Figure 1.

1 Coal-fired power plants produce more electrical power in the United States than any other single
type of power plant.
(Martin33/Fotolia)

Introduction to Renewable Energy for Engineers Copyright © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Kirk D. Hagen All Rights Reserved
Figure 1.2 Photovoltaic solar power plants convert solar power directly into electrical power.
(Rafa Irusta/Shutterstock)

Introduction to Renewable Energy for Engineers Copyright © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Kirk D. Hagen All Rights Reserved
Figure 1.3 Wind farms generate electrical power on a commercial scale.
(Majeczka/Shutterstock)

Introduction to Renewable Energy for Engineers Copyright © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Figure 1.4 The Three Gorges Dam, spanning the Yangtze River in China, is the world’s largest hydropower
plant with a generating capacity of 22.5 GW.
(Thomas Barrat/Shutterstock)

Introduction to Renewable Energy for Engineers Copyright © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Kirk D. Hagen All Rights Reserved
Figure 1.5 The Don Campbell geothermal power plant, located in Mineral County, Nevada, has a power-
generation capacity of 16 MW.
(Courtesy of Ormat Technologies, Inc.)

Introduction to Renewable Energy for Engineers Copyright © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Kirk D. Hagen All Rights Reserved
Figure 1.6 The La Rance Tidal Barrage, located on the estuary of the Range River in Brittany, France, was the
world’s first tidal power station. Its power-generation capacity is 240 MW.
(TSWGB)

Introduction to Renewable Energy for Engineers Copyright © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Kirk D. Hagen All Rights Reserved
Figure 1.7 Wood-fired power plant in northern California operated by Wheelabrator Shasta Energy Company.
(Wheelabrator Shasta Energy/NREL)

Introduction to Renewable Energy for Engineers Copyright © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Kirk D. Hagen All Rights Reserved
Figure 1.8 As a boulder falls toward the ground, its potential energy is converted to kinetic energy.

Introduction to Renewable Energy for Engineers Copyright © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Kirk D. Hagen All Rights Reserved