This comprehensive overview of the topic perfectly balances expertise and intelligibility, allowing the reader to contribute to discussions about alternative energies. The new edition has six more chapters than its predecessor, taking into account such radical developments as tidal power stations, the Desertec project, and thermography of buildings. Furthermore, the critical debate about today's first-generation "biofuels" is carefully presented, discussing promising solutions that do not trade food for fuel. In addition, this edition includes exciting new articles on thin film solar cells, seaweed, osmosis, hydrogen, and electric vehicles. Edited by experienced journalists and backed by striking full-color diagrams and simplified graphics, this book presupposes no relevant scientific background and is thus ideally suited to interested lay readers.

Roland Wengenmayr is science journalist and editor of the journal "Physik in unserer Zeit". He studied physics in Darmstadt, with a temporary stay at the European research laboratory CERN in Geneva. After the diploma he worked as an engineer in the chemical plant construction then he moved on to the publishing house Wiley-VCH, where he worked as commissioning editor for physics and physical chemistry. Today he writes for prominent newspapers on topics like e.g. renewable energy. Thomas Bührke is science journalist, editor of the journal "Physik in unserer Zeit", and author of several popular science books within the ranges of physics and astrophysics. He studied Physics at the universities of Göttingen and Heidelberg and attained there a doctorate at the Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy. Subsequently, he changed to the publishing house Wiley VCH, where he started as an editor of the journal "Physikalischen Blätter" (now: "Physik Journal") and later changed to "Physik in unserer Zeit".