ambition, greed, and hubris precipitate his downfall. Set in relief is the journey of John Arnold, whose mild manner, sophisticated tastes, and low profile belied his own ferocious competitive streak. As the two clash, hundreds of millions of dollars in pension and endowment money is imperiled, with devastating public consequences.
 
Hedge Hogs takes you behind closed doors into the shadowy world of hedge funds, the unregulated wild side of finance, where over-the-top parties and lavish perks abound and billions of dollars of other people’s money are in the hands of a tiny elite. Dreyfuss traces the rise of this freewheeling industry while detailing the decades of bank, hedge fund, and commodity deregulation that turned Wall Street into a speculative casino.
 
A gripping saga peppered with fast money, vivid characters, and high drama, Hedge Hogs is also an important and timely cautionary tale—a vivisection of a financial system jeopardized by reckless practices, watered-down regulation, and loopholes in government oversight, just waiting for the next bust.

Praise for Hedge Hogs
 
“Regulators, legislators and judges inclined to sympathize with the industry ought to rush out and buy a copy of Barbara Dreyfuss’s Hedge Hogs, a wonderfully instructive tale about Amaranth Advisors. . . . Dreyfuss, a Wall Street analyst turned investigative journalist, not only plowed through what turned out to be a treasure trove of official records and transcripts, but supplemented it with plenty of her own reporting. She manages to organize it all into a tight, riveting and understandable yarn.”—The Washington Post

“Clearly and entertainingly told . . . a salutary example of how traders who believe they are super-smart might be nothing more than lucky, and how there is nothing so intoxicating as the ability to speculate with other people’s money.”—The Economist

“[Dreyfuss] does a great job of putting Amaranth’s out-of-control trader into historical context, explaining the blitz of deregulation that set the stage for someone like Hunter to do maximum damage.”—Bloomberg
 
“The definitive take on the largest hedge fund collapse in history . . . You will not be able to put it down.”—Frank Partnoy, author of F.I.A.S.C.O. and Infectious Greed

Named One of the Top 10 Business & Economics Books of the Season by Publishers Weekly

Moral Ground brings together the testimony of over eighty visionaries—theologians and religious leaders, scientists, elected officials, business leaders, naturalists, activists, and writers—to present a diverse and compelling call to honor our individual and collective moral responsibility to our planet. In the face of environmental degradation and global climate change, scientific knowledge alone does not tell us what we ought to do. The missing premise of the argument and much-needed center piece in the debate to date has been the need for ethical values, moral guidance, and principled reasons for doing the right thing for our planet, its animals, its plants, and its people.

Contributors from throughout the world (including North America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and Europe) bring forth a rich variety of heritages and perspectives. Their contributions take many forms, illustrating the rich variety of ways we express our moral beliefs in letters, poems, economic analyses, proclamations, essays, and stories. In the end, their voices affirm why we must move beyond a scientific study and response to embrace an ongoing model of repair and sustainability. These writings demonstrate that scientific analysis and moral conviction can work successfully side-by-side.

This is a book that can speak to anyone, regardless of his or her worldview, and that also includes a section devoted to “what next” thinking that helps the reader put the words and ideas into action in their personal lives. Thanks to generous support from numerous landmark organizations, such as the Kendeda Fund and Germeshausen Foundation, the book is just the starting point for a national, and international, discussion that will be carried out in a variety of ways, from online debate to “town hall” meetings, from essay competitions for youth to sermons from pulpits in all denominations. The “Moral Ground movement” will result in a newly discovered, or rediscovered, commitment on a personal and community level to consensus about our ethical obligation to the future.

A classic exposé in company with An Inconvenient Truth and Silent Spring, The Story of Stuff expands on the celebrated documentary exploring the threat of overconsumption on the environment, economy, and our health. Leonard examines the “stuff” we use everyday, offering a galvanizing critique and steps for a changed planet.

The Story of Stuff was received with widespread enthusiasm in hardcover, by everyone from Stephen Colbert to Tavis Smiley to George Stephanopolous on Good Morning America, as well as far-reaching print and blog coverage. Uncovering and communicating a critically important idea—that there is an intentional system behind our patterns of consumption and disposal—Annie Leonard transforms how we think about our lives and our relationship to the planet.

From sneaking into factories and dumps around the world to visiting textile workers in Haiti and children mining coltan for cell phones in the Congo, Leonard, named one of Time magazine’s 100 environmental heroes of 2009, highlights each step of the materials economy and its actual effect on the earth and the people who live near sites like these.

With curiosity, compassion, and humor, Leonard shares concrete steps for taking action at the individual and political level that will bring about sustainability, community health, and economic justice. Embraced by teachers, parents, churches, community centers, activists, and everyday readers, The Story of Stuff will be a long-lived classic.

Just as World War II called an earlier generation to greatness, so the climate crisis is calling today's rising youth to action: to create a better future.

In UNSTOPPABLE, Bill Nye crystallizes and expands the message for which he is best known and beloved. That message is that with a combination of optimism and scientific curiosity, all obstacles become opportunities, and the possibilities of our world become limitless. With a scientist's thirst for knowledge and an engineer's vision of what can be, Bill Nye sees today's environmental issues not as insurmountable, depressing problems but as chances for our society to rise to the challenge and create a cleaner, healthier, smarter world. We need not accept that transportation consumes half our energy, and that two-thirds of the energy you put into your car is immediately thrown away out the tailpipe. We need not accept that dangerous emissions are the price we must pay for a vibrant economy and a comfortable life. Above all, we need not accept that we will leave our children a planet that is dirty, overheated, and depleted of resources. As Bill shares his vision, he debunks some of the most persistent myths and misunderstandings about global warming. When you are done reading, you'll be enlightened and empowered. Chances are, you'll be smiling, too, ready to join Bill and change the world.

In Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World, the New York Times bestselling author of Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation and former host of "Bill Nye the Science Guy" issues a new challenge to today's generation: to make a cleaner, more efficient, and happier world.

Praise for UNDENIABLE:

"With his charming, breezy, narrative style, Bill empowers the reader to see the natural world as it is, not as some would wish it to be. He does it right. And, as I expected, he does it best." -Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ph.D, host of COSMOS

"Bill Nye, 'the Science Guy,' has become a veritable cultural icon....[T]he title of his new book on evolution...[is] 'Undeniable,' because, yes, there are many Americans who still deny what Darwin and other scientists long ago proved." -Frank Bruni, The New York Times

"With a jaunty bow tie and boyish enthusiasm, Bill Nye the Science Guy has spent decades decoding scientific topics, from germs to volcanoes, for television audiences....In his new book, Nye delights in how [evolution] helps to unlock the mysteries of everything from bumblebees to human origins to our place in the universe." -National Geographic

"When it comes to Bill Nye, 'Science Guy' doesn't even begin to cover it. When he's not being summoned to act as a voice of reason for news outlets or leading meetings as CEO of the Planetary Society, he is living the life of a best-selling author....His recently published book, 'Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation,' enlightens readers while using a conversational, educational tone. After all, it's his ability to break down even the most complicated topics into bite-size pieces that made him such a hit on his '90s children's show 'Bill Nye, the Science Guy.'" -The Boston Globe

"Mr. Nye writes briskly and accessibly...[and] makes an eloquent case for evolution."-The Wall Street Journal

"Because [Bill Nye is] a scientist, he has no doubts that the 'deniers' of evolution are flat wrong. And because he's a performer, his book is fun to read and easy to absorb." -The Washington Post

"Ignite your inner scientist when Nye, known for delivering geeky intel with clarity and charm, takes on one of society's most hotly debated topics (yes, still)." -Time Out New York

Everyone who has ever dreamed of getting back to the soil will derive from Maurice Grenville Kains' practical and easy-to-understand discussions a more complete view of what small-scale farming means. Countless readers of Five Acres and Independence have come away with specific projects to begin and moved closer to the fulfillment of their dreams of independence on a small farm.
Whether you already own a suitable place or are still looking, Five Acres and Independence will help you learn to evaluate land for both its total economic and its specific agricultural possibilities. There are methods of calculating costs of permanent improvements — draining the land, improving soil, planting wind breaks, putting in septic tanks, cellars, irrigation systems, greenhouses, etc. — and methods of carrying out those improvements. There are suggestions for specific crops — strawberries, grapes, vegetables, orchards, spring, summer, and fall crops, transplanting, timing, repairing what already exists — with methods of deciding what is best for your land and purposes and techniques for making each of them pay. There are suggestions for animals for the small-scale farmer — goats, chickens, bees — and means of working them into your overall farm design. And there are suggestions for keeping your small farm in top production condition, methods of continually increasing the value of your farm, methods of marketing your produce and of accurately investing in improvements — virtually everything a small-scale farmer needs to know to make his venture economically sound.
Some things, of course, have changed since 1940 when M. G. Kains revised Five Acres and Independence. But the basic down-to-earth advice of one of the most prominent men in American agriculture and the methods of farming the small-scale, pre-DDT farm are still essentially the same. Much of the information in this book was built on USDA and state farm bureau reports; almost all of it was personally tested by M. G. Kains, either on his own farms or on farms of the people who trusted him as an experienced consultant. His book went through more than 30 editions in the first 10 years after its original publication. It has helped countless small farmers attain their dreams, and it continues today as an exceptional resource for those who want to make their first farming attempt.

If your interest is in distilling alcohol then this book is for you. It will show you how to build a six gallon electric alcohol still, and use it to turn corn, sugar, or almost anything you can ferment into high proof alcohol.

The still heats the wash with a water jacket in which is immersed a 120 volt water heater element. Temperature is controlled with a thermostat. Eventually vapors boil through the rectifying column to the condenser. If you carefully maintain the precese temperature you will get almost pure alcohol. 

Hear and see the exciting story of Jake and his frack crew as they explore America's shale fields. Hydraulic fracturing of the deep rock beneath our feet is revolutionizing energy production, power generation and global energy demand. This is the story of the unconventional development of shale oil and gas deposits across the nation. This revolution has already reduced greenhouse gases by more than 450 million tons since 2005 through the subsitution of natural gas for coal in electricity generation. Fracking has created nearly two million highly paid jobs, with the expectation of three million more by 2020. State and federal tax revenues from hydraulic fracturing have grown to $85 billion in 2012, with the expectation to expand through $1 trillion by 2035. Fracking now represents more than 3% of the nation's GDP, putting America on the road towards energy independence as crude oil imports have dropped by more than 40%. Learn the frack story -- the strengths and challenges this new world of energy presents to each of us.

In the second edition of this bestseller, Denise Warkentin-Glenn presents in everyday language the nuances, history, and recent developments of the electric power industry. This new version includes updated information on utilities, merchant plants, rural cooperatives, government entities and more. It also has new chapters covering the 2005 Energy Policy Act, environmental standards, and updates to industry mergers and acquisitions. This important edition gives a comprehensive look at our country's most critical economic driver.
Key Features: • Impacts of new regulation • Simple and clear explanations of generation, transmission and governance • How cleaner fuels and new technology are transforming the industry • The newest environmental standards

The industrial age of energy and transportation will be over by 2030. Maybe before. Exponentially improving technologies such as solar, electric vehicles, and autonomous (self-driving) cars will disrupt and sweep away the energy and transportation industries as we know it. 

The same Silicon Valley ecosystem that created bit-based technologies that have disrupted atom-based industries is now creating bit- and electron-based technologies that will disrupt atom-based energy industries. 

Clean Disruption projections (based on technology cost curves, business model innovation as well as product innovation) show that by 2030: 
- All new energy will be provided by solar or wind. 
- All new mass-market vehicles will be electric. 
- All of these vehicles will be autonomous (self-driving) or semi-autonomous. 
- The new car market will shrink by 80%. 
- Even assuming that EVs don't kill the gasoline car by 2030, the self-driving car will shrink the new car market by 80%. 
- Gasoline will be obsolete. Nuclear is already obsolete. 
- Up to 80% of highways will be redundant. 
- Up to 80% of parking spaces will be redundant. 
- The concept of individual car ownership will be obsolete. 
- The Car Insurance industry will be disrupted. 

The Stone Age did not end because we ran out of rocks. It ended because a disruptive technology ushered in the Bronze Age. The era of centralized, command-and-control, extraction-resource-based energy sources (oil, gas, coal and nuclear) will not end because we run out of petroleum, natural gas, coal, or uranium. It will end because these energy sources, the business models they employ, and the products that sustain them will be disrupted by superior technologies, product architectures, and business models. 

This is a technology-based disruption reminiscent of how the cell phone, Internet, and personal computer swept away industries such as landline telephony, publishing, and mainframe computers. Just like those technology disruptions flipped the architecture of information and brought abundant, cheap and participatory information, the clean disruption will flip the architecture of energy and bring abundant, cheap and participatory energy. 

Just like those previous technology disruptions, the Clean Disruption is inevitable and it will be swift. 

The electrical grid goes everywhere -- it's the largest and most complex machine ever made. Yet the system is built in such a way that the bigger it gets, the more inevitable its collapse.

Named the greatest engineering achievement of the 20th century by the National Academy of Engineering, the electrical grid is the largest industrial investment in the history of humankind. It reaches into your home, snakes its way to your bedroom, and climbs right up into the lamp next to your pillow. At times, it almost seems alive, like some enormous circulatory system that pumps life to big cities and the most remote rural areas.

Constructed of intricately interdependent components, the grid operates on a rapidly shrinking margin for error. Things can -- and do -- go wrong in this system, no matter how many preventive steps we take. Just look at the colossal 2003 blackout, when 50 million Americans lost power due to a simple error at a power plant in Ohio; or the one a month later, which blacked out 57 million Italians. And these two combined don't even compare to the 2001 outage in India, which affected 226 million people.

The Grid is the first history of the electrical grid intended for general readers, and it comes at a time when we badly need such a guide. As we get more and more dependent on electricity to perform even the most mundane daily tasks, the grid's inevitable shortcomings will take a toll on populations around the globe. At a moment when energy issues loom large on the nation's agenda and our hunger for electricity grows, The Grid is as timely as it is compelling.

The author of Physics for Future Presidents returns to educate all of us on the most crucial conundrum facing the nation: energy. The near-meltdown of Fukushima, the upheavals in the Middle East, the BP oil rig explosion, and the looming reality of global warming have reminded the president and all U.S. citizens that nothing has more impact on our lives than the supply of and demand for energy. Its procurement dominates our economy and foreign policy more than any other factor. But the “energy question” is more confusing, contentious, and complicated than ever before. We need to know if nuclear power will ever really be safe. We need to know if solar and wind power will ever really be viable. And we desperately need to know if the natural gas deposits in Pennsylvania are a windfall of historic proportions or a false hope that will create more problems than solutions. Richard A. Muller provides all the answers in this must-read guide to our energy priorities now and in the coming years.

The Tree Faller’s Manual is an essential handbook for forest operators and others who need to fell trees manually using a hand-held chainsaw. This manual builds on the information provided by the Chainsaw Operator’s Manual. Tree felling is a high risk activity. Many fatalities and serious injuries have occurred as a result of being struck by falling trees, dislodged tree limbs or other dangers in the area. Most of these accidents are caused by using unsafe felling techniques and not following safe work procedures. This manual will guide the faller to safer work techniques. The manual is based on the national competency standards for the forest and forest products industry where tree-felling is covered using three categories: basic, intermediate and advanced. Basic tree felling applies to trees that are relatively small, with a single stem and no defects. Intermediate tree felling covers trees with single or multiple stems, limited defects, and lean and weight distribution that can be adapted to felling direction. Advanced tree felling applies to larger and more complex trees and includes trees deemed to be more hazardous. Workplace safety, risk assessment and site preparation are included along with the theory, techniques and tools for each of the tree-felling categories.

With this third edition, international expert Rolf Kehlhofer leads a team of eminent engineers for the long awaited update of the bible for combined-cycle plants.Combined-Cycle Gas & Steam Turbine Power Plants, 3rd Edition, is a comprehensive overview of the combined-cycle power plant from a thermodynamic, technical, and economic viewpoint. This new edition gives readers the latest technological developments and practical examples from existing, state-of-the-art combined-cycle plants. Both practicing engineers and engineering students will find this book the definitive work on combined-cycle power plants.

The second, completely updated edition of this widely read and respected guide is the most authoritative survey available on the perennial question of energy security. Energy and Security gathers today's topmost foreign policy and energy experts and leaders to assess how the United States can integrate its energy and national security interests.

This edition offers fresh analysis and insight into

• Fundamental shifts in the global energy balance • The revolution in shale gas and oil • New energy frontiers, from ultra deepwater to the Arctic • The rising agenda of safety concerns across the energy complex • Energy poverty • Infrastructure for modernizing power grids • Climate security in the current political and economic environment

The contributors offer a lively discussion of the challenges and opportunities presented by these changes and how they affect national security and regional politics around the globe.

-- Jeffrey E. Garten, Yale University

Imagine you are first in line at a potluck buffet. The spread includes not just food and water, but all the materials needed for shelter, clothing, healthcare, and education. How do you know how much to take? How much is enough to leave for your neighbors behind you—not just the six billion people, but the wildlife, and the as-yet-unborn?

In the face of looming ecological disaster, many people feel the need to change their own lifestyles as a tangible way of transforming our unsustainable culture. Radical Simplicity is the first book that guides the reader to a personal sustainability goal, then offers a process to monitor progress to a lifestyle that is equitable amongst all people, species, and generations. It employs three tools to help readers begin their customized journey to simplicity:

It uses refined tools from Our Ecological Footprint so readers can measure how much nature is needed to supply all they consume and absorb their waste.
Combining lyrical narrative, compassionate advocacy, and absorbing science, Radical Simplicity is a practical, personal answer to twenty-first century challenges that will appeal as much to Cultural Creatives and students as to spiritual seekers, policy makers, and sustainability professionals.

This textbook, in its second edition aims to provide undergraduate students of Electrical Engineering with a unified treatment of all aspects of modern power systems, including generation, transmission and distribution of electric power, load flow studies, economic considerations, fault analysis and stability, high voltage phenomena, system protection, power control, and so on. The text systematically deals with the fundamental techniques in power systems, coupled with adequate analytical techniques and reference to practices in the field. Special emphasis is placed on the latest developments in power system engineering. The book will be equally useful to the postgraduate students specialising in power systems and practising engineers as a reference. NEW TO THIS EDITION • Chapters on Elements of Electric Power Generation and Power System Economics are thoroughly updated. • A new Chapter on Control of Active and Reactive Power is added.

The Everglades was once reviled as a liquid wasteland, and Americans dreamed of draining it. Now it is revered as a national treasure, and Americans have launched the largest environmental project in history to try to save it. The Swamp is the stunning story of the destruction and possible resurrection of the Everglades, the saga of man's abuse of nature in southern Florida and his unprecedented efforts to make amends. Michael Grunwald, a prize-winning national reporter for The Washington Post, takes readers on a riveting journey from the Ice Ages to the present, illuminating the natural, social and political history of one of America's most beguiling but least understood patches of land.

The Everglades was America's last frontier, a wild country long after the West was won. Grunwald chronicles how a series of visionaries tried to drain and "reclaim" it, and how Mother Nature refused to bend to their will; in the most harrowing tale, a 1928 hurricane drowned 2,500 people in the Everglades. But the Army Corps of Engineers finally tamed the beast with levees and canals, converting half the Everglades into sprawling suburbs and sugar plantations. And though the southern Everglades was preserved as a national park, it soon deteriorated into an ecological mess. The River of Grass stopped flowing, and 90 percent of its wading birds vanished.

Now America wants its swamp back. Grunwald shows how a new breed of visionaries transformed Everglades politics, producing the $8 billion rescue plan. That plan is already the blueprint for a new worldwide era of ecosystem restoration. And this book is a cautionary tale for that era. Through gripping narrative and dogged reporting, Grunwald shows how the Everglades is still threatened by the same hubris, greed and well-intentioned folly that led to its decline.

Joseph Hilyard's timely new book provides a broad perspective on the oil and gas industry, with primary attention to the United States. It takes the reader on a tour of the operations used to find and evaluate resources, and then to produce, store and deliver oil and gas.

The book's main focus is primarily on the equipment and processes used in exploring new resources; evaluating promising formations; drilling wells; managing oil and gas production; converting oil and gas into products; and transporting oil and gas. Separate chapters address the evolution and current structure of the petroleum industry; oil and gas trading; and challenges likely to face the oil and gas industry in coming years.

Three appendices define key industry terminology; suggest further reading on selected topics; and identify organizations that can provide more information.

Turn on the faucet, and water pours out. Pull out the drain plug, and the dirty water disappears. Most of us give little thought to the hidden systems that bring us water and take it away when we’re done with it. But these underappreciated marvels of engineering face an array of challenges that cannot be solved without a fundamental change to our relationship with water, David Sedlak explains in this enlightening book. To make informed decisions about the future, we need to understand the three revolutions in urban water systems that have occurred over the past 2,500 years and the technologies that will remake the system.div /DIVdivThe author starts by describing Water 1.0, the early Roman aqueducts, fountains, and sewers that made dense urban living feasible. He then details the development of drinking water and sewage treatment systems—the second and third revolutions in urban water. He offers an insider’s look at current systems that rely on reservoirs, underground pipe networks, treatment plants, and storm sewers to provide water that is safe to drink, before addressing how these water systems will have to be reinvented. For everyone who cares about reliable, clean, abundant water, this book is essential reading./DIV

Could everything we know about fossil fuels be wrong?

For decades, environmentalists have told us that using fossil fuels is a self-destructive addiction that will destroy our planet. Yet at the same time, by every measure of human well-being, from life expectancy to clean water to climate safety, life has been getting better and better.

How can this be?

The explanation, energy expert Alex Epstein argues in The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, is that we usually hear only one side of the story. We’re taught to think only of the negatives of fossil fuels, their risks and side effects, but not their positives—their unique ability to provide cheap, reliable energy for a world of seven billion people. And the moral significance of cheap, reliable energy, Epstein argues, is woefully underrated. Energy is our ability to improve every single aspect of life, whether economic or environmental.

If we look at the big picture of fossil fuels compared with the alternatives, the overall impact of using fossil fuels is to make the world a far better place. We are morally obligated to use more fossil fuels for the sake of our economy and our environment.

Drawing on original insights and cutting-edge research, Epstein argues that most of what we hear about fossil fuels is a myth. For instance . . .

Myth: Fossil fuels are dirty.
Truth: The environmental benefits of using fossil fuels far outweigh the risks. Fossil fuels don’t take a naturally clean environment and make it dirty; they take a naturally dirty environment and make it clean. They don’t take a naturally safe climate and make it dangerous; they take a naturally dangerous climate and make it ever safer.

Myth: Fossil fuels are unsustainable, so we should strive to use “renewable” solar and wind.
Truth: The sun and wind are intermittent, unreliable fuels that always need backup from a reliable source of energy—usually fossil fuels. There are huge amounts of fossil fuels left, and we have plenty of time to find something cheaper.

Myth: Fossil fuels are hurting the developing world.
Truth: Fossil fuels are the key to improving the quality of life for billions of people in the developing world. If we withhold them, access to clean water plummets, critical medical machines like incubators become impossible to operate, and life expectancy drops significantly. Calls to “get off fossil fuels” are calls to degrade the lives of innocent people who merely want the same opportunities we enjoy in the West.

Taking everything into account, including the facts about climate change, Epstein argues that “fossil fuels are easy to misunderstand and demonize, but they are absolutely good to use. And they absolutely need to be championed. . . . Mankind’s use of fossil fuels is supremely virtuous—because human life is the standard of value and because using fossil fuels transforms our environment to make it wonderful for human life.”

Foraged delicacies have become the latest foodie obsession. Wild edibles collected by professional foragers are proliferating on the plates of top-tier restaurants because they offer novel and ultra-fresh sensations for the tongue, and they frequently taste more flavorful than farmed foods. For people seeking new food experiences and wanting to forage for themselves, Idiot's Guides: Foraging shows how to find wild edibles and when and how to harvest them. Includes 30+ tasty recipes that describe how to prepare these wild foods.

* Includes common plants all across North America
* Covers positive plant identification
* Multiple large, full-color photos identify each plant (including the mature plant, how it looks at various stages of growth, and how it looks at the right stage of growth for harvesting)
* Each entry gives facts on the plant's habitat, physical properties, which parts are edible, harvesting sustainability, preparation, storage, and poisonous look-alikes
* More than 30 delicious recipes
* Includes range maps and charts that list plants by habitat and by season

"Ninety percent of the success of your relationship with any ESCO is your ability to select, quantify, contract with, and measure the results you expect to accomplish. This book helps you increase those odds!"--Jacket.

This book is intended to be a reservoir engineering book for college students, but it is not the usual college textbook. It is a modern and very practical guide offering reservoir engineering fundamentals, advanced reservoir related topics, reservoir simulation fundamentals, and problems and case studies from around the world. It offers all this information with guidelines on how to assist these processes with the use of simulation software (software not included). It is designed to aid students and professionals alike in their active and important roles throughout the reservoir life cycle (discovery, delineation, development, production, and abandonment), and in the various phases of the reservoir management process (setting strategy, developing plan, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and completing).

Nuclear Energy is one of the most popular texts ever published on basic nuclear physics, systems, and applications of nuclear energy. This newest edition continues the tradition of offering a holistic treatment of everything the undergraduate engineering student needs to know in a clear and accessible way. The book presents a comprehensive overview of radioactivity, radiation protection, nuclear reactors, waste disposal, and nuclear medicine.

The seventh edition is restructured into three parts: Basic Concepts, Nuclear Power (including new chapters on nuclear power plants and introduction to reactor theory), and Radiation and Its Uses. Part Two in particular has been updated with current developments, including a new section on Reactor Safety and Security (with a discussion of the Fukushima Diiachi accident); updated information on naval and space propulsion; and revised and updated information on radioactive waste storage, transportation, and disposal. Part Three features new content on biological effects of radiation, radiation standards, and radiation detection.

Coverage of energy economics integrated into appropriate chaptersMore worked examples and end of chapter exercisesUpdated final chapter on nuclear explosions for current geopolitical developments

In the 1970s and 1980s the Texas wildcatter was a recognizable figure in popular culture. Since then, the wildcatter's role is less celebrated but still important, as shown in the new introduction to this edition of a book originally published in 1984 by Texas Monthly Press. Drawing heavily on oral histories, this book tells the story of the West Texas independents as a group, looking at their business strategies in the context of their national, regional, and local conditions. The focus is on the Permian Basin and southeastern New Mexico over the sixty-year period in which the region rose to prominence on the American oil scene, producing about one-fifth of the nation's output. It is a story that covers vast technological change, governmental regulation, and economic fluctuation with profound implications for the oil and gas community. The new introduction brings the story up-to-date by addressing not only the subsequent careers of the wildcatters described in the book but also the role of independents in the current economy.

New York Times and Los Angeles Times Bestseller!

As every day brings urgent reports of growing water shortages around the world, there is no time to lose in the search for solutions.

The U.S. government predicts that forty of our fifty states-and 60 percent of the earth's land surface-will soon face alarming gaps between available water and the growing demand for it. Without action, food prices will rise, economic growth will slow, and political instability is likely to follow.

Let There Be Water illustrates how Israel can serve as a model for the United States and countries everywhere by showing how to blunt the worst of the coming water calamities. Even with 60 percent of its country made of desert, Israel has not only solved its water problem; it also had an abundance of water. Israel even supplies water to its neighbors-the Palestinians and the Kingdom of Jordan-every day.

Based on meticulous research and hundreds of interviews, Let There Be Water reveals the methods and techniques of the often offbeat inventors who enabled Israel to lead the world in cutting-edge water technology.
Let There Be Water also tells unknown stories of how cooperation on water systems can forge diplomatic ties and promote unity. Remarkably, not long ago, now-hostile Iran relied on Israel to manage its water systems, and access to Israel's water know-how helped to warm China's frosty relations with Israel.

Beautifully written, Seth M. Siegel's Let There Be Water is and inspiring account of the vision and sacrifice by a nation and people that have long made water security a top priority. Despite scant natural water resources, a rapidly growing population and economy, and often hostile neighbors, Israel has consistently jumped ahead of the water innovation-curve to assure a dynamic, vital future for itself. Every town, every country, and every reader can benefit from learning what Israel did to overcome daunting challenges and transform itself from a parched land into a water superpower.

A clean and simple introduction to generating electricity from the sun.

Nikola Tesla was a genius who revolutionized how the world looks at electricity.

Forage the flavors of the west!
 
Southwest Foraging helps new and experienced foragers find the most flavorful wild plants the region has to offer, including barrel cactus, chickweed, Indian tea, and saguaro. This savvy, accessible, full-color guide shows you what to look for, when and where to look, and how to gather in a responsible way. It profiles 117 plants, with detailed information for safe identification, advice on sustainable harvesting, and tips on preparation and use.
 

With the World desperate to find energy sources that do not emit carbon gasses, nuclear power is back on the agenda and in the news, following the increasing cost of fossil fuels and concerns about the security of their future supply. However, the term 'nuclear power' causes anxiety in many people and there is confusion concerning the nature and extent of the associated risks. Here, Maxwell Irvine presents a concise introduction to the development of nuclear physics leading up to the emergence of the nuclear power industry. He discusses the nature of nuclear energy and deals with various aspects of public concern, considering the risks of nuclear safety, the cost of its development, and waste disposal. Dispelling some of the widespread confusion about nuclear energy, Irvine considers the relevance of nuclear power, the potential of nuclear fusion, and encourages informed debate about its potential. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

HVAC Water Chillers and Cooling Towers: Fundamentals, Application, and Operation, Second Edition explores the major improvements in recent years to many chiller and cooling tower components that have resulted in improved performance and lower operating costs. This new edition looks at how climate change and "green" designs have significantly impacted the selection of refrigerants and the application of chilled water systems. It also discusses the expanded use of digital controls and variable frequency drives as well as the re-introduction of some older technologies, especially ammonia-based absorption cooling.

The first half of the book focuses on water chillers and the second half addresses cooling towers. In both sections, the author includes the following material:

Fundamentals—basic information about systems and equipment, including how they and their various components work Design and Application—equipment sizing, selection, and application; details of piping, control, and water treatment; and special considerations such as noise control, electrical service, fire protection, and energy efficiency Operations and Maintenance—commissioning and programmed maintenance of components and systems, with guidelines and recommended specifications for procurement

This up-to-date book provides HVAC designers, building owners, operating and maintenance staff, architects, and mechanical contractors with definitive and practical guidance on the application, design, purchase, operation, and maintenance of water chillers and cooling towers. It offers helpful information for you to use on a daily basis, including checklists and troubleshooting guidelines.

Los Llanos—the rain-leached, eastern savannas of war-ravaged Colombia—are among the most brutal environments on Earth and an unlikely setting for one of the most hopeful environmental stories ever told. Here, in the late 1960s, a young Colombian development worker named Paolo Lugari wondered if the nearly uninhabited, infertile llanos could be made livable for his country’s growing population. He had no idea that nearly four decades later, his experiment would be one of the world’s most celebrated examples of sustainable living: a permanent village called Gaviotas.

In the absence of infrastructure, the first Gaviotans invented wind turbines to convert mild breezes into energy, hand pumps capable of tapping deep sources of water, and solar collectors efficient enough to heat and even sterilize drinking water under perennially cloudy llano skies. Over time, the Gaviotans’ experimentation has even restored an ecosystem: in the shelter of two million Caribbean pines planted as a source of renewable commercial resin, a primordial rain forest that once covered the llanos is unexpectedly reestablishing itself.

Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez has called Paolo Lugari “Inventor of the World.” Lugari himself has said that Gaviotas is not a utopia: “Utopia literally means ‘no place.’ We call Gaviotas a topia, because it’s real.”

Relive their story with this special 10th-anniversary edition of Gaviotas, complete with a new afterword by the author describing how Gaviotas has survived and progressed over the past decade.

Once a natural gas or oil well is drilled, and it has been verified that commercially viable, it must be "completed" to allow for the flow of petroleum or natural gas out of the formation and up to the surface. This process includes: casing, pressure and temperature evaluation, and the proper instillation of equipment to ensure an efficient flow out of the well. In recent years, these processes have been greatly enhanced by new technologies. Advanced Well Completion Engineering summarizes and explains these advances while providing expert advice for deploying these new breakthrough engineering systems.

The book has two themes: one, the idea of preventing damage, and preventing formation from drilling into an oil formation to putting the well introduction stage; and two, the utilization of nodal system analysis method, which optimizes the pressure distribution from reservoir to well head, and plays the sensitivity analysis to design the tubing diameters first and then the production casing size, so as to achieve whole system optimization. With this book, drilling and production engineers should be able to improve operational efficiency by applying the latest state of the art technology in all facets of well completion during development drilling-completion and work over operations.

One of the only books devoted to the key technologies for all major aspects of advanced well completion activities.Unique coverage of all aspects of well completion activities based on 25 years in the exploration, production and completion industry.Matchless in-depth technical advice for achieving operational excellence with advance solutions.

This thoroughly revised text, now in its third edition, continues to provide a detailed discussion on all the aspects of solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies from physics of solar cells to manufacturing technologies, solar PV system design and their applications. The Third Edition includes a new chapter on “Advances in c-Si Cell Processes Suitable for Near Future Commercialization” (Chapter 8) to introduce the technological advancement in the commercial production to keep the readers up to date. Organized in three parts, Part I introduces the fundamental principles of solar cell operation and design, Part II explains various technologies to fabricate solar cells and PV modules and Part III focuses on the use of solar photovoltaics as part of the system for providing electrical energy. In addition to this, numerous chapter-end exercises are given to reinforce the understanding of the subject. The text is intended for the undergraduate and postgraduate students of engineering for their courses on solar photovoltaic technologies and renewable energy technologies. The book is of immense use for teachers, researchers and professionals working in the photovoltaic field. In a nutshell, this book is an absolute must-read for all those who want to understand and apply the basics behind photovoltaic devices and systems.

Unpredictable, unwanted, and costly, oil and gas well fishing is not a typical practice for drilling, workover and completion projects, but roughly one in every five wells experience this intervention. To stay on top, The Guide to Oilwell Fishing Operations, Second Edition will keep fishing tool product managers, drilling managers and all other well intervention specialists keyed in to all the latest tools, techniques and rules of thumb critical to conventional and complex wellbore projects, such as extended reach horizontal wells, thru-tubing, and coiled tubing operations.

Strengthened with updated material and a new chapter on wellbore cleaning, The Guide to Oilwell Fishing Operations, Second Edition ensures that the life of the well will be saved no matter the unforeseen circumstances. Crucial aspects include:

Enhancements with updated equipment, technology, and a new chapter on wellbore cleaning methodsAdditional input from worldwide service companies, providing a more comprehensive balance Remains the only all-inclusive guide exclusively devoted to fishing tools, techniques, and rules of thumbRemodeled with latest jars on the market, catch tools, and retrieving stuck packers with cutting technologyImproved with information on methods such as sidetracking and plug-and-abandon operationsModernized with approaches and tactics on more advanced well projects such as high-angle deviated and horizontal wells and expandable casing technology to repair casing failure and leaks

★★★★★LEARNING STARTS WITH VIEWING THE WORLD DIFFERENTLY.★★★★★

Knowledge flow — A mobile learning platform provides Apps and Books.

Knowledge flow provides learning book of Renewable Energy Engineering. This is the best book  for all engineering and environmental students, graduates and professionals across the world. Renewable energy is defined as energy that is collected from natural resources. This renewable energy book introduces various sources of energy like wind, solar, biomass, hydro power and geothermal.

Contents:

1. Introduction to Renewable Energy

2. Wind Energy

3. Solar Energy

4. Biomass Energy

5. Hydro Power

6. Geothermal Energy

To find more education books, visit here http://knowledgeflow.in/books.

Principles of Electric Machines and Power Electronics, Third Edition combines the traditional areas of electric machinery with the latest in modern control and power electronics. Multi-machine systems, brushless motors, and switched reluctance motors are covered, as well as constant flux and constant current operation of induction motors. Additional material is included on new solid state devices such as Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors and MOS-Controlled Thyristors.

Waterpower is the largest source of renewable energy in the world today, and microhydro is a mature, proven technology that can provide clean, inexpensive, renewable energy with little or no impact on the environment.

Serious Microhydro brings you dozens of firsthand stories of energy independence covering a complete range of systems, from household pressure sites to higher pressure installations capable of powering a farm, business, or small neighborhood. Topics include:

Low head and medium head sites AC-only systems as well as ones using a battery/inverter subsystem Stand alone power supply or grid intertie setups Hybrid systems (combined with photovoltaics or wind)

With all the variables involved in microhydro, there is no “typical” system. These case studies represent the most comprehensive collection of knowledge and experience available for tailoring an installation to meet the needs of a site and its owner or operators. If you are considering building a system, you are bound to find a wealth of creative solutions appropriate to your own circumstances.

Serious Microhydro shows how scores of people are achieving a high standard of living from local energy sources with a minimal ecological footprint. It has particular appeal to homeowners, teachers, renewable energy professionals, activists, and decision makers who want to understand the technology from a “hands-on” perspective.

Scott Davis is an award-winning renewable energy project developer with decades of experience operating, installing, designing, selling, and teaching microhydro technology. He is a founder and president of Friends of Renewable Energy BC, and the author of Microhydro: Clean Power From Water.

Solar and wind energy systems have flourished throughout the United States in the last few years as the public calls for reduced dependence on foreign oil. This has stimulated the growth of an industry that provides wind and solar systems, and many small businesses have sprung up to install these systems. Training programs and courses are now ubiquitous as the demand for designers and installers increases. This book provides a resource for engineering students interested in the design and operation of solar electric, solar thermal, wind, and other renewable systems. While there are many good reference books on power systems and renewable energy, this book integrates the engineering basics of existing power systems with design problems and solutions using renewable energy sources. The author includes chapters on concepts and background review. Details of photovoltaic and wind systems as interconnected or stand-alone designs, estimating and predicting energy production using industry distribution functions and online programs, and concepts of temperature coefficients, synchronization, power conversion, and system protection are explained and illustrated. The book is a very “hands-on” practical guide, structured to motivate you to experience the design and installation process.

Reorganized for easy use, Reservoir Engineering Handbook, Fourth Edition provides an up-to-date reference to the tools, techniques, and science for predicting oil reservoir performance even in the most difficult fields.

Topics covered in the handbook include:

Processes to enhance productionWell modification to maximize oil and gas recoveryCompletion and evaluation of wells, well testing, and well surveys

Reservoir Engineering Handbook, Fourth Edition provides solid information and insight for engineers and students alike on maximizing production from a field in order to obtain the best possible economic return. With this handbook, professionals will find a valuable reference for understanding the key relationships among the different operating variables. Examples contained in this reference demonstrate the performance of processes under forceful conditions through a wide variety of applications.

• Fundamental for the advancement of reservoir engineering concepts

• Step-by-step field performance calculations

• Easy to understand analysis of oil recovery mechanisms

• Step-by-step analysis of oil recovery mechanisms

• New chapter on fractured reservoirs

The fun and easy way to get a grip on photovoltaic design and installation

Designing and installing solar panel systems is a trend that continues to grow. With 'green collar' jobs on the rise and homeowners looking for earth-friendly ways to stretch their dollars and lesson their carbon imprint, understanding photovoltaic design and installation is on the rise.

Photovoltaic Design & Installation For Dummies gives you a comprehensive overview of the history, physics, design, installation, and operation of home-scale solar-panel systems. You'll also get an introduction to the foundational mathematic and electrical concepts you need to understand and work with photovoltaic systems.

Covers all aspects of home-scale solar-power systems Viable resource for professionals, students, and technical laymen Can be used to study for the NABCEP exam

Whether you're a building professional looking to expand your business and skills to meet the growing demand for solar power installation or are seeking a career in this rapidly expanding field, Photovoltaic Design & Installation For Dummies has you covered!

Nuclear power has, in recent years, undergone a major transformation, resulting in major technical developments and a new generation of nuclear scientists and engineers. A comprehensive book that reflects the latest nuclear technologies has been lacking—until now.

The Nuclear Engineering Handbook is a response to this global resurgence of interest in commercial nuclear power. A broad overview of nuclear power and engineering and their limitless potential, this basic introduction to the field provides an in-depth discussion of power plants and extensive coverage of the nuclear fuel cycle, waste disposal, and related engineering technologies.

Organized into three sections—Nuclear Power Reactors, Nuclear Fuel Cycle Processes and Facilities, and Engineering and Analytical Applications—this book addresses the entire nuclear fuel cycle and process. Topics include everything from the mining, milling, and enrichment of uranium and thorium fuel resources, to fuel fabrication, nuclear materials transportation, fuel reprocessing, and safe waste disposal. This all-encompassing volume discusses current analytical techniques related to nuclear engineering, addressing safety, heat transfer, shielding, thermo-hydraulics, and heat physics. Covering reactor operation and radiation protection, it also outlines the economic considerations involved in building new nuclear power stations instead of large fossil-fueled plants, and elaborates on concerns regarding the control of emissions from the latter.

A review of past and current nuclear engineering capabilities, this valuable resource covers the gamut of crucial topics, including historical perspectives, a detailed technological review, and an assessment of the field’s future direction. It is an exceptional tool that will help readers to foster optimal understanding and use of nuclear power for electricity generation now and in the future.

Originally perceived as a cheap and plentiful source of power, the commercial use of nuclear energy has been controversial for decades. Worries about the dangers that nuclear plants and their radioactive waste posed to nearby communities grew over time, and plant construction in the United States virtually died after the early 1980s. The 1986 disaster at Chernobyl only reinforced nuclear power's negative image. Yet in the decade prior to the Japanese nuclear crisis of 2011, sentiment about nuclear power underwent a marked change. The alarming acceleration of global warming due to the burning of fossil fuels and concern about dependence on foreign fuel has led policymakers, climate scientists, and energy experts to look once again at nuclear power as a source of energy. In this accessible overview, Charles D. Ferguson provides an authoritative account of the key facts about nuclear energy. What is the origin of nuclear energy? What countries use commercial nuclear power, and how much electricity do they obtain from it? How can future nuclear power plants be made safer? What can countries do to protect their nuclear facilities from military attacks? How hazardous is radioactive waste? Is nuclear energy a renewable energy source? Featuring a discussion of the recent nuclear crisis in Japan and its ramifications, Ferguson addresses these questions and more in Nuclear Energy: What Everyone Needs to Know®, a book that is essential for anyone looking to learn more about this important issue. What Everyone Needs to Know® is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.

In this lavishly illustrated book well-known environmental historian Alfred Runte, a prominent figure on the Ken Burns documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea, tells the highly engaging story of the development of our national parks, from the first national park, Yellowstone, to the more recent decision to set aside vast tracts of Alaska for preservation.

A riveting look at how an alternative source of energy is revoluntionising nuclear power, promising a safe and clean future for millions, and why thorium was sidelined at the height of the Cold War

In this groundbreaking account of an energy revolution in the making, award-winning science writer Richard Martin introduces us to thorium, a radioactive element and alternative nuclear fuel that is far safer, cleaner, and more abundant than uranium.

At the dawn of the Atomic Age, thorium and uranium seemed to be in close competition as the fuel of the future. Uranium, with its ability to undergo fission and produce explosive material for atomic weapons, won out over its more pacific sister element, relegating thorium to the dustbin of science.

Now, as we grapple with the perils of nuclear energy and rogue atomic weapons, and mankind confronts the specter of global climate change, thorium is re-emerging as the overlooked energy source as a small group of activists and outsiders is working, with the help of Silicon Valley investors, to build a thorium-power industry.

In the first book mainstream book to tackle these issues, Superfuel is a story of rediscovery of a long lost technology that has the power to transform the world's future, and the story of the pacifists, who were sidelined in favour of atomic weapon hawks, but who can wean us off our fossil-fuel addiction and avert the risk of nuclear meltdown for ever.

What is nature worth? The answer to this question—which traditionally has been framed in environmental terms—is revolutionizing the way we do business.

In Nature's Fortune, Mark Tercek, CEO of The Nature Conservancy and former investment banker, and science writer Jonathan Adams argue that nature is not only the foundation of human well-being, but also the smartest commercial investment any business or government can make. The forests, floodplains, and oyster reefs often seen simply as raw materials or as obstacles to be cleared in the name of progress are, instead, as important to our future prosperity as technology or law or business innovation.

Who invests in nature, and why? What rates of return can it produce? When is protecting nature a good investment? With stories from the South Pacific to the California coast, from the Andes to the Gulf of Mexico and even to New York City, Nature's Fortune shows how viewing nature as green infrastructure allows for breakthroughs not only in conservation—protecting water supplies; enhancing the health of fisheries; making cities more sustainable, livable and safe; and dealing with unavoidable climate change—but in economic progress, as well. Organizations obviously depend on the environment for key resources—water, trees, and land. But they can also reap substantial commercial benefits in the form of risk mitigation, cost reduction, new investment opportunities, and the protection of assets. Once leaders learn how to account for nature in financial terms, they can incorporate that value into the organization's decisions and activities, just as habitually as they consider cost, revenue, and ROI. Such a rethinking of “natural capital”—nature as a quantifiable asset—can not only increase profitability, but provide crucial protection against the kinds of climate change-driven phenomena—like devastating drought and hundred-year floods—that are no longer the stuff of speculation.

A must-read for business leaders, CEOs, investors, and environmentalists alike, Nature's Fortune offers an essential guide to the world's economic—and environmental—well-being.

SCADA technology quietly operates in the background of critical utility and industrial facilities nationwide. This important tool efficiently manages utility assets, refineries and other critical industrial segments, but protecting SCADA networks from cyber attacks, hackers and even physical assault is becoming a test of will, cleverness and determination. Cybersecurity for Industrial SCADA provides a high-level overview of this unique technology, with an explanation of each market segment. Readers will understand the vital issues, and learn strategies for decreasing or eliminating system vulnerabilities.





Benefits for readers: Functional breakdown and explanation of the typical features, capabilities, and components of a SCADA system; IT and cybersecurity technology and terminology overview and explanation; Industry-specific as well as generalized discussion of SCADA vulnerabilities and available remediation strategies; and Discussion of physical and electronic security issues and strategies

Suitable for the non-technical management level personnel as well as IT personnel without SCADA experience SCADA technology quietly operates in the background of critical utility and industrial facilities nationwide. This important tool efficiently manages utility assets, refineries and other critical industrial segments, but protecting SCADA networks from cyber attacks, hackers and even physical assault is becoming a test of will, cleverness and determination. Cybersecurity for Industrial SCADA provides a high-level overview of this unique technology, with an explanation of each market segment. Readers will understand the vital issues, and learn strategies for decreasing or eliminating system vulnerabilities.





Benefits for readers: Functional breakdown and explanation of the typical features, capabilities, and components of a SCADA system; IT and cybersecurity technology and terminology overview and explanation; Industry-specific as well as generalized discussion of SCADA vulnerabilities and available remediation strategies; and Discussion of physical and electronic security issues and strategies

Suitable for the non-technical management level personnel as well as IT personnel without SCADA experience

This new edition synthesizes the methods used in microfacies analysis and details the potential of microfacies in evaluating depositional environments and diagenetic history, and, in particular, the application of microfacies data in the study of carbonate hydrocarbon reservoirs and the provenance of archaeological materials. Intensively updated instructive plates are showing thin-section photographs with detailed explanations form a central part of the content. The book is a useful base for teaching-learning and includes detailed captions for hundreds of microphotographs, boxed summaries of technical terms, many case studies, guidelines for the determination and evaluation of microfacies criteria. It furthermore provides self-testing exercises for recognition and characterization skills.