The audiobook contains the course lectures; the PDF is the course guide / summary.

Energy is, without a doubt, the very foundation of the universe. It’s the engine that powers life and fuels the evolution of human civilization. Yet for all its importance, what energy really is and how it works remains a mystery to most non-scientists. For example:

• Where does most of our energy come from, and how is it sourced?
• How do energy technologies, both primitive and cutting-edge, generate power?
• How do we store energy—and will there be enough to meet our future needs?
• What are the pros and cons behind the forms of energy currently available to us?
• How might we harness potential future energy sources such as earthquakes and supervolcanoes?

All too often, the answers to questions like these are bogged down in polemics and controversy. Imagine, then, how these and other questions could be discussed from a purely factual, scientific perspective. The truth is, to better put into perspective the various issues surrounding energy in the 21st century, you need to understand the essential science behind how energy works. And you need a reliable source whose focus is on giving you the facts you need to form your own educated opinions.

In the 24 lectures of The Science of Energy: Resources and Power Explained, award-winning professor and expert geophysicist Michael E. Wysession of Washington University in St. Louis presents an unbiased investigation into the energy sources that power our world. Vividly illustrated with animations, 3-D graphics, graphs, in-studio demonstrations, and other visuals that make scientific and mathematical concepts approachable and understandable, The Science of Energy is a marvelous window into the inner workings of energy that will keep you constantly engaged.

Professor Wysession walks you through a wide portfolio of renewable and non-renewable energy sources, including coal, oil, natural gas, solar, wind, geothermal, and nuclear fission. You’ll examine how these sources work, the engineering marvels that adapt them to human needs, the economic and environmental consequences of using them, and more. Whatever exciting, rapid changes await us in the coming decades (from food production to public transportation to industrial manufacturing), they’ll most certainly require lots of power. For this reason and many more, this course imparts essential information for any well-informed citizen of the world—whether you’re powering a major city or simply turning on the bathroom light.

Contents:

1. Energy and Human Civilization
2. Energy: Forms and Conversion for Use
3. Heat: The Transfer and Flow of Energy
4. Electricity: Ultimate Energy Converter
5. Chemical Energy, Biomass, and Photosynthesis
6. Coal: Convenient, Energy-Dense Fuel
7. Petroleum: Chemistry, Retrieval, and Use
8. New Petroluem Directions
9. Fossil Fuel Energy: Issues and Concerns
10. Understanding Carbon Dioxide
11. The Science of Nuclear Power
12. The Nuclear Fission Fuel Cycle
13. Sunlight: Inexhaustible Energy Source
14. Solar Power and Electricity
15. Wind Power and Electricity
16. Hydroelectric Power: Electricity from Water
17. Biofuels: Biodiesel and Ethanol
18. Geothermal Energy
19. Energy Storage Techniques
20. Energy Needs for Transportation
21. Energy Efficiency: Technologies and Trends
22. Energy Sources: Economics and Politics
23. Probable and Possible Future Energy Sources
24. Energy Trends: Planning for the Near Future