Power Density: A Key to Understanding Energy Sources and Uses

By Vaclav Smil

Categories: Engineering & Transportation, Science & Math

Power Density (2015) is Vaclav Smil's study of how much energy can be produced or used per unit of area. He measures fossil fuels, nuclear plants, hydro, wind, solar and biomass this way, and also cities, factories and households. He shows that modern societies run on very dense fossil energy, and that renewable sources need far more land, a key constraint for any shift away from coal, oil and gas.

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