Today, the tide has turned so strongly in favour of renewables that for the first time since the dawn of the fossil fuel era over two hundred years ago renewable energy technologies have started attracting more investment globally than that in the fossil fuel-based technologies. This text provides a comprehensive and wide ranging introduction to various renewable energy technologies and their applications, such as solar, wind, biomass, biogas, wave, geothermal, tidal and small hydel. It provides a thorough understanding of the basic energy conversion processes taking place in various renewable energy-based equipment like heat engines, photovoltaics, wind turbines, windmills, wave machines, and so on. The text also deals with the impact of renewable energy sources on global warming and pollution. The book is intended for courses in Environmental Sciences, Environmental/Electrical/Mechanical Engineering and Energy Studies at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It will also serve as a useful reference for scientists, technocrats and environmentalists. India is generously endowed with renewable energy sources. I hope the present book by Prof. Tasneem Abbasi and Prof. S.A. Abbasi will help students, renewable energy professionals and even the general masses to understand various aspects of renewable energy technologies and their applications. ??" Dr. FAROOQ ABDULLAH Hon'ble Minister New and Renewable Energy Government of India Table Of Contents: contents Foreword ??? Preface 1.From Renewables to Renewables: The Human Quest for Energy Comes Full Circle 2.Pollution and Global Warming Due to the Use of Fossil Fuels: The Extent of the Problem 3.Direct Solar 4.Biomass Energy 5.Biogas Energy 6.Wind Energy 7.Wave Energy 8.Tidal Energy 9.Geothermal Energy 10.Small Hydro 11.Hydrogen as a Renewable Energy Source 12.Storage of Intermittently-generated Renewable Energy 13.Decarbonization of Fossil Fuel Use by CO2 Capture 14.Is the Use of Renewable Energy Sources an Answer to