Alternative Energy Demystified [Paperback]

Stan Gibilisco (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0071475540 | ISBN-13: 978-0071475549 | Edition: 1

The fast and easy way to get up-to-speed on alternative energy 

Because of current events, geopolitics, and natural disasters, the cost of fuel is front and center in our lives. This book provides a concise look at all forms of energy, including fossil fuels, electric, solar, biodiesel, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, and renewable fuel cells. You will get explanations, definitions, and analysis of each alternative energy source from a technological point of view.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

There's no better time -- or easier way -- to LEARN about ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Thinking about heating your home with solar power but don't know how it really works? Wondering what makes hybrid cars run? Alternative Energy Demystified shines the light on the various energy sources and technologies available today.

The book begins by covering a wide range of heat sources, including wood, corn, coal, oil, gas, electricity, and solar heat. Propulsion methods are discussed next, including gasoline, methane, ethanol, biodiesel, hydrogen, fuel cells, and more. Electricity from fossil fuels, water, wind, atoms, and other sources is also covered. Featuring end-of-chapter quizzes and a final exam, this illuminating guide explains the technical basics of many different forms of energy -- some that may surprise you!

This self-paced guide gives you:

• A thorough overview of the various sources of energy
• To-the-point explanations and detailed illustrations
• A quiz at the end of each chapter to reinforce learning and pinpoint weaknesses
• A final exam at the end of the book
• A time-saving approach to performing better on an exam or at work!

Simple enough for a beginner, but challenging enough for an advanced student, Alternative Energy Demystified is your shortcut to a working knowledge of this timely topic.

About the Author

Stan Gibilisco is one of McGraw-Hill's most prolific and popular authors. His clear, reader-friendly writing style makes his books accessible to a wide audience, and his experience as an electronics engineer, researcher, and mathematician makes him an ideal editor for reference books and tutorials. Stan has authored several titles for the McGraw-Hill Demystified library of home-schooling and self-teaching volumes, along with more than 30 other books and dozens of magazine articles. His work has been published in several languages.

Product Details

• Paperback: 322 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (October 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071475540
• ISBN-13: 978-0071475549
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #815,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since he began writing in 1981, Stan Gibilisco has become one of McGraw-Hill's most prolific authors. He also contributes regularly to whatis.com, a leading technology encyclopedia.

Stan's most popular works include "Physics Demystified," "Alternative Energy Demystified," "Statistics Demystified," "Calculus Know-It-All," and "Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics."

Stan maintains a Website at sciencewriter.net, where he offers concise explanations for the chapter-ending quiz answers in some of his books. Please follow the "Quiz Explanations" link.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction, January 19, 2007

By 

Joseph P. Tillman (Champaign, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alternative Energy Demystified (Paperback)

This book provides a good overview of present and future alternative energy sources. It discusses the fundamentals from wood stoves to nuclear fusion. Note, this is an overview book, NOT a HOW-TO book. You aren't going to get blueprints on building a wind turbine but you will get a brief discussion of the technology and an overview of some very basic design criteria. The material is well laid out and very practical. Because it is something of a technical book, there are a few very simple (junior high level) algebraic equations throughout the text. Most anyone with an interest in the subject will find the book useful and an inexpensive introduction to the subject. The end of chapter quizzes help cement core concepts. The book's title lives up to its claim.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not What You Might Expect, January 18, 2010

By 

Jennifer Bogart "@ Quiverfullfamily.com" (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alternative Energy Demystified (Paperback)

As a member of a family that has lived off-grid for the better part of three years -- heating with wood full-time, using a solar/wind/generator combination to provide for our electrical needs -- I'm always keenly interested in titles that promise insight into the world of alternative energy. With a title like Alternative Energy Demystified one might expect to encounter an ecologically oriented volume that praises the benefits of existing and groundbreaking alternative energy sources. Based upon that premise, a reader would be bound for disappointment.

Alternative Energy Demystified could perhaps better have been titled Energy Demystified as it covers all methods of heating, propulsion, and electricity generation. Designed as a self-study manual with end of chapter open book quizzes, and a closed book final exam, the concise, objective entries of an incredible range of technologies, and comprehensive index also lends itself to use as a reference work.

From the traditional and widely used oil and gas through to the rarefied and exotic magnetic levitation and ion rockets, there's a little bit of everything here. The standard alternative energy giants -- wind, solar, biofuels, geothermal etc. -- are also included, but are given no more emphasis than any of the other technologies discussed. Each technology or method of delivery is given a two or three page description along with any requisite mathematical formulas and conversions necessary to understanding the topic being discussed.

Being more practically oriented, and usually looking for practical hands-on details to implement on our own homestead, this title doesn't exactly fit the bill for us. There are no in-depth discussions, no installation details included, nor suggestions for specific set-ups. There are basic, generalized diagrams that provide some sense of how a real-life system might operate are included for every method discussed.

Author Stan Gibilisco is rather conservative in his writing, playing it safe as it were. For example, in the section concerning heating with wood stoves he recommends that anyone operating a wood stove wear fireproof clothing and protective gear at all times. Living in central Alberta where the mercury dips dangerously often has us filling the stove every two hours. To any experienced wood stove users, this suggestion sounds pretty silly.

Still, anyone looking to bone up on some of the basic details of various energy sources will be well served by Gibilisco's work. Perhaps you're just curious, or are in the initial stages of evaluating which energy sources will best fit your needs in a specific situation, in that case Alternative Energy Demystified might have the information you need to start down the road of deeper research. On the other hand, if you're a general interest reader, you'll certainly be able to impress your acquaintances with a broad, diverse understanding of the energy sources available today.

2.0 out of 5 stars Ok for Joe Schmoe homeowner. Not an academic textbook., December 4, 2011

By 

Adam - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alternative Energy Demystified (Paperback)

This was the text book for the Intro to Alternative Energy class at a Community College. It would be good for the average homeowner who's interesting in the fundamentals of the different energy alternatives but it's not suitable(IMO) as a textbook.