This textbook provides a basic, yet concise understanding of the interrelationships of energy conversion processes. It covers the entire range of energy technology and also serves as a reference work. The focus begins with an outline of global warming with climate policy, ranges from the complete description of sustainable renewable energy technologies to conventional and combination power plants, including combined heat and power plants, to energy storage and energy distribution. The changes, especially to the German energy policy regarding the energy transition, are introduced in the various chapters through careful revisions.

The Editors

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Richard A. Zahoransky, after professional positions at the University of Karlsruhe (now KIT), Yale University, University of Maryland, CERTH/Greece, and leading industrial roles, both in Germany and abroad, has returned as professor for energy technologies and turbo machinery at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany.

Prof. Dr.- Ing. Carsten Fichter has many years of industrial and research experience in the operation of renewable and conventional power plants as well as in the field of storage technology and the energy industry at home and abroad. He teaches at the Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences, Germany, in the fields of wind energy technology, storage technology and energy economics and is the head of the energy and marine technology research cluster.

The authors

Univ.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Hans-Josef Allelein, RWTH Aachen, Lehrstuhl für Reaktorsicherheit LRST, Aachen, Germany Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Frank Allmendinger, Hochschulcampus Tuttlingen der Hochschule Furtwangen, Tuttlingen, Germany Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Elmar Bollin, Hochschule Offenburg, Fakultät Maschinenbau und Verfahrenstechnik, Offenburg, Germany Dr. David Degler, Hochschulcampus Tuttlingen der Hochschule Furtwangen, Tuttlingen, Germany Prof. Dr.-Ing. Carsten Fichter, Hochschule Bremerhaven, fk-wind: Institut für Windenergie, Bremerhaven, Germany Prof. Dr. Mario Hoppema, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany Prof. Dr.-Ing. Maurice Kettner, Hochschule Karlsruhe, Fakultät Maschinenbau und Mechatronik, Karlsruhe, Germany Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Daniel Kray, Hochschule Offenburg, Fakultät M+V::Institut für nachhaltige Energiesysteme INES, Offenburg, Germany Dr. Klaus Rüd, Consultant Powerplants and Technology, München, Germany Prof. Dr.-Ing. Udo Schelling, HTWG Konstanz, Fakultät Maschinenbau, Konstanz, Germany Prof. Dr.-Ing. Prof. h.c.mult. Harald Schwarz, BTU Cottbus, Lehrstuhl Energieverteilung u. Hochspannungstechnik, Cottbus, Germany Prof. Dr.-Ing. Richard Zahoransky, Hochschule Offenburg, Fakultät Maschinenbau und Verfahrenstechnik, Offenburg, Germany