Geofuels

Alan R. Carroll is a geologist with more than 30 years of experience in academic research and the energy industry. He is currently a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he conducts research on sedimentary basins, and he is internationally known for his contributions to the geology of ancient lakes and the tectonic evolution of western China. He also teaches a popular energy resources course. He is a founding member of the Wisconsin Energy Institute and a member of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, where he is a part of the Energy Analysis and Policy faculty. Carroll has worked as an exploration geologist for Sohio Petroleum and as a petroleum geochemist for the Exxon Production Research Company, and he continues to maintain active contact with the petroleum industry through his consulting company, Geofuels LLC. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, a past associate editor of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, and a member of the American Geophysical Union and Internal Association for Limnogeology.

• 1. Introduction; 2. The living Earth; 3. Warmed from above: solar energy; 4. Wind, water, and waves: energy from the fluid Earth; 5. Covered with green: biofuels basics; 6. Fossil farming: the geologic underpinnings of biofuels; 7. The light of an ancient sun: fossil fuel origins; 8. Digging for daylight: coal and oil shale; 9. Skimming the cream: conventional oil and gas; 10. Stuck in the mud: fossil fuels that fail to flow; 11. Petrified petroleum: oil sand and gas hydrate; 12. Water, water, everywhere; 13. Primordial power: geothermal and nuclear; 14. Out of sight, out of mind: geologic waste disposal; 15. How long is forever?: energy and time; 16. Conclusions.

'Dr Carroll has written a practical, objective, informed and entertaining book that does a refreshing job of looking at energy from multiple angles. Students and activists alike would benefit from considering what Alan has to say.' Scott W. Tinker, State Geologist of Texas and producer of the global energy documentary, Switch