Skip to main content
  • Book
  • © 2014

Key Concepts in Energy

  • Highlights how key energy concepts surfaced, tracing their evolution throughout history to encompasses four economic concepts and four technological-engineering concepts developed through their history to conclude with current economic and environmental sciences

  • Considers the process of energy-substitutions through complementary usages, hybridization and technological mixes

  • Combines a conceptual approach with key theoretical concepts from engineering, geological and economic sciences providing cross disciplinary overview of energy fundamentals in a short and focused reading

  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-vii
  2. Introduction

    • Nuno Luis Madureira
    Pages 1-8
  3. Primary Energy/Useful Energy

    • Nuno Luis Madureira
    Pages 9-32
  4. The Rebound Effect

    • Nuno Luis Madureira
    Pages 33-52
  5. Technological Hybridization

    • Nuno Luis Madureira
    Pages 53-73
  6. Last Gasp

    • Nuno Luis Madureira
    Pages 75-99
  7. Oil Reserves and Peak Oil

    • Nuno Luis Madureira
    Pages 101-130
  8. Marginal Cost Pricing

    • Nuno Luis Madureira
    Pages 131-151
  9. Energy Intensity

    • Nuno Luis Madureira
    Pages 153-180
  10. Levelized Electricity Costs

    • Nuno Luis Madureira
    Pages 181-215
  11. Overview

    • Nuno Luis Madureira
    Pages 217-222

About this book

Organized around eight fundamental ideas, Key concepts in energy history explores the discoveries, technologies and new paradigms in the field of energy, and how they have changed the course of history. Complex technical concepts such as the “rebound effect”, “technological hybridization”, “marginal cost pricing” are explained in clear terms and a balanced and concise account of t energy sources in the XIX and XX century such as wood, coal, oil, hydroelectricity and nuclear energy is provided.

Key concepts in energy considers the process of energy-substitutions and analyzes it as a process of complementary usages, hybridization and technological mixes. The ex-post view tends to focus on replacement from among alternative energy-technologies and is basically innovation-centric. This means that little attention has been given to factors such as the windows of opportunities created by governments, inventors and entrepreneurs.

This book highlights how key energy concepts surfaced, tracing their evolution throughout history. It encompasses four economic concepts (rebound effect, energy intensity, marginal cost pricing and levelized cost accounting) and four technological-engineering concepts (primary/final energy, technological hybridization, last gasp and probable oil reserves). The main benefit from reading the book is a cross disciplinary overview of energy fundamentals in a short and focused reading.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Instituto Universitario de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

    Nuno Luis Madureira

About the author

Nuno Luis Madureira is Professor at Lisbon University Institute. With a formative background in history he became furthermore interested in economics, environmental and engineering sciences developing a cross-disciplinary approach to global energy issues. The book  “Key concepts in energy history” results from several years of research in European archives but also from the experience and archival investigation pursued as visiting scholar at Harvard University and Berkeley University. Since 2006 the author has also carried on several assessments for the European Science Foundation.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Key Concepts in Energy

  • Authors: Nuno Luis Madureira

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04978-6

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Energy, Energy (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-04977-9Published: 19 March 2014

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-37472-7Published: 03 September 2016

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-04978-6Published: 08 July 2014

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: VII, 222

  • Number of Illustrations: 19 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Energy Policy, Economics and Management, R & D/Technology Policy, Energy Policy, Economics and Management

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access