Introduction.- Fundamentals of Energy.- Energy Use.- Oil.- Natural Gas.- Coal.- Electricity.- Petrochemicals.- Energy Industries.- Technological Change.
Mark Cronshaw has worked in the energy industry as an economist, engineer and expert witness. He has taught university courses on energy economics, microeconomics, mathematical economics, and game theory, as well as professional courses on petroleum economics and appraisal of oil and gas properties. He has a PhD in Engineering-Economic Systems from Stanford, an MBA from Southern Methodist University, an MS in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology, and BA, MA and M Eng. degrees in Chemical Engineering from Cambridge University (UK). His work experience includes simulation of oil wells and reservoirs, capital budgeting, the business case for enhanced oil recovery at Prudhoe Bay (the largest oil field in the US), valuation of oil and gas properties, feasibility studies for energy projects, project planning for underground gas storage, assessment of production sharing contracts, development of natural gas markets, determination of the appropriate contingency in cost estimation for a pipeline mega-project, and economic damage assessment.
This textbook provides broad coverage of energy supply and use. It discusses how energy is produced, transformed, delivered to end users, and consumed. The author discusses all of this at an undergraduate level, accessible to students of varying backgrounds. High-level and human-scale perspectives are included. As a high-level example, the book discusses the shares of global primary energy that are provided by oil, gas, coal, hydroelectricity, and renewables, as well as trends in energy consumption and supply over time. Human-scale examples will resonate with readers’ every day experiences. The link between economic development and energy consumption is presented, which facilitates understanding of how global energy consumption growth is inevitable as economic development occurs. Coverage includes separate chapters on the oil, natural gas, coal, and electricity sectors. Each of these provides high-level descriptions of the technology involved in the production of that type of energy as well as the processing and transportation that occurs to bring the energy to end users. The book discusses the technological implications of energy transitions such as increased use of renewables or changes in the use of nuclear energy using Germany and Japan as examples. It closes with a discussion of future energy use.
Provides textbook coverage of a very wide range of topics on energy, at an introductory level;
Uses recent and historical data to illustrate energy use and supply in various countries;
Provides examples based on the author’s and reader’s experiences with energy;
Offers an excellent introduction to the technical aspects of oil, gas, coal, renewables, electricity, and petrochemicals;
Uses exercises at the end of each chapter to reinforce concepts.