This book investigates the existing situation of photovoltaic systems regarding environmental questions and energy efficiency in the European Industry, particularly the industrial units at the Greek area. A model of energy management based on economical, technical and administrative aspects is proposed in order to combine industrial uses of photovoltaics with environment protection.

This book examines the role of renewable energy certificates in new renewable energy projects. For more than a decade, renewable energy certificates (RECs) have grown in use, becoming a common way to track ownership of the renewable and environmental attributes of renewable electricity generation. RECs are used widely, and are often required, to verify utility compliance with state renewable portfolio standards (RPs) and to substantiate claims made by voluntary purchasers of green power. In recent years, however, questions have risen about the role RECs play in the decision to build new renewable energy projects. Critics point to the uncertain demand for and, in some cases, low prices of RECs as evidence that RECs do not make a meaningful contribution in favour of building a new project. Others counter that any revenue source, large or small, contributes to making new projects profitable and also attracts investment to the broader industry.

Energy is an essential factor in development, since it stimulates, and supports economic growth, and development in Sudan. Any form of energy can be transformed into another form, but the total energy always remains the same. Sustainable energy is the provision of energy such that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable energy sources are most often regarded as including all renewable sources, such as biofuels, solar power, wind power, wave power, geothermal power and tidal power. It usually also includes technologies that improve energy efficiency. This book discusses new developments in this field, as well as the impact that renewable energy, and alternative energy might have in the future. This important book gathers the latest research in the study of sustainable energy and highlights such topics as: monitoring sustainable energy development; methane; energy and territory; biodiesel production; environmental policies in an electricity sector and others.

This book provides a practical description of the technology of pellet production on the basis of renewable sources as well as the utilization of pellets. The author explains what kinds of biomass are usable in addition to wood, how to produce pellets and how to use pellets to produce energy. Starting with the basics of combustion, gasification and the pelletizing process, several different technologies are described. The design, planning, construction and economic efficiency are discussed as well. The appendix gives useful advice about plant concepts, calculations, addresses, conversion tables and formulas.

Today, the energy sources used to create electricity differ in many ways, including in their environmental impacts. In the United States, electricity is most often generated using fossil or nuclear fuels -- forms of power generation that can have detrimental effects on human health and the environment through air emissions and other problems. Despite advances in pollution controls over the last 30 years, this conventional power generation is still the nation's single largest source of industrial air pollution and is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Electricity markets now offer cleaner ways of producing power, however, and give many consumers the ability to choose how their power is generated. One of these choices is power from renewable sources, or "green power". This book is a guide to purchasing green power and a summary of federal renewable energy and energy efficiency programs.

In this groundbreaking book, energy systems modelling expert Dr Gregor Czisch analyses electricity supply options for Europe and its neighbouring regions. He describes how our electricity supply could be structured in an optimally costeffective manner largely based on currently available technologies. Czisch proposes that power plant usage and selection be optimized in a manner that takes full account of the availability and intermittency of renewables. To this end, the author provides a number of solutions entailing a wide range of thoughtprovoking scenarios. Czisch s visionary study shows that a pan-European renewablesbased supergrid using highvoltage DC lines extending into North Africa could supply an area spanning 50 countries with a combined population of 1.1 billion. The author demonstrates that such a supergrid would obviate the need for fossil fuels and nuclear power, and that its costs would be on a par with or perhaps even lower than our current electricity supply system. This book would appeal to students and professionals with an interest in the field or for those working in renewable energy, politicians and other energy decision makers."

Concerns about energy security, uncertainty about oil prices, declining oil reserves, and global climate change are fueling a shift towards bioenergy as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. Public policies and private investments around the globe are aiming to increase local capacity to produce biofuels. A key constraint to the expansion of biofuel production is the limited amount of land available to meet the needs for fuel, feed, and food in the coming decades. Large-scale biofuel production raises concerns about food versus fuel tradeoffs, about demands for natural resources such as water, and about potential impacts on environmental quality. The book is organized into five parts. The introductory part provides a context for the emerging economic and policy challenges related to bioenergy and the motivations for biofuels as an energy source. The second part of the handbook includes chapters that examine the implications of expanded production of first generation biofuels for the allocation of land between food and fuel and for food/feed prices and trade in biofuels as well as the potential for technology improvements to mitigate the food vs. fuel competition for land. Chapters in the third part examine the infrastructural and logistical challenges posed by large scale biofuel production and the factors that will influence the location of biorefineries and the mix of feedstocks they use. The fourth part includes chapters that examine the environmental implications of biofuels, their implications for the design of policies and the unintended environmental consequences of existing biofuel policies. The final part presents economic analysis of the market, social welfare, and distributional effects of biofuel policies.

The Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROI or EROEI) is the amount of energy acquired from a particular energy source divided by the energy expended, or invested, in obtaining that energy. EROI is an essential and seemingly simple measure of the usable energy or energy profit from the exploitation of an energy source, but it is not so easy to determine all of the energy expenditures that should be included in the calculation. Because EROI values are generally low for renewable energy sources, differences in these estimates can lead to sharply divergent conclusions about the viability of these energy technologies. This book presents the first complete energy analysis of a large-scale, real-world deployment of photovoltaic (PV) collection systems representing 3.5 GW of installed, grid-connected solar plants in Spain. The analysis includes all of the factors that limit and adjust the real electricity output through one full-year cycle, and all of the fossil fuel inputs required to achieve these results. The authors comprehensive analysis of energy inputs, which assigns energy cost estimates to all financial expenditures, yields EROI values that are less than half of those claimed by other investigators and by the solar industry.Sensitivity analysis is used to test various assumptions in deriving these EROI estimates. The results imply that the EROI of current, large-scale PV systems may be too low to seamlessly support an energy and economic transition away from fossil fuels. Given thepervasiveness offossil fuel subsidies in the modern economy, a key conclusion is that all components of the system that brings solar power to the consumer, from manufacturing to product maintenance and life cycle, must be improved in terms of energy efficiency. The materials science of solar conversion efficiency is only one such component.
Sunny Spain represented an ideal case study as the country had the highest penetration of solar PV energy at 2.3 percent of total national demand as well as state-of-the-art expertise in solar power including grid management of intermittent, modern renewable systems. This book, written by a uniquely qualified author team consisting of the chief engineer for several major photovoltaic projects in Spain and the world s leading expert on the concept and application of EROI, provides a comprehensive understanding of the net energy available to society from energy sources in general and from functioning PV installations under real-world conditions in particular. The authors provide critical insight into the capacity of renewable energy sources to fill the foreseeable gap between world energy demand and depletion rates for fossil fuels.

.Presents the first comprehensive study of the EROI of large-scale solar PV systems in a developed country

.Uses real-world operational data rather than laboratory approximations and extrapolations

.Describes the dependence of one alternative energy source on the goods and services of a fossil-fueled economy

.Has global implications for the potential of renewable energy sources to replace dwindling reserves of fossil fuels

.Written with the first-hand knowledge of the chief, on-site engineer formany solar installations in Spain together with the leader in the development and application of the concept of EROI

The demand for high-performance submarine power cables is increasing as more and more offshore wind parks are installed, and the national electric grids are interconnected. Submarine power cables are installed for the highest voltages and power to transport electric energy under the sea between islands, countries and even continents. The installation and operation of submarine power cables is much different from land cables. Still, in most textbooks on electrical power systems, information on submarine cables is scarce. This book is closing the gap. Different species of submarine power cables and their application are explained. Students and electric engineers learn on the electric and mechanic properties of submarine cables. Project developers and utility managers will gain useful information on the necessary marine activities such as pre-laying survey, cable lay vessels, guard boats etc., for the submarine cable installation and repair. Investors and decision makers will find an overview on environmental aspects of submarine power cables. A comprehensive reference list is given for those who want further reading.

With its 250-year history, Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) is now viewed as a model for managing forests worldwide. Yet despite the frequent use of the term there remain many questions concerning its meanings, criteria as well as its practical application.

This book explores the current potential of SFM within the context of the rapid changes occurring in our natural and social environment, and examines the broad range issues climate change, finance, governance, policy, certification, reduced-impact logging, non-timber products and services and stakeholder participation in land-use decisions within the context of forest use, functions and conservation.

With contributions from high-level representatives from the World Bank, FAO, IUCN and UNEP, as well as from leading academics and including case studies from Europe and the tropics this timely synthesis will provide a valuable reference for advanced students and researchers interested in forest and natural resource management, participatory and extension research, forest ecology and ecosystem services, functions and values, as well as for those involved in forest policy at local, regional and international levels.

'Every so often, a discipline should take stock where we are and where we are going. This book is doing that in a very timely manner. As we gain an appreciation of the magnitude and implications of future changes, the authors present views and ideas on a wide range of topics related to sustainable forest management. They provide a much needed overview of challenges in the face of climate and other aspects of global change. The book incorporates recent advances in a variety of fields and provides suggestions for solutions to important management problems that range from theoretical approaches to practical applications.' Klaus J. Puettmann, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA."

As demand for energy increases, many communities are seeking ways to meet this demand with clean, safe, reliable energy from renewable sources such as sun and wind. Fortunately, many of the key technologies that can unlock the power of these renewable resources are available on the market today. While the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) continues to fund research and development (R&D) to improve solar technologies, DOE is also focusing on accelerating a robust nationwide market for the currently available technologies. Advances in solar technology, an increase in federal and state tax incentives, and creative new financing models have made solar projects including community solar projects, more financially feasible. This book focuses on the availability of solar power for communities along with a guidance for local stockholders. (Imprint: Nova)

Legislative mandates and incentives, volatility in oil prices and new research and technological advances are driving the expectation of major increases in the production of biofuels from cellulosic biomass. The term "sustainability" has been defined as the meeting of needs of present and future generations. Sustainable biofuel production is economically competitive, conserves the natural resource base and ensures social well-being. This book explores critical research areas and knowledge gaps relevant to the environmental, economic and social dimensions of biofuel sustainability. It also underscores the critical need for a common socioeconomic framework to develop a systems-level understanding for how these dimensions interact across different spatial scales, from the small plot or farm to regional to very large scales such as political, national and global scales.

The world is going green. Sustainable technologies, such as renewable energy and electric vehicles, are increasingly becoming part of our daily life. This dissertation fills the ensuing gap by providing an insight into the emerging German greentech industry, one of the largest in the world. It develops an integrated and interdisciplinary theoretical framework in which to assess the relationships between innovation, growth and financing from a firm-level perspective; it then tests this framework empirically. In essence, the study finds that: (1) Innovative activity and corporate growth depend heavily on the availability of capital. At the same time, it appears that particularly innovative firms are more likely to face financial constraints. (2) A lack of funds is very apparent for around a quarter of the firms investigated and seems most severe in the early part of the growth state, where firms focus on commercializing existing products. (3) Government support programs only partially offset these effects "

U.S. and foreign manufacturers have expanded their capacity in the United States to assemble and produce wind turbines and components in order to increase energy supply diversity. This book discusses the U.S. wind turbine manufacturing industry, its supply chain, employment and international trade trends, major federal policy efforts aimed at supporting the industry, and issues affecting its future.

The nation's reliance on imported oil, rising energy costs, and fossil fuels' potential contribution to climate change have renewed the federal focus on renewable energy. Many federal agencies support renewable energy activities, raising congressional concerns about the number and roles of agencies implementing such efforts. This book examines the wide range of federal activities related to renewable energy and the recent increase in these efforts that have raised congressional concerns about the number of agencies implementing such activities, as well as the roles of agencies responsible for regulating and providing funding to various segments of the renewable energy industry.

Photovoltaic technology proven to be safe, clean, efficient and easy to implement all over the world. The photovoltaic sector's impressive progress is a clear justification for this Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Solar Photovoltaic Terms. Since may of buzz words of Solar Photovoltaic have come into general vocabulary. It is a important to know exact meaning and definitions of such terms. Therefore this dictionary is a comprehensive dictionary demystifying many of the terms used in Solar Photovoltaic area. This Encyclopaedic Dictionary is an easy to use, with precise and clear meaning and cited with examples wherever possible. It is a perfect resource for a person who is part of Solar Photovoltaic revolution and would like to improve his comprehension of various terms used over time. The latest terms have also been added to the dictionary to catch up with the latest terminologies. There is a proper arrangement for all the terms and words in an alphabetical sequence. This dictionary can add in enhancing your knowledge of solar Photovoltaic and writing reports, essays, or speeches in the area of Solar Photovoltaic to make your writing and speaking much more effective. Overall, the Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Solar Photovoltaic Terms is a perfect resource for people of all ages and disciplines who have started delving in the Solar Photovoltaic world. Hope this resource useful and practical.

Pressing economic, energy security, and environmental concerns are driving rapid growth in global investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other clean energy technologies. The U.S. government has an unparalleled opportunity to join forces with the private sector, international institutions, and other countries to accelerate this global clean energy market transformation and capture vital domestic benefits. This book examines how U.S. international clean energy leadership can produce enormous benefits domestically and internationally.

India has 150GW of renewable energy potential, about half in the form of small hydropower, biomass, and wind and half in solar, cogeneration, and waste-to-energy. Developing renewable energy can help India increase its energy security, reduce the adverse impacts on the local environment, lower its carbon intensity, contribute to more balanced regional development, and realize its aspirations for leadership in high-technology industries. This study aims to answers critical questions on why renewable energy development is relevant in Indian context, on how much development is economically feasible, and on what needs to be done to realize the potential. The Report is based on data from nearly 180 wind, biomass, and small hydropower projects in 20 states, as well as information from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC). The Report suggests that about 3GW of renewable energy - all from small hydropower is conomically feasible, when the avoided cost of coal-based generation of Rs 3.08/kWh is considered. About 59GW of renewable energy in wind, biomass, and small hydropower is available at less than Rs 5/kWh. The entire cumulative capacity of 68GW in these three technologies can be harnessed at less than Rs 6/kWh. About 62GW-90 percent of cumulative renewable capacity in wind, biomass, and small hydropower-is economically feasible when the environmental premiums on coal are brought into consideration. Realizing the need to bridge this gap, the government has set an ambitious target of installing at least 40GW of additional capacity of renewables in the next 10 years. India has made tremendous strides in establishing overarching policy framework and institutions to bring renewable in the mainstream of energy mix, but significant financial, infrastructure and regulatory barriers to renewable energy development remain which the report sheds light on and suggests possible solutions.

During his 25 January 2011 State of the Union speech, President Obama proposed a Clean Energy Standard (CES) policy framework that would result in 80% of U.S. electricity generation coming from "clean energy" sources by 2035. "Clean energy," as described by President Obama, would include renewables, nuclear power and partial credits for clean coal and efficient natural gas. This book examines the design elements of previous CES proposals, summarizes the Administration's CES policy framework, provides state-level baseline CES compliance analysis, and presents several policy options that Congress might consider as part of a CES debate.

Conflict Resolution of the Boruca Hydro-Energy Project is a case study that aims to profile best practices for sustainable development, indigenous human rights, and conflict resolution. In 2003, a joint project was developed between the United Nations University of Peace and the International Peace and Conflict Resolution program at Arcadia University to study the Boruca hydroelectrical conflict in Costa Rica. The aim was to bring together theory and practice and to reveal the link between peace and conflict resolution and sustainable development. Through partnerships with the Kan Tan Ecological Project and the indigenous communities in the region, and field studies to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and local Civil Society Organizations, faculty and students utilized the mediation framework to identify the needs and interests of the primary conflict stakeholders. Conflict Resolution of the Boruca Hydro-Energy Project represents the culmination of this fieldwork and tests the mediation framework as suitable model for the resolution of environmental conflicts in Latin America. The Boruca project, proposed in the 1970s by the state-run corporation Instituto Costarricense De Electridad (ICE), will build a dam in the Boruca Canyon, changing the flow of the Terraba River and creating an artificial lake of 25.000 hectares. The largest of its kind in Central America, this project will generate approximately 1,500 megawatts and increase Costa Rica's energy production capability by as much as 50%. For ICE, not only will the project satisfy national electrical demand, it will also stimulate economic growth, assist in the development of new technological corridors and new tourism projects, increase employment opportunities, and improve the quality of life for indigenous peoples living in Boruca area. For the indigenous population, however, the project represents a violation of their fundamental human rights since it will force the relocation of 2,000 to 3,000 indigenous peoples, flood areas of archeological and cultural significance to them, and affect their livelihood due to the resulting changes in the biodiversity. They also fear the social and environmental impacts of more tourism in the area. The increasingly dysfunctional communication between the Boruca people and ICE over the past 30 years has led to a breakdown of trust and a stalling of the project's development. Conflict Resolution of the Boruca Hydro-Energy Project follows these conflicts and the process by which the government-owned utility tried to find common ground between all stakeholders. Ultimately, it tests the mediation framework as an appropriate approach to the resolution of development conflicts, exploring the transferability of this approach to other countries in Latin America. This case study provides unique insights into Latin American environmental and development politics and will be of interest to any student, faculty, or policymaker looking to assess the mediation framework.

Nanotechnology is a rapidly evolving field finding newer and newer areas of application that remained unexplored previously. In the area of civil infrastructure systems such as buildings, roads, and bridges, there is a drive towards understanding the behavior of component materials and their interactions at the molecular or nano-level to manipulate and effect macro-level changes to engineer designer or smart materials. Nano-engineering and nano-modification of concrete and bituminous materials have far-reaching implications allowing the development of cost-effective, high-performance, and long-lasting products and processes for civil infrastructure within the ideals of sustainable development. This book focuses on the latest advances made in the development and characterization of nanotechnology based civil engineering materials, structures, and systems. Specific topics discussed in this book include nanoscience modeling to understand the atomic structure of C-S-H, the effect of nanomaterials on cement hydration and reinforcement, multifunctional concrete and Carbon Nanotube (CNT) reinforced cementitious systems, nano-optimized construction materials by nano-seeding, moisture damage characterization of asphalt materials using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and nanoindentation, nanoclay-modified asphalt binder systems, etc.

This book explores the land cover, renewable energy and natural gas issues facing Alaska today. The land surface of Alaska is sparsely populated and the impacts from humans are far less extensive when compared to the contiguous United States. A brief survey of renewable energy technologies applicable to Alaska's climate, latitude, geography, and geology is also discussed as are Alaska's natural renewable energy resources and which renewable energy technologies would be most productive. This book also provides a review of the history of efforts to develop an Alaskan natural gas pipeline, including project status, recent developments, and the current project outlook.

The problem of storing hydrogen safely and effectively is one of the major technological barriers currently preventing the widespread adoption of hydrogen as an energy carrier and the subsequent transition to a so-called hydrogen economy. Practical issues with the storage of hydrogen in both gas and liquid form appear to make reversible solid state hydrogen storage the most promising potential solution. "Hydrogen Storage Materials" addresses the characterisation of the hydrogen storage properties of the materials that are currently being considered for this purpose.

The background to the topic is introduced, along with the various types of materials that are currently under investigation, including nanostructured interstitial and complex hydrides, and porous materials, such as metal-organic frameworks and microporous organic polymers. The main features of "Hydrogen Storage Materials" include: an overview of the different types of hydrogen storage materials and the properties that are of interest for their practical use;descriptions of the gas sorption measurement methods used to determine these properties, and the complementary techniques that can be used to help corroborate hydrogen uptake data; andextensive coverage of the practical considerations for accurate hydrogen sorption measurement that drive both instrument design and the development of experimental methodology.

"Hydrogen Storage Materials" provides an up-to-date overview of the topic for experienced researchers, while including enough introductory material to serve as a useful, practical introduction for newcomers to the field.

Frontiers in Fusion Research provides a systematic overview of the latest physical principles of fusion and plasma confinement. It is primarily devoted to the principle of magnetic plasma confinement, that has been systematized through 50 years of fusion research. Frontiers in Fusion Research begins with an introduction to the study of plasma, discussing the astronomical birth of hydrogen energy and the beginnings of human attempts to harness the Sun's energy for use on Earth. It moves on to chapters that cover a variety of topics such as: * charged particle motion, * plasma kinetic theory, * wave dynamics, * force equilibrium, and * plasma turbulence. The final part of the book describes the characteristics of fusion as a source of energy and examines the current status of this particular field of research. Anyone with a grasp of basic quantum and analytical mechanics, especially physicists and researchers from a range of different backgrounds, may find Frontiers in Fusion Research an interesting and informative guide to the physics of magnetic confinement.

As the list of sub-national, national, and international regulations, markets, and carbon reduction targets grows and merges, business must take action to become more efficient and reduce carbon. "Cracking the Carbon Code" provides the tools to "profit "from this trend, describing practical steps to make almost any business more efficient, sustainable, and competitive in the global economy. It is important to know when new regulations will apply to your business and when hidden carbon liabilities could threaten a company's profitability. Carbon is a measurement of waste, so identifying a company's carbon footprint--and how to reduce it--will save money and unnecessary regulatory burdens. Filled with eye-opening facts, insights, and practical action steps to profit from the low-carbon economy of the 21st century, this book is for anyone who wants to build value, grow market share, and secure acceptance by consumers and regulators alike.