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1. First off, this book is a huge collection of scientific information on a lot of subjects which don’t get detailed explanations in the news. If you want extremely detailed explanations, here they are.

   One problem with the book is that it is not for everyone to read. The product description makes it sound like something for almost anyone, but the content is all technical with very little generalized overview. The chapter(s) on Hydrogen are so lengthy, and Rosa goes so far in each chapter to assign us calculation homework. The sheer mass of detailed technical data may distract a layperson from the general fact that Hydrogen is only useful as a means of energy storage, unlike wind or solar power which actually let us capture unused energy as a replacement for petroleum.

   Within one of those chapters, Rosa makes a rather gratuitous comment about the future price of fuel cells, based entirely on a very generalized argument about production. But Rosa doesn’t have any special knowledge of fuel cell or iron engine production (or at least he does not reveal any such fact here), so this is out of place in what otherwise appears to be a highly academic book.

   In addition to the inconsistent point of view (mass science vs. expert vs. opinion), it is unclear why anyone would want such formula-level information about so many subjects, but would not care that it lacks any skilled educational technique to help non-experts understand things.

   I could hardly recommend it to anyone. Even as a reference book, you are better off looking things up online for this sort of information than using printed text which ages.
   Rating: 2 / 5

   
   A Customer
   February 3rd, 2010

2. At over 800 pages, with ample equations, formulae, and technical descriptions, this is not a book to be read over a leisurely weekend. Be clear – this is an academic text, meant to be studied as part of a formal academic course. The author writes as much in the foreword to the second edition, “This book is based on class notes created in the teaching of Fundamentals of Energy Processes at Stanford since 1976.”

   The book is divided into four sections:
   
   Part 1: “Heat Engines”
   
   Part 2: “The World of Hydrogen”
   
   Part 3: “Energy from the Sun”
   
   Part 4: “Wind and Water”

   Each chapter begins with an introduction to the topic, followed by an in-depth covering of the material, replete with diagrams, schematics (circuit diagrams for example), and formulae and equations.
   
   For example, Chapter 9, “Fuel Cells”, the first chapter in the “The World of Hydrogen” section, we are introduced to the types of batteries:
   
   ………………. | Expendable
   
   Voltaic cells ….. | Nonexpendable …|.. Rechargeable
   
   ………………..|………………|.. Refueable

   This is followed by an explanation of voltaic cells, with a schematic of a simple fuel cell, containing a cathode and an anode on two sides, and an ion conducting membrane in-between.
   
   The next section describes types of fuel cells, like Alkaline Fuel cells (AFC), Molten carbonate FC, Solid polymer FCs, etc…
   
   Fuel cell reactions are described next, with the equations describing the reactions.

   Each chapter has a list of references, and a list of questions and problems.
   
   The index comes in at an anemic 16 pages.

   For the non-technical or the lay reader, this book is of limited value, since only a small portion of each chapter is sufficiently simple enough, while the bulk of each chapter gets technical, rapidly.
   Rating: 4 / 5

   
   Abhinav Agarwal
   February 3rd, 2010

3. Everything One Needs to Know on Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Processes and More! I work in the energy industry and I was interested in understanding the theory behind some specific renewable energy processes from an engineering perspective and this book delivered that in great depth. Each chapter focuses on a particular source of renewable energy and can be read independent of the previous chapters. This is a very good reference book and a lot more than the typical books on renewable energy which are usually primers. But to be completely fair I must say, that I lack the engineering expertise to really comment on the quality and accuracy of the material.
   Rating: 4 / 5

   
   V. Ghazarian
   February 3rd, 2010

4. I got this book thinking it would be a primer on renewable energy sources but it is an Electrical Engineering textbook. There is plenty of good information to be found for sure by anyone looking into the subjects of wind, solar, nuclear, geothermal, biomass, and other sources of renewable energy.

   You will have to skip a lot of mathematical formulas and Chemical Reaction diagrams to get to the meat of the topic though. Some of the applications I saw especially for the biomass solutions were quite fanciful and would be terrific if the fossil fuel cost of creating them could be made less than the actual production of the energy.

   For engineers though the text will be pure gravy. You’ll be sure to understand the formulas and the problems presented. Hopefully one of you will use this information to make cars and appliances that will help the environment while at the same time making us less dependant on fossil fuels.

   Rating: 4 / 5

   
   Skylark Thibedeau
   February 3rd, 2010

5. This is a thorough, detailed textbook, but one that requires much background knowledge in renewable energy in order to fully understand and appreciate. The chapters are well organized and the passages are well written, but the best part of the textbook are the many examples and tables/figures.

   Important to mention, too, that aesthetically, this book has an amazing rectangular, hardcover design; thick pages that are highlighter leak-proof.
   Rating: 5 / 5

   
   booktalk29
   February 3rd, 2010

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