Page 14 - Geothermal Energy Renewable Energy and The Environment

Series Editor’s Preface xiii

the umbrella of retooling an individual’s career and providing trained resources needed to interact
with financial, governmental, and industrial organizations.
In all my interactions throughout the years in this field, I have conducted significant searches
in locating integrated textbooks that explain alternative energy resources in a suitable manner and
that would complement a syllabus for a potential course to be taught at the university while provid-
ing good reference material for people interested in this field. I have been able to locate a number
of books on the subject matter related to energy, energy systems, resources such as fossil nuclear,
renewable and energy conversion, as well as specific books in the subjects of natural resource avail-
ability, use, and impact as related to energy and the environment. However, specific books that are
correlated and present the various subjects in detail are few and far in between. We have therefore
started a series of texts, each addressing specific technology fields in the renewable energy arena.
As a part of this series, there are textbooks on wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, hydro, and others
yet to be developed. Our texts are intended for upper level undergraduate and graduate students
and for informed readers who have a solid fundamental understanding of science and mathematics
as well as individuals/organizations that are involved with design development of the renewable
energy field entities that are interested in having reference material available to their scientists and
engineers, consulting organizations, and reference libraries. Each book presents fundamentals as
well as a series of numerical and conceptual problems designed to stimulate creative thinking and
problem solving.
The series author wishes to express his deep gratitude to his wife Maryam who has served as a
motivator and intellectual companion and too often was victim of this effort. Her support, encour-
agement, patience, and involvement have been essential to the completion of this series.

Abbas Ghassemi, PhD
Las Cruces, New Mexico