Sustainable Power Technologies and Infrastructure

Chapter 2

Sources of Energy

All energy on earth is connected from a common source in the hydrogen atom and the history of that energy as stored in atoms and the chemical bonds of both fossil fuels and vegetation. A history of this energy puts issues in perspective—whether making ethanol or operating a nuclear reactor, man is only exercising control over processes that have been occurring for hundreds of millions of years. Stockpiles of fossil and nuclear fuels are a result of this cosmic history. An assessment of nature’s energy stockpiles reveals that there is abundant energy; the key to mankind’s prosperity is both technology and the ability to implement that technology on a timely basis. Good strategies are paramount.

Keywords

Nuclear; fuel; ...