**Section 3 Environmental Impact 111**


Preface

tween energy systems and our environment.

Our contemporary society is an energy consumer. We need energy to enhance, maintain, and improve our quality of life locally and globally, as well as literally and philosophically. We consume energy and resources at an exponential rate. At the same time, our society is really dependent on the sustainability of both energy and resources. Thus, it is of paramount importance for our wellbeing and long-term prosperity to balance our consumption and production as far as energy and vital resources such as water and air are concerned. This simple consideration brings us to the key idea of this book—to explore relationships be‐

We need energy for our safety and security. To provide needed energy resources, we need energy sources and power plants to take advantage of them and to use them for our needs. This book looks at environmental aspects of energy technologies, from common traditional

We do not have all the answers and solutions but with this book we would like to support our quest for answers to questions such as: Do we have enough energy? What will future energy sources look like? Are we energy and environmentally sustainable if our energy de‐

The objective of this book is to serve as a one-stop comprehensive information resource on energy and environment topics, from energy science to energy engineering to energy poli‐ tics. Starting with science and technology topics we link them to economics and politics showcasing interconnections between energy sources, energy utilization, energy conversion,

The chapters of this book cover all energy sources and technologies, their current and future status, and discuss challenges, opportunities, and expectations from use and environmental points of view. The book achieves its objective by offering and integrating deeply technical

The authors and the editor hope to facilitate the research into environmentally sustainable energy technology accounting for use and impact. Readers will find stimulating thought-pro‐ voking information on energy and environment that does not favor any one source of energy but supports our quest for energy while making sure our planet is capable of sustaining us. Do you think we will always have enough energy to sustain the Earth? The chapters of this book will engage you in discussions contributed by authors with a wide variety of views.

sources in use, new sources, and emerging sources and technologies.

mands are to be met? and many other key energy and resource questions.

and sustainability under the common theme of energy and environment.

and socioeconomics papers together on energy and environment topics.

