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.

We are on the verge of a crippling energy crisis that could undermine our economy and change our way of life. In "Who Turned Out the Lights?", Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson, editors of the award-winning nonpartisan Web site PublicAgenda.org, offer a much-needed reality check. Neither 'Drill, Baby, Drill' nor 'Every Day is Earth Day' is an effective energy policy, and these kinds of ideological roadblocks have left us spinning our wheels for too long. If we don't get our act together and do something now, we'll be scrambling to get the energy we need to make life as we know it possible. But while the topic is serious, learning what you need to know about it doesn't have to be. Featuring chapters entitled 'Dam It: Hydroelectric Power' and 'Time for the Nuclear Option?' and sidebars like 'This little piggy went to market while this little piggy passed laws', this book will be anything but dry. By applying the same winning approach they used to irreverently explain the federal budget crisis in "Where Does the Money Go?" , Bittle and Johnson will use pop culture to help define the fundamental concepts that shape the debate and explain the three risks we face: that we won't be able to afford the energy we need, that we'll be dangerously dependent on foreign energy, and that we'll destroy the planet before we have a chance to solve the problem. They will also help readers understand the pros and cons of a range of ideas on the agenda, including alternative fuels, nuclear power, clean coal, electric cars, fixing up our houses, taxing carbon emissions, and many more. In the end, the authors take one position: we must change the way we get and use energy, and there's no more time to waste. Beyond that, they'll leave how to get from here to there as an open question - one Americans simply have to understand better and tackle head on.

This Handbook examines the regulatory, social, financial, and technological issues pertaining to energy communities in smart cities. Evidencing the emergence of new imperatives at the intersection of sustainability, resilience, innovation, and legal issues, energy communities embody the thrust of the user-centred digital transformation our societies are subjected to today. By bridging the energy communities’ debate with smart cities research, this Handbook positions itself at the heart of the conversation on energy sustainability, climate action, and ‘just transition’. Drawing on contributions from across the globe, this book offers both a birds-eye and a detailed inter- and multidisciplinary insight into the emergence of energy communities and their evolution in the smart city context. Technological and regulatory aspects of this transition are explored from a variety of conceptual and empirical perspectives. Case studies evidencing developments in the Global South and the Global North embellish the conversation. Questions of climate change, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, emissions’ reduction, and corresponding policy frameworks are discussed. Dedicated to all those interested in climate action, energy transition, sustainable development, and smart cities, this Handbook will be of interest to policymakers, lawyers, energy and urban experts, researchers, and students.

When industry giants such as GE, Toyota, and Sharp and investment firms such as Goldman Sachs are making multi-billion dollar investments in clean technology, the message is clear. Developing clean technologies is no longer a social issue championed by environmentalists: it's a money-making enterprise moving solidly into the business mainstream. In fact, as the economy faces unprecedented challenges from high energy prices, resource shortages, and global environmental and security threats, clean tech-technologies designed to provide superior performance at a lower cost while creating significantly less waste than conventional offerings - promises to be the next engine of economic growth.In "The Clean Tech Revolution", authors Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder identify the major forces that have pushed clean tech from back-to-the-earth utopian dream to its current revolution among the inner circles of corporate boardrooms, on Wall Street trading floors, and in government offices around the globe. By highlighting eight major clean-tech sectors - solar energy, wind power, biofuels and biomaterials, green buildings, personal transportation, the smart grid, mobile applications, and water filtration - they uncover how investors, entrepreneurs, and individuals can profit from this next wave of technological innovation.Finally, Pernick and Wilder shine the spotlight on the winners among technologies, companies, and regions that are likely to reap the greatest benefits from clean tech - and they show you why the time to act is now. Groundbreaking and authoritative, this is the must-read book to understand and profit from the clean technologies that are reshaping our fast-changing world.

Updated throughout and adds new and fully revised chapters. Focuses on the global trends and mandates toward environmental sustainability. Examines the latest international legislation involving climate change. Includes coverage of oil & gas industries, as well as nuclear and renewable energy.

Electronic device usage has increased considerably in the past two decades. System configurations are continuously requiring upgrades; existing systems often become obsolete in a matter of 2–3 years. Green computing is the complete effective management of design, manufacture, use, and disposal, involving as little environmental impact as possible. This book intends to explore new and innovative ways of conserving energy, effective e-waste management, and renewable energy sources to harness and nurture a sustainable eco-friendly environment. This book: • Highlights innovative principles and practices using effective e-waste management and disposal • Explores artificial intelligence based sustainable models • Discovers alternative sources and mechanisms for minimizing environmental hazards • Highlights successful case studies in alternative sources of energy • Presents solid illustrations, mathematical equations, as well as practical in-the-field applications • Serves as a one-stop reference guide to stakeholders in the domain of green computing, e-waste management, renewable energy alternatives, green transformational leadership including theory concepts, practice and case studies • Explores cutting-edge technologies like internet of energy and artificial intelligence, especially the role of machine learning and deep learning in renewable energy and creating a sustainable ecosystem • Explores futuristic trends in renewable energy This book aims to address the increasing interest in reducing the environmental impact of energy as well as its further development and will act as a useful reference for engineers, architects, and technicians interested in and working with energy systems; scientists and engineers in developing countries; industries, manufacturers, inventors, universities, researchers, and interested consultants to explain the foundation to advanced concepts and research trends in the domain of renewable energy and sustainable computing. The content coverage of the book is organized in the form of 11 clear and thorough chapters providing a comprehensive view of the global renewable energy scenario, as well as how science and technology can play a vital role in renewable energy.

With the continuous migration of people towards metropolitan areas in search of employment, the demands for core services and energy, coupled with an increasing awareness of the impact of climate change, have placed the management and planning of global urban energy under a lot of pressure. Trends toward urban energy service transformations that offer greater affordability, reliability, efficiency and adaptability provide hope for a global sustainable future. At the same time, there are also limits to these transitions, as well as risks involved. For example, on one end of the spectrum, our urban energy future includes land use sprawl, high fossil fuel use, pollution, and unhealthy urban conditions. On the other side of this transition spectrum is more energy choices, and healthier, more livable cities, along with less energy use and fewer greenhouse gas emissions. What the future might hold for transforming the world's cities depends upon an understanding of the risks of current trajectories and the opportunities for and limitations to developing sustainable urban energy systems.This edited volume brings together leading experts on the prospects and challenges of urban energy innovation and on related-economic, social and environmental sustainability transitions. The focus of the volume is on multidisciplinary reviews, research informing technologies and policies for sustainability, and analytical insights addressing rapid urbanization and changes across a diverse typology of global cities. The volume will include an overview of the current state of urban energy systems. It will also document and evaluate urban energy prospects for a sustainable, resilient future.

This book provides a detailed coverage of how the circular economy aims to change the paradigm in relation to the linear economy, by limiting the environmental impact and waste of resources, as well as increasing efficiency at all stages of the product economy. It serves as the sole comprehensive overview of the role of biofuels in the circular economy. It contains updated information on the latest trends of techno-economic analysis of biofuels, economic transitions, low-carbon economies, green circular societies, and life cycle assessment of biofuels. This book delves deep into the economic security of the poor as well as the nexus between biofuel industry and global trade bodies, making it one of the few introductory books without bias toward the contribution of biofuels in circular economy. With its diverse contributions on themes such as biofuels as potential alternatives to fossil fuels, biofuel economics and policies; biofuel standards, blending, and future insecurities; economic transitions from biomass to biofuels; and biofuel economy, development, and food security, the book would be a great resource for a wide and multi-disciplinary readership base ranging from researchers to academics, policy makers, innovators, corporates, and non-profit organizations working in this area.

Winds of Change examines the global development of the wind energy industry from a political, social movements-based perspective. It argues the wind energy industry developed successfully in certain regions and countries in large part because the environmental movement influenced its growth. Vasi then defines and analyses the three main pathways through which the environmental movement has contributed to industry growth: it has influenced the adoption and implementation of renewable energy policies, it has created consumer demand for clean energy, and it has changed the institutional logics of the energy sector. The book uses quantitative analysis to present the big picture of the global development of the wind energy industry, then draws on qualitative analyses to understand why countries such as Germany, Denmark, or Spain are world leaders in wind energy, while other countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, or Canada have a somewhat underdeveloped wind power industry. It also analyzes how the environmental movement contributed to the recent growth of the market for renewable energy certificates in the United States. The book also examines the remarkable transformation of the electricity sector in different countries, showing how environmentalists in Germany, Denmark, United States and United Kingdom contributed to wind turbine manufacturing by becoming entrepreneurs, innovators, and/or advocates, and, furthermore, how environmental groups and activists formed new companies that specialize in wind-farm development and operation, and pressured utility companies to invest in renewable energy by using tactics such as protests, lawsuits, and lobbying for stricter regulation. In conclusion, Vasi presents the main implications for future studies on industry development and social movement outcomes, as well as for the future growth of the renewable energy sector.

Written by an expert in energy business who has been invited to G20/B20 taskforces Covers the latest developments in smart cities, green transport, and carbon solutions Each chapter features practical strategies alongside international examples and case studies

This book reviews recent progress in our understanding of tokamak physics related to steady state operation, and addresses the scientific feasibility of a steady state tokamak fusion power system. It covers the physical principles behind continuous tokamak operation and details the challenges remaining and new lines of research towards the realization of such a system. Following a short introduction to tokamak physics and the fundamentals of steady state operation, later chapters cover parallel and perpendicular transport in tokamaks, MHD instabilities in advanced tokamak regimes, control issues, and SOL and divertor plasmas. A final chapter reviews key enabling technologies for steady state reactors, including negative ion source and NBI systems, Gyrotron and ECRF systems, superconductor and magnet systems, and structural materials for reactors. The tokamak has demonstrated an excellent plasma confinement capability with its symmetry, but has an intrinsic drawback with its pulsed operation with inductive operation. Efforts have been made over the last 20 years to realize steady state operation, most promisingly utilizing bootstrap current. Frontiers in Fusion Research II: Introduction to Modern Tokamak Physics will be of interest to graduate students and researchers involved in all aspects of tokamak science and technology.

The first book to look at how energy companies can develop brands as they move to more sustainable energy solutions. The world is facing climate crisis, and never before has the world been looking at the energy industry to solve the delivery of power in ways that do not damage the planet. Includes insights from energy business leaders and is therefore more than an academic thesis, but a practical guide to resolving these branding and sustainability challenges.

Building on insights from ecological economics and philosophy of technology, this book offers a novel, interdisciplinary approach to understand the contradictory nature of Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is rapidly emerging as a cost-effective option in the world economy. However, reports about miserable working conditions, environmentally deleterious mineral extraction and toxic waste dumps corrode the image of a problem-free future based on solar power. Against this backdrop, Andreas Roos explores whether 'ecologically unequal exchange' - an asymmetric transfer of labour time and natural resources - is a necessary condition for solar PV development. He demonstrates how the massive increase in solar PV installation over recent years would not have been possible without significant wage/price differences in the world economy - notably between Europe/North America and Asia- and concludes that solar PV development is currently contingent on environmental injustices in the world economy. As a solution, Roos argues that solar technology is best coupled with strategies for degrowth, which allow for a transition away from fossil fuels and towards a socially just and ecologically sustainable future. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of solar power, philosophy of technology, and environmental justice.

This book investigates the role of law in enabling and addressing the barriers to the development of off-grid renewable electricity (OGRE). The limited development of OGRE is ascribed to a host of social, economic, and legal barriers, including the problem of initial capital costs, existing subsidies for conventional electricity, and lack of technological and institutional capacity. Through the analyses of selected case studies from Africa, Asia, Europe and North and South America, this book discusses the typical barriers to the development of OGRE from a global perspective and examines the role of the law in addressing them. Drawing together the lessons learnt from the case studies, this book offers robust recommendations on how the development of OGRE will support the goal of achieving universal access to low carbon, reliable, and sustainable electricity globally. This volume will be of great interest to students, scholars, policy makers, investors, and practitioners in the fields of energy law and policy, climate change, and renewable energy development.

This book addresses the rapidly changing citizen roles in innovation, technology adoption, intermediation, market creation, and legitimacy building for low-carbon solutions. It links research in innovation studies, sustainability transitions, and science and technology studies, and builds a new approach for the study of user contributions to innovation and sociotechnical change. Citizen Activities in Energy Transition gives detailed and empirically grounded overall appraisal of citizens' active technological engagement in the current energy transition, in an era when Internet connectivity has given rise to important new forms of citizen communities and interactions. It elaborates a new way to study users in sociotechnical change through long-term ethnographic and historical research and reports its deployment in a major, decade-long line of investigation on user activities in small-scale renewables, addressing user contributions from the early years to the late proliferation stages of small-scale renewable energy technologies (S-RETs). It offers a much-needed empirical and theoretical understanding of the dynamics of the activities in which users are engaged over the course of sociotechnical change, including innovation, adoption, adjustment, intermediation, community building, digital communities, market creation, and legitimacy creation. This work is a must-read for those seeking to understand the role of users in innovation, energy systems change and the significance of new digital communities in present and future sociotechnical change. Academics, policymakers, and managers are given a new resource to understand the "demand side" of sociotechnical change beyond the patterns of investment, adoption, and social acceptance that have traditionally occupied their attention.

New and Future Developments in Microbial Biotechnology and Bioengineering: From Cellulose to Cellulase: Strategies to Improve Biofuel Production outlines new methods for the industrial production of the cellulose enzyme. The book compares the various processes for the production of biofuels, including the cost of cellulose production and availability. Biofuels are considered to be the main alternatives to fossil fuels in reducing environmental pollution and climate change. Currently, all existing biofuel production is suffering because of the high costs of production processes. As a result, cost effective practical implementation is needed to make this a viable energy alternative.

Bioethanol Production from Food Crops: Sustainable Sources, Interventions and Challenges comprehensively covers the global scenario of ethanol production from both food and non-food crops and other sources. The book guides readers through the balancing of the debate on food vs. fuel, giving important insights into resource management and the environmental and economic impact of this balance between demands. Sections cover Global Bioethanol from Food Crops and Forest Resource, Bioethanol from Bagasse and Lignocellulosic wastes, Bioethanol from algae, and Economics and Challenges, presenting a multidisciplinary approach to this complex topic. As biofuels continue to grow as a vital alternative energy source, it is imperative that the proper balance is reached between resource protection and human survival. This book provides important insights into achieving that balance.

This book studies the extent to which nuclear safety issues have contributed towards the stagnation of nuclear power development around the world, and accounts for differences in safety regulations in different countries. In order to understand why nuclear development has not met widespread expectations, this book focusses on six key countries with active nuclear power programmes: the USA, China, France, South Korea, the UK, and Russia. The authors integrate cultural theory and theory of regulation, and examine the links between pressures of cultural bias on regulatory outcomes and political pressures which have led to increased safety requirements and subsequent economic costs. They discover that although nuclear safety is an important upward driver of costs in the nuclear power industry, this is influenced by the inherent need to control potentially dangerous reactions rather than stricter nuclear safety standards. The findings reveal that differences in the strictness of nuclear safety regulations between different countries can be understood by understanding differences in cultural contexts and the changes in this over time. This book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and policymakers working on energy policy and regulation, environmental politics and policy, and environment and sustainability more generally.

This cross-sectional, interdisciplinary study traces the "history of innovation" of renewable energies in Germany. It features five renewable energy sectors of electricity generation: biomass, photovoltaic, wind energy, geothermal energy and hydropower. The study tracks the development of the respective technologies as well as their contribution to electricity generation. It focuses on driving forces and constraints for renewable energies in the period between 1990 and today.

This new book, Bioethanol: Biochemistry and Biotechnological Advances, presents some insightful perspectives and important advances in the bioethanol industry. The volume goes into detail on the biochemical and physiological parameters carried out by the main bioethanol-producing microorganisms as well as the discusses the potential applications that bioproducts can have and the advantages they generate. The chapter authors discuss a variety of issues, including the physiology of ethanol production by yeasts, by Zymomonas mobilis, and by Clostridium thermocellum. Other sources of biofuel, such as sweet sorghum, Agave americana L. leaves waste, and fungi are included as well. Chapters also discuss the genetic regulation and genetic engineering of principal microorganisms and then go on to address ways to increase ethanol tolerance in industrially important ethanol fermenting organisms, methods for developing sustainable fermentable substrates, and new strategies for ethanol purification. Chapters explore the design and engineering requirements for bioreactors, bioelectrosynthesis of ethanol via bioelectrochemical systems, and more. The book will be a valuable resource for faculty and students in this area as well as for scientists, researchers, and managers in the biofuel industry in the area of biofuel production, fermentation process, environmental engineering and all other related scientific areas.

The rapid and sustained economic growth of the past two decades has led to marked increases in energy demand in the region and developing Asia will continue to lead the energy demand growth. The increase in energy demand threatens energy security and efforts to curb carbon dioxide emissions, affecting health and social well-being. These common energy challenges will need to be addressed through concerted efforts. This book provides several multi-dimensional quantitative analysis of the relationship between energy and other subjects including but not limited to income and economic growth, environment and health, food and agricultural production. The book also provides the most constructive policy recommendations concerning the relationship between energy, economic development, social development, and environmental development.

Clean Energy for Sustainable Development: Comparisons and Contrasts of New Approaches presents information on the fundamental challenge that the energy sector faces with regard to meeting the ever growing demand for sustainable, efficient, and cleaner energy. The book compares recent developments in the field of energy technology, clean and low emission energy, and energy efficiency and environmental sustainability for industry and academia. Rasul, Azad and Sharma, along with their team of expert contributors, provide high-end research findings on relevant industry themes, including clean and sustainable energy sources and technologies, renewable energy technologies and their applications, biomass and biofuels for sustainable environment, energy system and efficiency improvement, solar thermal applications, and the environmental impacts of sustainable energy systems. This book uses global institutes and case studies to explore and analyze technological advancements alongside practical applications. This approach helps readers to develop and affirm a better understanding of the relevant concepts and solutions necessary to achieve clean energy and sustainable development in both medium and large-scale industries.

The disputes that arise between host states and investors in the energy sector put a high number of valuable and vital projects in the countries at risk. Investment treaty arbitration mechanisms, as the traditional remedy, have provided a solution to these problems for decades. However, as the number of disputes increases, the sufficiency of arbitration in responding to disputes became questionable in addition to the long-lasting and costly cases. Accordingly, ADR mechanisms outside the arbitration cannon have triggered growing interest among practitioners. Despite the attraction and the apparent benefits of ADR such as being cheaper, faster and with better outcomes compared to arbitration, there are also hurdles in front that hinder the application of ADR. This has lead to the underuse of ADR in appropriate contexts. This study has been conducted to research the gap for the applicability of the ADR methods for investment disputes in the energy sector with the doctrinal analysis of the existing literature either promoting or opposing ADR. Its findings provide guidance for alternative dispute resolution practitioners on when to use ADR, how to use ADR and on what disputes ADR to be used to resolve conflicts in International Energy Investment.

Solar power has come of age. Not only has it become one of the key alternatives to fossil fuels, it can now be deployed in a way that makes a viable business with a financial profit. This book shows industry professionals and students how to do just that. Solarnomics describes the economics of building and operating a solar power plant today and provides a window into a future in which several technologies collaborate, and in which all participants in the electricity grid become smarter at scheduling both the supply and demand for electric power to give humanity a future that is sustainable, both environmentally and economically. The book shows how to estimate costs and revenues, how to tweak the design of a project to improve profitability, how to calculate return on investment, how to assess and deal with risk, how to raise capital, how to combine solar with batteries to make a hybrid microgrid, and how to be prepared for future developments in the evolving smart electricity grid. Solarnomics will enable professionals in the solar industry to assess the potential profitability of a proposed solar project, and it will enable students to add an extra dimension to their understanding of sustainability.

Taking a comparative case study approach between Canada and Germany, this book investigates the contrasting response of governments to anti-wind movements. Environmental social movements have been critical players for encouraging the shift towards increased use of renewable energy. However, social movements mobilizing against the installation of wind turbines have now become a major obstacle to their increased deployment. Andrea Bues draws on a cross-Atlantic comparative analysis to investigate the different contexts of contentious energy policy. Focusing on two sub-national forerunner regions in installed wind power capacity - Brandenburg and Ontario - Bues draws on social movement theory to explore the concept of discursive energy space and propose explanations as to why governments respond differently to social movements. Overall, Social Movements against Wind Power in Canada and Germany offers a novel conceptualization of discursive-institutional contexts of contentious energy politics and helps better understand protest against renewable energy policy. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of renewable energy policy, sustainability and climate change politics, social movement studies and environmental sociology.