Energy and electricy in industrial nations : The sociology and technology of energy

Energy is at the top of the list of environmental problems facing industrial society, and is arguably the one that has been handled least successfully, in part because politicians and the public do not understand the physical technologies, while the engineers and industrialists do not understand the societal forces in which they operate. In this book, Allan Mazur, an engineer and a sociologist, explains energy technologies for nontechnical readers and analyses the sociology of energy.

The book gives an overview of energy policy in industrialised countries including analysis of climate change, the development of electricity, forms of renewable energy and public perception of the issues. Energy is a key component to environment policy and to the workings of industrial society. This novel approach to energy technology and policy makes the book an invaluable inter-disciplinary resource for students across a range of subjects, from environmental and engineering policy, to energy technology, public administration, and environmental sociology and economics.

Contents :

Part 1: The Big Picture1. The Agrarian and Industrial Transformations
2. Is the Malthusian Trap Imminent? Are Other Energy Problems More Worrisome?
3. Energy Flow in an Industrial Society
4. Energy, Electricity and Quality of Life

Part 2: Energy Sources and Consumption: Using More, and More, and More…5. Fossil Fuels
6. Non-carbon Sources of Energy
7. Was Growth of Energy and Electricity Usage in Industrial Nations Due More to Population Growth or to Other Causes?

Part 3: Electric Power8. Power Grids
9. America’s Three Grids

Part 4: Energy Controversies10. Rationality, Pro and Con
11. The Dynamics of Technical Controversy
12. Mass Media and the Public Part 5: Progress and Regress
13. Attempted Solutions
14. What Next?