![]() |
![]() |
Your cart is empty |
||
Books > Business & Economics > Industry & industrial studies > Energy industries & utilities > Alternative & renewable energy industries
Most scientists now believe that carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere are rapidly increasing, and that emissions from the burning of fossil fuels is a principal cause. Thus, it is probable that this will affect the climate and lead to global warming. This book familiarizes the non-specialist with alternative sources of energy, pointing out their advantages and disadvantages. The appropriate principles of physics and chemistry involved in each alternative will be presented in an easily digestible manner. The book seeks to better inform the public about specific actions that need to be taken in order to better combat energy problems, and reduce climate change.
The wind power business has grown from a niche sector within the energy industry to a global industry that attracts substantial investment. In Europe wind has become the biggest source of new power generation capacity, while also successfully competing with the gas, coal and nuclear sectors in China and the US. Wind Power looks at the nations, companies and people fighting for control of one of the world's fastest growing new industries and how we can harness one of the planet's most powerful energy resources. The book examines the challenges the sector faces as it competes for influence and investment with the fossil fuel industry across the globe. Over the course of this volume, Backwell analyses the industry climbers, the investment trends and the technological advancements that will define the future of wind energy. This second edition is revised throughout and contains new material on frontier wind markets and industry consolidation, as well as the cost reductions and market gains that led to 2015 being a landmark year for the big wind turbine companies. This is an important resource for professionals working in wind and wider renewable industries, energy finance, conventional energy companies and government as well as researchers, students, journalists and the general public.
Originally published in 1979, this study develops a model that explains the rate of adoption of an innovation in an industry - i.e the impact of technological change upon the utilization of selected materials and energy resources in the steel, alluminium and metal can industries. Each of the three industries is examined and in subsequent chapters the model is developed, applied and evaluated.
Originally published in 1984, this book develops a quantitative model designed for use in the evaluation of the relative merits of alternative energy R&D programmes. It is used to compare the merits of major energy-technology R&D programmes during the 1970s in the USA: Liquid-metal fast breeder reactors, synthetic fuels derived from coal and oil shale and improved efficiency in end-use technologies. The benefits/disadvantages are analyzed in terms of economics, security and the environment. Although published some years ago, the economic benefit assessed is in terms of the impact that commercialization of a particular energy-technology would have on the total 60 year cost of the US energy supply system. The security benefit is measured in terms of the reduction of crude oil imports and the environmental factors are measured here by the total tonnage of coal and oil shale that is extracted each year. All of these issues continue to be relevant today.
The Routledge Handbook of Energy in Asia presents a comprehensive review of the unprecedented growth of Asian energy over the past quarter of a century. It provides insightful analysis into variation across the continent, whilst highlighting areas of cross-learning and regional cooperation between the developed and developing countries of Asia. Prepared by a team of leading international experts, this book not only captures the East Asian domination, particularly that of China, but also highlights the growing influence of South Asia and the ASEAN. Organised into four parts, the sections include: the demand for energy in the region and its main drivers at the sector level; developments in energy supply, including fossil fuels and renewable energy sources; energy policies and issues such as sector reform and climate change; the transition to a low carbon pathway. This handbook offers a complete picture of Asian energy, covering supply and demand, as well as contemporary challenges in the sector. As such, it is a valuable resource for students and scholars of energy policy, Environmental Studies, and Asian Studies.
Nation and the World must move forward with development of a range of energy sources and savings, all with attendant environmental problems. Solving these problems, and those remaining from past energy-related activities, will require iteration, inclusion, and collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, including U.S., State and local governmental agencies, Tribal Nations, scientists, environmentalists, public policy makers, and the general public.
Biofuels and Rural Poverty makes an original contribution to the current controversial global debate on biofuels, in particular the consequences that large-scale production of transport fuel substitutes can have on rural areas, principally in developing countries but also in some poor rural areas of developed countries. Three key concerns are examined from a North-South perspective: ecological issues (related to land use and biodiversity), pro-poor policies (related to food and land security, gender and income generation) and equity of benefits within the global value chain. Can biofuels be pro-poor? Can smallholder farmers be equitably integrated in the biofuels global supply chain? Is the biofuels production chain detrimental to biodiversity? Most other books available on biofuels take a technical approach and are aimed at addressing energy security or climate change issues. This title focuses on the socio-economic impacts on rural people's livelihoods, offering a unique perspective on the potential role of biofuels in reducing rural poverty.
The market and policy impetus to install increasingly utility-scale solar systems, or solar farms (sometimes known as solar parks or ranches), has seen products and applications develop ahead of the collective industry knowledge and experience. Recently however, the market has matured and investment opportunites for utility-scale solar farms or parks as part of renewable energy policies have made the sector more attractive. This book brings together the latest technical, practical and financial information available to provide an essential guide to solar farms, from design and planning to installation and maintenance. The book builds on the challenges and lessons learned from existing solar farms, that have been developed across the world, including in Europe, the USA, Australia, China and India. Topics covered include system design, system layout, international installation standards, operation and maintenance, grid penetration, planning applications, and skills required for installation, operation and maintenance. Highly illustrated in full colour, the book provides an essential practical guide for all industry professionals involved in or contemplating utility-scale, grid-connected solar systems.
Renewable Energy Finance: Theory and Practice integrates the special characteristics of renewable energy with key elements of project finance. Through a mixture of fundamental analysis and real-life examples, readers learn how renewable energy project finance works in actual deals that mix finance, public policy, legal, engineering and environmental issues. The skills developed in analyzing non-recourse cash flow-based finance are applicable not only to green energy, but also apply more widely in project finance and infrastructure investing. The book's comparisons of developed and developing countries make it valuable to readers worldwide.
Geothermal energy refers to the heat contained within the Earth that generates geological phenomena on a planetary scale. Today, this term is often associated with man's efforts to tap into this vast energy source. Geothermal Energy: utilization and technology is a detailed reference text, describing the various methods and technologies used to exploit the earth's heat. Beginning with an overview of geothermal energy and the state of the art, leading international experts in the field cover the main applications of geothermal energy, including: electricity generation space and district heating space cooling greenhouse heating aquaculture industrial applications The final third of the book focuses upon environmental impact and economic, financial and legal considerations, providing a comprehensive review of these topics. Each chapter is written by a different author, but to a set style, beginning with aims and objectives and ending with references, self-assessment questions and answers. Case studies are included throughout. Whilst written primarily for professionals and students interested in learning more about geothermal energy, the book also offers those new to the field and the general geothermal community an opportunity to understand and review the potential of this exciting alternative energy source. Published with UNESCO
Solar energy is a substantial global industry, one that has generated trade disputes among superpowers, threatened the solvency of large energy companies, and prompted serious reconsideration of electric utility regulation rooted in the 1930s. One of the biggest payoffs from solar's success is not the clean inexpensive electricity it can produce, but the lessons it provides for innovation in other technologies needed to address climate change. Despite the large literature on solar, including analyses of increasingly detailed datasets, the question as to how solar became inexpensive and why it took so long still remains unanswered. Drawing on developments in the US, Japan, Germany, Australia, and China, this book provides a truly comprehensive and international explanation for how solar has become inexpensive. Understanding the reasons for solar's success enables us to take full advantage of solar's potential. It can also teach us how to support other low-carbon technologies with analogous properties, including small modular nuclear reactors and direct air capture. However, the urgency of addressing climate change means that a key challenge in applying the solar model is in finding ways to speed up innovation. Offering suggestions and policy recommendations for accelerated innovation is another key contribution of this book. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy technology and innovation, climate change and energy analysis and policy, as well as practitioners and policymakers working in the existing and emerging energy industries.
Developed in partnership between Skills2Learn and Cengage Learning, this highly interactive workbook can be used as a resource tool for all introductory renewable energy vocational qualifications and apprenticeships. This unique workbook is designed to consolidate learners' theoretical knowledge prior to undertaking practical workshop exercises. Introduction to Renewable Energy provides learners with a thorough insight into renewable energies including the different types of heat and electricity producing technologies, the selection process, incentives and government policies. Part of the Renewable Energy Series, this unique write-in workbook can also be used alongside the Skills2Learn Introduction to Renewable Energy virtual reality e-learning programme making this a first-of-its-kind, fully integrated blended learning solution.
The integration of renewable energy resources into the electricity grid presents an important challenge. This book provides a review and analysis of the technical and policy options available for managing variable energy resources such as wind and solar power. As well as being of value to government and industry policy-makers and planners, the volume also provides a single source for scientists and engineers of the technical knowledge gained during the 4-year RenewElec (renewable electricity) project at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Vermont, Vermont Law School, and the Van Ness Feldman environmental law firm. The first part of the book discusses the options for large scale integration of variable electric power generation, including issues of predictability, variability, and efficiency. The second part presents the scientific findings of the project. In the final part, the authors undertake a critical review of major quantitative regional and national wind integration studies in the United States. Based on comparisons among these studies, they suggest areas where improvements in methods are warranted in future studies, areas where additional research is needed to facilitate future improvements in wind integration studies and how the research can be put into practice.
Choosing appropriate practices and policies for biofuel production requires an understanding of how soils, climate, farm types, infrastructure, markets and social organisation affect the establishment and performance of these crops. The book highlights land use dynamics, cultivation practices related to conversion and wider impacts. It explores how biofuel production chain development is steered by emerging technologies and management practices and how both can be influenced by effective policies designed to encourage sustainable biofuel production. The book highlights major biofuel production chains including: cane cultivation in Brazil corn ethanol in the USA wheat and rapeseed in Europe oil palm in the Far East cane in Asia and Africa SRC and other lignocellulosic crops. In each case the development, cropping systems and impacts are discussed, system dynamics are shown and lessons drawn for the way things could or should change. Biofuel Cropping Systems is a vital resource for all those who want to understand the way biofuels are produced and how they impact other elements of society and especially how improvements can be made. It is a handbook for students, biofuel producers, researchers and policymakers in energy and agriculture.
Environmental finance is about creating the greatest environmental benefit for the largest number of people at the lowest possible cost. That is the first and most important principle listed in Finance Policy for Renewable Energy and a Sustainable Environment. Focusing on what the author considers to be the 23 principles of environmental finance, this text examines the key financial principles necessary to build strategies and adopt policies to deal effectively with environmental challenges. The text encourages making financial decisions based on science, not politics, and considers what it takes to design and execute environmental finance programs in the most cost-effective way possible. Providing a historical overview of how we got to where we are now, and outlining the 23 principles needed to establish a stronger foundation for the future, this text presents the basic financial tools required to understand the concepts presented. It discusses the proper roles of grants, loans and guaranties, the concept and proper use of affordability, understanding leverage, and generating revenue streams for environmental programs. It also examines subsidies, financial risk reduction strategies, and the challenges posed by alternative energy as well as the next generation of environmental programs. As it relates to how environmental projects and improvements are achieved, Finance Policy for Renewable Energy and a Sustainable Environment outlines the greatest benefits at the lowest possible cost to the public. This text is an ideal resource for upper-level undergraduate students in environmental engineering and business courses, as well as practicing environmental engineers.
In part 2 of Wind Power for the World, the editors have collected reports and overviews of wind power status and history in various countries, several written by individuals who have made valuable contributions to the successful emergence of wind power. The chapters cover the uphill struggle; wind energy strategies and policies that paved the way; and the creative persons in politics, agencies, institutes, and the industry. It also examines the world societies at large and how solutions to the challenges were found in different countries.
Renewable energy versus fossil fuels: the debate rages on, worldwide. At stake is nothing less than the protection of our planet from the ravages of climate change. But the costs involved in making the switch to clean energy are daunting. How do we pay for solar and wind energy? Do we scrap all our gasoline-driven autos? How do we move forward?
Business Models for Renewable Energy in the Built Environment provides insight to policy makers and market actors as to the ways that new and innovative business models (and/or policy measures) can stimulate the deployment of renewable energy technologies (RET) and energy efficiency (EE) measures in this field. This project was initiated and funded by the IEA Implementing Agreement for Renewable Energy Technology Deployment (IEA-RETD). It analyses ten business models in three categories, covering different types of energy service companies (ESCO's). Included: developing properties certified with a 'green' building label building owners profiting from rent increases after EE measures property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing on-bill financing leasing of RET equipment. Coverage extends to the organisational and financial structure of the models and the existing market and policy context, plus analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). The book concludes with recommendations for policy makers and other market actors on how to encourage and accelerate built environment renewable energy technologies.
This book provides an extensive overview of utility scale solar project development and the various tasks required to bring large solar power plants from plans to realities. The various topics have been organized and presented in a way to clearly define important development fundamentals including basic business and legal considerations. The reader is also guided through the more complex aspects of renewable energy development such as how to choose the ideal project site. Further, while the book is appropriate for a cover to cover read-through it is also designed to be an excellent go-to reference, a HANDBOOK FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT. Edited by: Albie Fong and Jesse Tippett with contributions from: Arturo Alvarez, Jeffery Atkin, William DuFour III, Perry Fontana, William Hugron, Jason Keller, Tyler M. Kropf, Michael Mendelsohn, Brett Prior, Scott Reynolds, Pilar Rodriguez-Ibanez, Katherine Ryzhaya Poster and Alfonso Tovar ELECTRONIC ENHANCEMENTSThe book's companion website http://www.solarbookteam.com provides contact information for all authors to the book and access to the key resources highlighted in the text. This tailored media platform provides supplemental and exclusive information that is up-to-date with the present state of the solar industry.
Climate change has become a major international issue and the British Government is committed to meeting ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions within the present decade and beyond. Much of this will rely on an increasing use of renewable energy. Within current technology this will depend almost exclusively upon the use of rural land, whether for wind turbines, for growing biomass and biofuels or for the production of biogas. Renewable energy is therefore of immediate interest to farmers and landowners and to their advisers, such as surveyors, lawyers, accountants and bankers, as well as to planners and conservationists. This is one of very few books which addresses the issue of renewable energy from the point of view of landowners, farmers and rural land managers those people who must make important decisions about how, where and when to install renewable energy sources on their land and the business implications of the decisions they make. The third edition of Renewable Energy in the Countryside contains a new chapter on biogas, up-to-date discussions on the implications of the Renewable Heat Initiative and new opportunities for solar energy and ground source heat in the context of farms and country houses as well as the implications of changes in UK planning policies.
"For decades, Hermann Scheer was one of the world's leading proponents of renewable energy. In this, his last book before his death in 2010, he lays out his vision for a planet 100% powered by renewables and examines the fundamental ethical and economic imperatives for such a shift. And most importantly, he demonstrates why the time for this transition is now. In Scheer's view, talk of "bridging technologies" such as carbon capture and storage or nuclear energy - even (and perhaps especially) by environmentalists - is actively damaging the more the pressing agenda of the move to 100% renewable energy. Instead, he offers up examples of the technologies which are working (economically) today and details the policy and market conditions which would allow them to flourish. In 1993, Scheer's A Solar Manifesto laid the foundations for the road which has led to annual newly installed renewable capacity today rivalling that of conventional power sources. The Energy Imperative provides a practical, inspirational map for the next stage of the journey"--
Energy policy is at a crossroads. Attempts to meet targets for carbon emissions, energy security and affordable energy for vulnerable households are all on a trajectory to failure. Aggressive ambitions to roll out huge off-shore wind, nuclear and clean coal plants are proposed, but without any clear plans on how funds will be mobilized, or transmission and distribution infrastructure developed. In this book Prashant Vaze and Stephen Tindale ask politicians and regulators to consider a different path. Using abundant examples of small scale local solutions Repowering Communities examines how cities, communities and local authorities from across Europe and North America have driven reductions in energy use and rolled out small scale, community level solutions. Among the issues examined are the drivers behind behavioural change, the methods used to secure necessary investment and what government and civil society can do to foster such action on a wide scale. Based on extensive first-hand research and drawing on the latest global energy data the authors provide essential information and inspiration for readers who wish to drive the policies that encourage community-level energy development.
Throughout the world, the threat of climate change is pressing governments to accelerate the deployment of technologies to generate low carbon electricity or heat. But this is frequently leading to controversy, as energy and planning policies are revised to support new energy sources or technologies (e.g. offshore wind, tidal, bioenergy or hydrogen energy) and communities face the prospect of unfamiliar, often large-scale energy technologies being sited near to their homes. Policy makers in many countries face tensions between 'streamlining' planning procedures, engaging with diverse publics to address what is commonly conceived as 'NIMBY' (not in my back yard) opposition, and the need to maintain democratic, participatory values in planning systems. This volume provides a timely, international review of research on public engagement, in contexts of diverse, innovative energy technologies. Public engagement is conceived broadly - as the interaction between how developers and other key actors engage with publics about energy technologies (including assumptions held about the methods used, such as the provision of financial benefits or the holding of deliberative events), and how individuals and groups engage with energy policies and projects (including indirectly through the media and directly through emotional and behavioural responses). The book's contributors are leading experts in the UK, Europe, North and South America and Australia drawn from a variety of relevant social science disciplinary perspectives. The book makes a significant contribution to our existing knowledge, as well as providing interested professionals, policymakers and members of the public with a timely overview of the critical issues involved in public engagement with low carbon energy technologies.
A retro-fit offers many benefits: cutting electricity and heating bills, increasing the resale value of homes, slashing carbon emissions and creating a healthier place to live. This book is the guide to making it happen. It looks at: - draught-proofing, insulation and damp - ventilation, heating and cooling - electrical efficiency and renewable energy - water use and re-use - materials' life cycles and incorporating nature - protection from climate change impacts - modelling energy flows and embodied energy - how we can meet the need to cut carbon emissions from dwellings by 80% by 2050. Projects can apply to apartment blocks, recent builds and older, solid-walled properties. Enlivened with helpful diagrams and photographs, plus plenty of pointers for further information, it provides a comprehensive resource handbook for any building professional and contractor, students - or any homeowner serious about efficiency (cash and carbon) savings.
The world is at a pivotal crossroad in energy choices. There is a strong sense that our use of energy must be more sustainable. Moreover, many also broadly agree that a way must be found to rely increasingly on lower carbon energy sources. However, no single or clear solution exists on the means to carry out such a shift at either a national or international level. Traditional energy planning (when done) has revolved around limited cost projections that often fail to take longer term evidence and interactions of a wider set of factors into account. The good news is that evidence does exist on such change in case studies of different nations shifting toward low-carbon energy approaches. In fact, such shifts can occur quite quickly at times, alongside industrial and societal advance, innovation, and policy learning. These types of insights will be important for informing energy debates and decision-making going forward. Low Carbon Energy Transitions: Turning Points in National Policy and Innovation takes an in-depth look at four energy transitions that have occurred since the global oil crisis of 1973: Brazilian biofuels, Danish wind power, French nuclear power, and Icelandic geothermal energy. With these cases, Dr. Araujo argues that significant nationwide shifts to low-carbon energy can occur in under fifteen years, and that technological complexity is not necessarily a major impediment to such shifts. Dr. Araujo draws on more than five years of research, and interviews with over 120 different scientists, government workers, academics, and members of civil society in completing this study. Low Carbon Energy Transitions is written for professionals in energy, the environment and policy as well as for students and citizens who are interested in critical decisions about energy sustainability. Technology briefings are provided for each of the major technologies in this book, so that scientific and non-scientific readers can engage in more even discussions about the choices that are involved. |
![]() ![]() You may like...
Handbook on the Economics of Renewable…
Pablo del RÃo, Mario Ragwitz
Hardcover
R6,777
Discovery Miles 67 770
Decentralised Energy - a Global Game…
Christoph Burger, Antony Froggatt, …
Hardcover
R876
Discovery Miles 8 760
Value-Chain of Biofuels - Fundamentals…
Suzana Yusup, Nor Adilla Rashidi
Paperback
R3,700
Discovery Miles 37 000
A Guide to EU Renewable Energy Policy…
Israel Solorio, Helge Joergens
Hardcover
R4,027
Discovery Miles 40 270
Optimization and Decision-Making in the…
Figen Balo, Manavalan Saravanan, …
Hardcover
R7,211
Discovery Miles 72 110
|