Solar cooling systems can be a cost-effective and environmentally attractive air-conditioning solution. The design of such systems, however, is complex. Research carried out under the aegis of the International Energy Agency's Solar Heating and Cooling Program has shown that there is a range of seemingly subtle design decisions that can impact significantly on the performance of solar cooling systems. In order to reduce the risk of errors in the design process, this guide provides detailed and very specific engineering design information. It focuses on case study examples of installed plants that have been monitored and evaluated over the last decade. For three successful plants the design process is described in detail and the rationale for each key design decision is explained. Numerical constraints are suggested for the sizing / selection parameters of key equipment items. Moreover, the application conditions under which the system selection is appropriate are discussed. By following The Guide for any of the three specific solar cooling systems, the designer can expect to reliably achieve a robust, energy-saving solution. This book is intended as a companion to the IEA Solar Cooling Handbook which provides a general overview of the various technologies as well as comprehensive advice to enable engineers to design their own solar cooling system from first principles.

Worldwide, urbanization is steadily increasing, yet many modern cities are becoming less and less able to accommodate the growth in their population. Congestion, pollution, low-quality housing, social fragmentation, noise, crime and inadequate social services all contribute to a declining quality of urban life. Planners and policy makers are battling to alleviate the problems with a variety of urban renewal initiatives, and energy-environmental policies have become central to their quest for urban sustainability."Sustainable Cities in Europe" gives a comprehensive introduction to the available urban energy and environmental policies. Drawing on a detailed analysis of the CITIES programme of the Commission of the European Communities, the book includes detailed case studies of European cities which are devising and implementing alternative strategies for sustainable growth and development. The cities discussed include: Amsterdam, Besancon, Braganca, Cadiz, Dublin, Esch/Alzette, Gent, Mannheim, Newcastle, Odense, Thessaloniki and Turin.The policy discussions and case studies in this book will be invaluable for all those professionally or academically involved in the pressing issue of city planning development.

The book "Green Technologies for the Environment" brings together experts in the field of biotechnology, chemistry, chemical engineering, environmental engineering and toxicology from both academia and industry, to discuss green processes for the environment. The topics included finding replacements for crude oil to meet both our energy needs as well as the supply of chemicals for the production of essential products, advances in chemical processing, waste valorization, alternative solvents, and developments in homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis as well as enzyme-based processes for chemical transformations. Advances in green chemistry concepts will further enhance the field through the design of new chemicals and solvents. In addition, obtaining a better understanding of the mechanistic pathways involved in various reactions is essential toward advances in the field. The goal of the work described in each of the chapters is to address the need for best practices for chemical processes and for the production of chemicals, while promoting sustainability.

An unprecedented look inside the global battle to power our lives from acclaimed Reuters reporter Ernest Scheyder.

A new economic war for critical minerals has begun, and The War Below is an urgent dispatch from its front lines. To build electric vehicles, solar panels, cell phones, and millions of other devices means the world must dig more mines to extract lithium, copper, and other vital building blocks. But mines are deeply unpopular, even as they have a role to play in fighting climate change and powering crucial technologies. These tensions have sparked a worldwide reckoning over the sourcing of necessary materials, and no one understands the complexities of these issues better than Ernest Scheyder, whose exclusive access to sites around the globe has allowed him to gain unparalleled insights into a future without fossil fuels.

The War Below reveals the explosive brawl among industry titans, conservationists, community groups, policymakers, and many others over whether some places are too special to mine or whether the habitats of rare plants, sensitive ecosystems, Indigenous holy sites, and other places should be dug up for their riches.

With vivid and engaging writing, Scheyder shows the human toll of this war and explains why recycling and other newer technologies have struggled to gain widespread use. He also expertly chronicles Washington’s attempts to wean itself off supplies from China, the global leader in mineral production and processing. The War Below paints a powerfully honest and nuanced picture of what is at stake in this new fight for energy independence, revealing how America and the rest of the world’s hunt for the “new oil” directly affects us all.

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURED DIRECTED BY AND STARRING CHIWETEL EJIOFOR - AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX When William Kamkwamba was just 14 years old, his family told him that he must leave school and come home to work on the farm - they could no longer afford his fees. This is his story of how he found a way to make a difference, how he bought light to his family and village, and hope to his nation. Malawi is a country battling AIDS, drought and famine, and in 2002, a season of floods, followed by the most severe famine in fifty years, brought it to its knees. Like the majority of the population, William's family were farmers. They were totally reliant on the maize crop. By the end of 2001, after many lean and difficult years, there was no more crop. They were running out of food - had nothing to sell - and had months until they would be able to harvest their crop again. Forced to leave school at 14 years old, with no hope of raising the funds to go again, William resorted to borrowing books from the small local library to continue his education. One day, browsing the titles, he picked up a book about energy, with a picture of a wind turbine on the front cover. Fascinated by science and electricity, but knowing little more about the technology, William decided to build his own. Ridiculed by those around him, and exhausted from his work in the fields every day, and using nothing more than bits of scrap metal, old bicycle parts and wood from the blue gum tree, he slowly built his very own windmill. This windmill has changed the world in which William and his family live. Only 2 per cent of Malawi has electricity; William's windmill now powers the lightbulbs and radio for his compound. He has since built more windmills for his school and his village. When news of William's invention spread, people from across the globe offered to help him. Soon he was re-enrolled in college and travelling to America to visit wind farms. This is his incredible story. William's dream is that other African's will learn to help themselves - one windmill and one light bulb at a time - and that maybe one day they will be able to power their own computers, and use the internet, and see for themselves how his life has changed after picking up that book in the library.

Recognizing the urgent need to transform energy systems to low-carbon alternatives, this timely book offers evidenced and credible ways to accelerate actions towards meeting the Paris Agreement goals and achieving net zero emissions. Steven Fries analyses through the lens of government, business and household actions-their policies and investments-the systemic changes needed to eliminate net carbon dioxide emissions from energy. Fries explores how advancing low-carbon alternatives could maintain current economic activities while halting climate impacts. But his analysis of accumulating evidence on transforming energy shows how multiple market imperfections hold back alternatives. To overcome these barriers, the book develops heterodox energy reform strategies and ways to coordinate actions across countries, recognizing differences in their specializations and renewable resources. Going beyond orthodox economics, it sets out the role for supporting deployment of low-carbon alternatives in initial markets, calibrating emissions pricing to net zero emission goals, and adapting institutions and infrastructures to low-carbon alternatives. It also signposts policy sequencing and differentiation across sectors and countries. Providing comprehensive energy policy assessments and sound reform strategies, this book will be essential reading for government policymakers and business investors. Its rigorous approach to systemic change also makes it a valuable reference for energy economics and environmental economics scholars.

Recognizing the urgent need to transform energy systems to low-carbon alternatives, this timely book offers evidenced and credible ways to accelerate actions towards meeting the Paris Agreement goals and achieving net zero emissions. Steven Fries analyses through the lens of government, business and household actions-their policies and investments-the systemic changes needed to eliminate net carbon dioxide emissions from energy. Fries explores how advancing low-carbon alternatives could maintain current economic activities while halting climate impacts. But his analysis of accumulating evidence on transforming energy shows how multiple market imperfections hold back alternatives. To overcome these barriers, the book develops heterodox energy reform strategies and ways to coordinate actions across countries, recognizing differences in their specializations and renewable resources. Going beyond orthodox economics, it sets out the role for supporting deployment of low-carbon alternatives in initial markets, calibrating emissions pricing to net zero emission goals, and adapting institutions and infrastructures to low-carbon alternatives. It also signposts policy sequencing and differentiation across sectors and countries. Providing comprehensive energy policy assessments and sound reform strategies, this book will be essential reading for government policymakers and business investors. Its rigorous approach to systemic change also makes it a valuable reference for energy economics and environmental economics scholars.

The solar photovoltaic sector is moving forward very fast, both in terms of its own technological advancement and its standing among global renewable energy technologies. Rapid increases in solar cell efficiencies, fast technical change in solar batteries and solar glass, and economies of scale in production fuel its rapid adoption and it is becoming clear that existing forecasts about its adoption need to be updated extensively. This timely and distinctive examination of the economic side of the field takes into account solar PV's recent and growing lead among renewable energies competing to replace fossil fuels. The Revolution in Energy Technology examines the birth of this technology in the United States, where the main innovators are still located, the emergence of China as a main production hub, and new and growing contributions to the innovation cascades from other countries including Germany, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The participation of universities as investors and the role of venture capital are discussed, and particular emphasis is given to the domination of the sector by large firms. The book is interesting for both academics and graduate students as well as policy makers, technicians, engineers and companies involved in the field.

In this book, Chen Gang examines the real-world effectiveness of China's approach to the promotion of green technologies and practices, and discusses the political landscape in which it is situated. Politics of Renewable Energy in China questions the wisdom of hailing China as a model for authoritarian environmental governance with an up-to-date examination of the subject. It provides readers with a thorough and timely account of recent developments in China's low-carbon energy industries. Disclosing how energy interest groups are lobbying members of central government, and shedding light on disputes between pro-development and pro-environmental groups, this book explores the ideological and bureaucratic inconsistency and confusion which surrounds China's environmental policies. Emphasizing China's renewable energy policies, related enforcement issues and local political concerns over wind and solar generation, this book examines the extent to which China's centralised, top down approach has been effective in ensuring local actors reach policy targets. This up-to-date account of recent developments in Chinese low-carbon industries will be useful for readers with an interest in China's model of renewable energy industries, in particular students of Chinese and international politics. It will also be a valuable tool for researchers and professors of public and environmental policy, Chinese and climate studies.

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.

The depletion of fossil fuels is a major issue in energy generation; hence, biomass and renewable energy sources, especially bioenergy, are the solution. The dependence on bioenergy has many benefits to mitigate environmental pollution. It is imperative that the global society adopts these alternative, sustainable energy sources in order to mitigate the constant growth of climate change. Biomass and Bioenergy Solutions for Climate Change Mitigation and Sustainability highlights the challenges of energy conservation and current scenarios of existing fossil fuel uses along with pollution potential of burning fossil fuel. It further promotes the inventory, assessment, and use of biomass, pollution control, and techniques. This book provides the solution for climate change, mitigation, and sustainability. Covering topics such as biofuel policies, economic considerations, and microalgae biofuels, this premier reference source is an essential resource for environmental scientists, environmental engineers, government officials, business leaders, politicians, librarians, students and faculty of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

This timely book examines the significant challenges and possible solutions for enabling efficient modernization of electric power systems. It addresses rapidly changing electricity infrastructure needs and technical requirements and provides a practical introduction to the past, present, and future of energy efficiency and power quality concepts. The book also looks at recent developments in custom power conditioners that help improve the performance of transmission and distribution systems, ensure reliability, and reduce costs. Modernization of Electric Power Systems is a valuable resource for practicing engineers, students, and researchers interested in exploring and implementing energy efficiency and power quality in modern energy systems with renewables. 

With immense consumption of resources, increased global warming, and environmental pollution, the energy sector has inevitably embraced sustainability. Countries are releasing plans and programs to shift their fossil fuel-dependent energy sectors into clean energy sectors, and projections show that renewable energy will be a significant part of nations' energy mixes in the near future. Optimization and decision-making techniques have been commonly used in the energy sector as problems encountered in this sector are complex and therefore need comprehensive techniques to solve them. With the uncertainty and high-cost issues of renewable resources, the complexity increases in the sector and requires optimization and decision-making techniques. Optimization and Decision-Making in the Renewable Energy Industry analyzes renewable energy sources using current mathematical methods and techniques and provides advanced knowledge on key opportunities and challenges. The book discusses current and trending mathematical methods, tests their validity and verification, and considers their practical application in the field. Covering topics such as urban sustainability and renewable energy systems, this reference work is ideal for practitioners, academicians, industry professionals, researchers, scholars, instructors, and students.

This book examines the key aspects that will define future sustainable energy systems: biofuels, green nanomaterials and the production of bioethanol and bio-hydrogen from bio-waste. Bio-based fuels are the future energy carriers for internal combustion engines as they have lower environmental impact and higher efficiency. The book clearly illustrates the requirement for a unified engineering approach based on solid mathematical and engineering principles. Aside from the ecological advantages, support for sustainable energy can help the socioeconomic situation of developing countries by providing a consistent supply of new energy along with the generation of new job opportunities. The sustainable energy applications and existing contextual investigations provide useful guidance for the broad comprehension of the significance of sustainable energy. Technical topics discussed in the book include: - Thermochemical Conversion process; - Catalytic conversion process; - Rankine cycle; - Nanomaterials;

The book deals with the fundamentals, theoretical bases, and design methodologies of conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). The design methodology is described in mathematical terms, step-by-step, and the topics are approached from the overall drive train system, not just individual components. Furthermore, in explaining the design methodology of each drive train, design examples are presented with simulation results.

This is the final volume of a 3-volume history of solar power generating systems covering the approximately 50 years of research and development surrounding the energy crisis of 1973. Volume 1 focused on solar-thermal systems and the second volume on photovoltaic systems in the 20th century. Volume 3 covers photovoltaic developments from the start of the 21st century. The history is based upon keynote lectures given by international specialists at the Sede Boqer Symposia on Solar Electric Power Production, a series that commenced in 1986. The lectures document many technical details that have become hard to find, including some pertaining to technologies that were successfully demonstrated but subsequently discontinued owing to their not having been deemed to be cost-effective at the time. However, in the event that different economic considerations may ensue, these volumes can provide a valuable starting point, including references, for the re-investigation of some of those once abandoned ideas.