Bent Sørensen’s Renewable Energy: Physics, Engineering, Environmental Impacts, Economics and Planning, Fifth Edition, continues the tradition by providing a thorough and current overview of the entire renewable energy sphere. Since its first edition, this standard reference source helped put renewable energy on the map of scientific agendas. Several renewable energy solutions no longer form just a marginal addition to energy supply, but have become major players, with the promise to become the backbone of an energy system suitable for life in the sustainability lane.

This volume is a problem-solving tool for engineers, researchers, students, consultants, and planners currently working in the field, as well as a detailed map of the renewables universe for those looking to expand into new technological specialties, offering the most comprehensive coverage of the subject available.

The book has been structured around three parts in order to assist readers in focusing on the issues that impact them the most for a given project or question. PART I covers the basic scientific principles behind all major renewable energy resources, such as solar, wind, and biomass. PART II provides in-depth information about how these raw renewable sources can actually be converted into useful forms, transmitted into the grid, and stored for future utilization. Finally, PART III undertakes the aspects of energy planning, environmental impacts, and socio-economic issues on regional and global levels.

In this new edition, Sørensen presents his audience with updated data about renewables market penetration, current insights on climate change, the most recent available technology for renewable energy conversion, transmission and storage, and revised planning scenarios and the future outlook.

• Covers the underlying physics and engineering of energy sources and conversion processes, including methodologies, models, and analysis
• Provides a better understanding of the scientific basis and current progress in the field
• Requires advanced knowledge of math and physics
• Provides a unique three part organization covering energy sources, conversion processes, and the related planning, environmental impacts, and socio-economic issues on regional and global levels
• New edition presents updated data about renewables market penetration, current insights on climate change, the most recent available technology for renewable energy conversion, transmission and storage, and revised planning scenarios and future outlook

A hydrogen economy, in which this one gas provides the source of all energy needs, is often touted as the long-term solution to the environmental and security problems associated with fossil fuels. However, before hydrogen can be used as fuel on a global scale we must establish cost effective means of producing, storing, and distributing the gas, develop cost efficient technologies for converting hydrogen to electricity (e.g. fuel cells), and creating the infrastructure to support all this. Sorensen is the only text available that provides up to date coverage of all these issues at a level appropriate for the technical reader.

The book not only describes the "how" and "where" aspects of hydrogen fuels cells usage, but also the obstacles and benefits of its use, as well as the social implications (both economically and environmental). Written by a world-renowned researcher in energy systems, this thoroughly illustrated and cross-referenced book is an excellent reference for researchers, professionals and students in the field of renewable energy.

• Updated sections on PEM fuel cells, Molten carbonate cells, Solid Oxide cells and Biofuel cells
• Updated material to reflect the growing commercial acceptance of stationary and portable fuel cell systems, while also recognizing the ongoing research in automotive fuel cell systems
• A new example of a regional system based on renewable energy sources reflects the growing international attention to uses of renewable energy as part of the energy grid
• Examples of life cycle analysis of environmental and social impacts

In this seminal book, Bent Sørensen views human society as driven by the quest for, and control of, energy. From allowing our prehistoric ancestors to survive harsh northern European winters to more recent global energy security and climate concerns, the control and effective harnessing of energy sources has played a central role in human development. Using the written and archaeological record and, from earlier times, inferring the energy needs of humans through modeling of climatological conditions and other indirect parameters, Sørensen unwraps this previously little-explored field.

Based on detailed studies of northern Europe – and in particular the case of Denmark – the focus moves from the stone age, through the development of agriculture and trade, migration and exploration, medieval society and the renaissance, into industrial times and present-day debates around the transition to low-carbon forms of energy supply.

This riveting examination of a nascent field of study provides a new perspective for historians and those wishing to gain a deeper understanding of the background to present-day energy debates.

This volume is a true shelf reference, providing a thorough overview of the entire renewable energy sphere, while still functioning as a go-to information source for professionals and students when they need answers about a specific technical issue. Crafted over the last 15 years into a problem-solving tool for engineers, researchers, consultants and planners currently working in the field, as well as a detailed map of the renewables universe for those looking to expand into new technological specialties, Renewable Energy by Sorensen offers the most comprehensive coverage of the subject available.

The book has been structured around three parts in order to assist readers in focusing on the issues that impact them the most for a given project or question. PART I covers the basic scientific principles behind all major renewable energy resources, such as solar, wind and biomass. PART II provides in-depth information about how these raw renewable sources can actually be converted into useful forms, transmitted into the grid and stored for future utilization. Finally, PART III undertakes the aspects of energy planning, environmental impacts and socio-economic issues on regional and global levels.

In this fourth edition update, new material includes expanded coverage of biofuels, solar conversion, biomass and fuel cells, storage and transmission, and a new chapter on integrated technologies to introduce the hybrid systems now being explored. New surveys and the most recent research findings are included throughout.

• New, thoroughly updated fourth edition of the authoritative field guide to the entire Renewable Energy universe
• The only books to scientific principles and implementation methods, technologies and socio-economics, environmental impacts and cutting-edge advances, all in one volume
• New material includes expanded coverage of biofuels, solar conversion, biomass and fuel cells, storage and transmission, and a new chapter on integrated systems

This four-volume set, edited by a leading expert in the field, brings together in one collection a series of papers that have been fundamental to the development of renewable energy as a defined discipline. Some of the papers were first published many years ago, but they remain classics in their fields and retain their relevance to the understanding of current issues. The papers have been selected with the assistance of an eminent international editorial board. The set includes a general introduction and each volume is introduced by a new overview essay, placing the selected papers in context. The range of subject matter is considerable, including coverage of all the main renewable technologies, the fundamental principles by which they function, and the issues around their deployment such as planning, integration and socio-economic assessment.

Overall, the set provides students, teachers and researchers, confronted with thousands of journal articles, book chapters and grey literature stretching back decades, with a ready-made selection of and commentary on the most important key writings in renewable energy. It will be an essential reference for libraries concerned with energy, technology and the environment.

The first book to consider intermittency as a key point of an energy system, Energy Intermittency describes different levels of variability for traditional and renewable energy sources, presenting detailed solutions for handling energy intermittency through trade, collaboration, demand management, and active energy storage. Addressing energy supply intermittency systematically, this practical text:

• Analyzes typical time-distributions and intervals between episodes of demand-supply mismatch and explores their dependence on system layouts and energy source characteristics


• Simulates scenarios regarding resource time-flow, energy conversion devices, and demand structure to assist in evaluating the technical viability of the proposed solutions


• Discusses the conditions for establishing such systems in terms of economic requirements and regulatory measures

In one concise and convenient volume, Energy Intermittency provides a comprehensive overview of all the causes and remedies of energy supply intermittency.

While solar is the fastest-growing energy source in the world, key concerns around solar power’s inherent variability threaten to de-rail that scale-up . Currently, integration of intermittent solar resources into the grid creates added complication to load management, leading some utilities to reject it altogether, while other operators may penalize the producers via rate increases or force solar developers to include storage devices on-site to smooth out power delivery at the point of production. However these efforts at mitigation unfold, it is increasingly clear to parties on all sides that energy storage will be pivotally important in the drive to boost the integration of variable renewable sources into power infrastructures across the globe. Thoughtfully implemented storage technologies can reduce peak demand, improve day-to-day reliability, provide emergency power in case of interrupted generation, reduce consumer and utility costs by easing load balance challenges, decrease emissions, and increase the amount of distributed and renewable energy that makes it into the grid. While energy storage has long been an area of concern for scientists and engineers, there has been no comprehensive single text covering the storage methods available to solar power producers, which leaves a lamentable gap in the literature core to this important field. Solar Energy Storage aims to become the authoritative work on the topic, incorporating contributions from an internationally recognized group of top authors from both industry and academia, focused on providing information from underlying scientific fundamentals to practical applications, and emphasizing the latest technological developments driving this discipline forward.

• Expert contributing authors explain current and emergent storage technologies for solar, thermal, and photovoltaic applications. 
• Sheds light on the economic status of solar storage facilities, including case studies of the particular challenges that solar energy systems present to remote locations.
• Includes information on: chemical storage mechanisms, mechanical storage tactics, pumped hydro, thermal storage, and storage strategies for systems of all sizes—from centralized utilities to distributed generation.