Table of Contents

Volume I:
Renewable Energy Origins and Flows
1. History
Energy use by humans and their societies, milestones in technology development
2. Flows
Solar energy cycle, creation of indirect flows and deposits
3. Resource base and demand
Size of renewable energy resources, temporal variations, demand emphasis on measures that work in synergy with renewable energy

Volume II:
Renewable Energy Technologies I
1. Solar electricity
Photovoltaic devices, photoelectrochemical devices, e.g. organic or polymer-based
2. Solar heat
Small building-integrated, large communal concepts, concentrators

Volume III:
Renewable Energy Technologies II
1. Wind energy
Converter types, on- and off-shore constructions
2. Biofuels
Solid, liquid and gaseous fuels derived from agriculture, forestry and aquaculture
3. Other sources for conversion
Hydropower, geothermal energy, wave power, etc.

Volume IV:
Renewable Energy in Society
1. Integrated approaches
Integrating individual renewable energy technologies into supply systems
2. Socio-economic and environmental assessment
Prices, direct and full cost, environmental assessment, life-cycle analysis
3. Scenario construction and analysis
From visions to consistent and implementable system structures
4. Sustainability, planning and policy
Visions, plans, policy requirements, communication, dealing with obstacles

About the Author

Bent Si? rensen is professor emeritus at Roskilde University. He has held academic positions at Universities of New South Wales (Australia), Grenoble (France), Yale and Berkeley (USA) and Kyoto (Japan), and been technical director of Denmark's largest engineering firm. He has served as advisor for OECD and several governments and UN agencies, and was a lead author for the IPCC Second Assessment Report.

Reviews

'This timely compendium will be valuable for researchers entering the field and a valuable launch pad for businesses and other organisations developing and implementing sustainable energy systems.'
Mark Diesendorf, Institute of Environmental Studies, University of New South Wales, Australia 'In response to energy security, economic growth, and climate change challenges, renewable energies is now a major and growing area of investments globally. These unique volumes offer perspectives on the evolution of renewables and their continued success. They are recommended to all interested in action for sustainability!'
Thomas B. Johansson, International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, Lund University, Sweden and Co-Chair, Global Energy Assessment, IIASA