Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction to electricity generation; Environmental considerations; Coal-fired power plants; Gas turbines and combined cycle power plant; Combined heat and power; Piston-engine-based power plant; Fuel cells; Hydropower; Tidal power; Storage technologies; Wind power; Geothermal power; Solar power; Ocean power; Biomass-based power generation; Power from waste; Nuclear power; Index

This book makes intelligible the wide range of electricity generating technologies available today, as well as some closely allied technologies such as energy storage. The book opens by setting the many power generation technologies in the context of global energy consumption, the development of the electricity generation industry and the economics involved in this sector. A series of chapters are each devoted to assessing the environmental and economic impact of a single technology, including conventional technologies, nuclear and renewable (such as solar, wind and hydropower). The technologies are presented in an easily digestible form. Different power generation technologies have different greenhouse gas emissions and the link between greenhouse gases and global warming is a highly topical environmental and political issue. With developed nations worldwide looking to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide, it is becoming increasingly important to explore the effectiveness of a mix of energy generation technologies. Power Generation Technologies gives a clear, unbiased review and comparison of the different types of power generation technologies available. In the light of the Kyoto protocol and OSPAR updates, Power Generation Technologies will provide an invaluable reference text for power generation planners, facility managers, consultants, policy makers and economists, as well as students and lecturers of related Engineering courses. It provides a unique comparison of a wide range of power generation technologies conventional, nuclear and renewable. It describes the workings and environmental impact of each technology, and evaluates the economic viability of each different power generation system.