This book provides a critical examination of the resources, market forces, and social impacts of modern energy production. The book addresses the dilemmas that have arisen from society's crucial dependence on energy and particularly fossil fuels, and explores the available alternative electricity producing technologies. The second edition has increased emphasis on those issues at the forefront of the current energy debate: energy sustainability, climate change, de-regulation of the power industry. The first edition proved especially useful as a textbook for undergraduate programs in Science, Technology and Society (STS), and as a supplementary text in a variety of courses which touch upon energy studies, including environmental and technology policy, law and economics.