THE WORLD OF ENERGY STORAGE

The technology of energy retrieval, conversion, storage, and transportation is the subject of this latest entry in the publisher's Science Survey series. After reviewing various energy sources (solar, tidal, earth's heat, fission and fusion fuel) as variously practicable alternatives to the dwindling fossil fuels (and, more specifically, citing possible alternatives to the inefficient gasoline engine automobile), Boyd examines in separate chapters how energy is or can be stored in electrochemical, thermal, mechanical, biological, and ""dynamic"" (oscillating) systems. Unlike other discussions at this level (i.e. Halacy's sharper The Energy Trap, 1975), Boyd concentrates on the technicalities with little attention to political, economic, or social considerations--but also with little indication of how promising or problematical the various methods and devices might be. And his graceless style (""Human use of energy is not unlike nature's gifts"") and pedagogical insensitivity (""The tide is a resonance phenomenon""--unelaborated in the context of tidal energy, though resonance is explained chapters later) make it heavy going. Supplementary.