Energy and society : an introduction / Harold H. Schobert.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Energy, work, and power -- Human energy -- The energy balance -- Fire -- Firewood -- Combustion for home comfort -- Waterwheels -- Wind energy -- The steam engine -- Heat and thermal efficiency -- Introduction to electricity -- How electricity is generated -- Impacts of electricity on society -- Electricity from falling water -- Electricity from steam -- Energy for transportation -- Petroleum and its products -- Gasoline -- The impact of the automobile -- Jet engines and jet fuel -- Diesel engines and diesel fuel -- Atomic energy -- Nuclear power plants -- The nuclear controversy -- Energy and the environment -- Acid rain -- Vehicle emissions and emissionless vehicles -- Global climate change -- Fossil energy: reserves, resources, and geopolitics -- Renewable energy from biomass -- Electricity from wind -- Energy from the sun -- Nuclear fusion: bringing the sun to Earth.