| This book is for people who want to learn about diverse energy sources and technologies without taking a formal course. It can serve as a classroom supplement, tutorial aid, self-teaching guide, or home-schooling text.
As you take this course, you’ll encounter multiple-choice quizzes and a fi nal exam to help you measure your progress. All quiz and exam questions are composed like those in standardized tests. The quizzes are “open-book.” You may refer to the chapter text when taking them. The fi nal exam contains questions drawn uniformly from all the chapters. It is a “closed-book” test. Don’t look back at the text when taking it. Answers to all quiz and exam questions are listed at the back of the book.
You don’t need a mathematical or scientifi c background for this course. Middleschool algebra, geometry, and physics will suffi ce. I recommend that you complete one chapter a week. That way, in a few months, you’ll fi nish the course. You can then use this book, with its comprehensive index, as a permanent reference.
This book offers ideas for consumers, experimenters, and hobbyists, as well as outlining the technical basics of energy generation, transport, and utilization.
However, this is not a design guide! If you want to install, modify, upgrade, or use any of the systems discussed here, consult the appropriate professionals, and adhere to all applicable laws, codes, and insurance requirements.
This is an entry-level science nonfi ction book for students and lay people. It is not intended to promote or condemn any particular energy source, ideology, agenda, or economic interest. I have done my best to objectively present the advantages and limitations of various technologies from conventional to exotic. I invite input from innovators, producers, and distributors concerning developments for possible inclusion in future editions. |
