This book covers multifaceted aspects of sustainable energy solutions for remote areas in the tropics, particularly focusing on Southeast Asia. With insights from both the academic world and real-life implementation, readers will gain an overview of the range of energy problems currently facing the remote tropics, and what potential solutions are available. The book provides a detailed overview of various energy needs in the Southeast Asian tropics, a region where a significant portion of the population still lives without access to electricity. It not only addresses technical solutions to the energy problems but also tackles the social and wider implications, offering readers a more holistic understanding of the potential held by renewable energy. The chapters are structured to present first an overview of the problem at hand, and then a description of the technologies that could potentially solve it. Applications of the technologies; business models that are now available or being developed; the impact of the technologies; and future, more sustainable solutions are all discussed. Given its in-depth analysis, the book will be of interest to energy professionals in the tropics, energy policymakers, and students studying sustainable energy.

Cities have always played a prominent role in the prosperity of civilization. Indeed, every great civilization we can think of is associated with the prominence of one or more thriving cities. And so understanding cities -- their inhabitants, their institutions, their infrastructure -- what they are and how they work independently and together -- is of fundamental importance to our collective growth as a human civilization. Furthermore, the 21st century "smart" city, as a result global climate change and large-scale urbanization, will emerge as a societal grand challenge. This book focuses on the role of interdependent infrastructure systems in such smart cities especially as it relates to timely and poignant questions about resilience and sustainability. In particular, the goal of this book is to present, in one volume, a consistent Hetero-Functional Graph Theoretic (HFGT) treatment of interdependent smart city infrastructures as an overarching application domain of engineering systems. This work may be contrasted to the growing literature on multi-layer networks, which despite significant theoretical advances in recent years, has modeling limitations that prevent their real-world application to interdependent smart city infrastructures of arbitrary topology. In contrast, this book demonstrates that HFGT can be applied extensibly to an arbitrary number of arbitrarily connected topologies of interdependent smart city infrastructures. It also integrates, for the first time, all six matrices of HFGT in a single system adjacency matrix. The book makes every effort to be accessible to a broad audience of infrastructure system practitioners and researchers (e.g. electric power system planners, transportation engineers, and hydrologists, etc.). Consequently, the book has extensively visualized the graph theoretic concepts for greater intuition and clarity. Nevertheless, the book does require a common methodological base of its readers and directs itself to the Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) community and the Network Science Community (NSC). To the MBSE community, we hope that HFGT will be accepted as a quantification of many of the structural concepts found in model-based systems engineering languages like SysML. To the NSC, we hope to present a new view as how to construct graphs with fundamentally different meaning and insight. Finally, it is our hope that HFGT serves to overcome many of the theoretical and modeling limitations that have hindered our ability to systematically understand the structure and function of smart cities.

This book introduces critical mapping as a problem-focused design approach for analyzing systemic societal problems like food, to scope out existing solutions, and find opportunities for sustainable design intervention. This book puts forth a framework entitled 'wicked solutions' that can be applied to determine issues that designers should address to make real differences in the world and yield sustainable change. The book assesses the current role of design in attaining food security in a sustainable, equitable, and just manner. Accomplishing this goal is not simple, if it was, it would not be called a wicked problem. But this book shows how a particular repertoire of design tools can be deployed to find solutions and strategize the development of novel outcomes within a complex and interconnected terrain. To address the wicked problem of food insecurity, inequity, and injustice, this book highlights seventy three peer-reviewed design outcomes that epitomize sustainable food design. This includes local and regional sustainable design outcomes funded or supported by public or private institutions and local and widespread design outcomes created by citizens. In doing so, this book sets the stage for an evidence-driven and -informed design future that facilitates the designers' visualization of wicked solutions to complex social problems, such as food insecurity. Drawing on an array of case studies from across the world, from urban rooftop farms and community cookers to mobile apps and food design cards, this book provides vitally important information about existing sustainable food design outcomes in a way that is organized, accessible, and informative. This book will be of great interest to academics and professionals working in the field of design and sustainable food systems. Students interested in learning about food and sustainability from across design studies, food studies, innovation and entrepreneurship, urban studies and global development will also find this book of great use.

This book explores the myriad issues that play out in the upstream petroleum industry of Ghana from a legal perspective. Focusing on Ghana as an emerging petroleum country, Thomas Kojo Stephens begins by examining whether the existing constitutional framework will be effective in governing the expanding oil and gas sector. Drawing on various approaches proffered by other experts in the field, Stephens looks at possible institutional structures that could be put in place and juxtaposes these ideas with the experience of Ghana to test the efficacy of these proposals. He also explores the types of contractual frameworks currently implemented in Ghana for comparison with other emerging petroleum economies, examining the barriers to effectiveness, novel provisions that must be incorporated and lessons learned from other regions. Finally, the book highlights how vital it is for the Ghanaian State to monitor the use of petroleum revenue and make ethical investment decisions that prioritise the interests of Ghanaian citizens. Upstream Oil and Gas in Ghana will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy law and policy, oil and gas management and African Studies more broadly, as well as those working in the upstream petroleum industry.

In a multidisciplinary field such as energy, Hydrogen and Fuel Cells stands out by covering the entire width of hydrogen production and usage technologies, giving detailed descriptions of not just one but the range of very different fuel cells that have been developed or are under development. In one volume, respected experts Bent Sorensen and Giuseppe Spazzafumo provide all the basic scientific theory underlying hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, but at the same time present applications and sustainable integration into society in a way accessible to a broad range of people working in this field, whether in technical, economic or management roles. The third edition reflects both recently emerged technologies and the market penetration of the most promising technologies, and it gives an appraisal of how far fuel cell technology may go in the future, considering current challenges and economic trends. This new edition has updated and expanded content on hydrogen storage and transmission, molten carbonate fuel cells, PEM fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cells, biofuel cells, including microbial fuel cells, applications in transportation and power plants, future scenarios and life-cycle assessment. It is ideal for researchers and professionals in the field of energy, and renewable energy in particular, both in academia and industry. It is also useful to lecturers and graduate students in engineering, physics, and environmental sciences, as well as professionals involved in energy or environmental regulation and policy.

This book presents innovative techniques and approaches to maintaining dynamic security of modern power systems that have a high penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs). The authors propose a number of frequency control strategies and schemes to address and evade stability problems in system frequency and voltage that can lead to power interruption and power failure/blackout. The book includes case studies aimed at validating the effectiveness of the techniques and strategies presented, and will be a valuable resource for researchers working in electrical power engineering, power system stability, dynamics and control, and microgrids.

Introduction to Reliability Engineering A complete revision of the classic text on reliability engineering, written by an expanded author team with increased industry perspective Introduction to Reliability Engineering provides a thorough and well-balanced overview of the fundamental aspects of reliability engineering and describes the role of probability and statistical analysis in predicting and evaluating reliability in a range of engineering applications. Covering both foundational theory and real-world practice, this classic textbook helps students of any engineering discipline understand key probability concepts, random variables and their use in reliability, Weibull analysis, system safety analysis, reliability and environmental stress testing, redundancy, failure interactions, and more. Extensively revised to meet the needs of today's students, the Third Edition fully reflects current industrial practices and provides a wealth of new examples and problems that now require the use of statistical software for both simulation and analysis of data. A brand-new chapter examines Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and the Reliability Testing chapter has been greatly expanded, while new and expanded sections cover topics such as applied probability, probability plotting with software, the Monte Carlo simulation, and reliability and safety risk. Throughout the text, increased emphasis is placed on the Weibull distribution and its use in reliability engineering. Presenting students with an interdisciplinary perspective on reliability engineering, this textbook: Presents a clear and accessible introduction to reliability engineering that assumes no prior background knowledge of statistics and probability Teaches students how to solve problems involving reliability data analysis using software including Minitab and Excel Features new and updated examples, exercises, and problems sets drawn from a variety of engineering fields Includes several useful appendices, worked examples, answers to selected exercises, and a companion website Introduction to Reliability Engineering, Third Edition remains the perfect textbook for both advanced undergraduate and graduate students in all areas of engineering and manufacturing technology.

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

Covers climate change fundamentals and its impact on different ecosystems and natural disasters Describes non-renewable energy aspects like fossil fuel, coal, oil, natural gas and so forth Explores sustainable development in terms of environment, social and economic aspects Includes species diversity and loss, agriculture productivity, water resources scarcity, health and environmental, rise in sea level and coastal area submergence Illustrates scientific hybridization of traditional ecological knowledge for enhancing climate change adaptation

This book is a compendium of various applications and current progress in a powerful technology known as the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT provides a system of interconnecting things such as vehicles, electrical equipment, agriculture devices, etc. Such items are allocated with the computing device so that they can use a network to transfer data to one another and automate their actions on certain events. Internet of Things: Applications for Sustainable Development will throw light on recent developments in the latest field and will be of great interest to know various application areas for sustainable development. This book mainly focuses on the current state of the art, including protocol design and low-cost sensor design, for the sustainable development of society using IoT. The sustainable development areas include climate, healthcare systems, electrical systems, and energy that can meet present and next-generation advancement using IoT. Sustainable development faces various issues, challenges, opportunities, and future enhancements with the latest technologies, hardware, and software. Features: A real-world problem-solving approach for diversified problems Potential contributors from industries/academia have been given the opportunity to publish their work Identification of various challenges in IoT for future contributions Diversified coverage of the book, including applications, securities, industrialization, automation, etc IoT for the sustainable development areas This book will offer strong support as a reference book for students, practitioners, researchers, and scientific investigators worldwide, as well as anyone who wants to set up IoT-enabled industries. It provides pertinent industries with new ideas and innovations to visionaries.

Covers all aspects related with Metal Organic Frameworks (MOF), including characterization, modification, applications, and associated challenges Illustrates designing and synthetic strategies for MOFs Describes MOFs for gas adsorption, separation and purification, and their role in heterogeneous catalysis Covers of sensing of different types of noxious substances in the aqueous environment Includes concepts of molecular magnetism, tunable magnetic properties and future aspects

A technical and economic review of emerging waste disposal technologies

Intended for a wide audience ranging from engineers and academics to decision-makers in both the public and private sectors, "Municipal Solid Waste to Energy Conversion Processes: Economic, Technical, and Renewable Comparisons" reviews the current state of the solid waste disposal industry. It details how the proven plasma gasification technology can be used to manage Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and to generate energy and revenues for local communities in an environmentally safe manner with essentially no wastes.

Beginning with an introduction to pyrolysis/gasification and combustion technologies, the book provides many case studies on various waste-to-energy (WTE) technologies and creates an economic and technical baseline from which all current and emerging WTE technologies could be compared and evaluated.

Topics include:

Pyrolysis/gasification technology, the most suitable and economically viable approach for the management of wastes

Combustion technology

Other renewable energy resources including wind and hydroelectric energy

Plasma economics

Cash flows as a revenue source for waste solids-to-energy management

Plant operations, with an independent case study of Eco-Valley plant in Utashinai, Japan

Extensive case studies of garbage to liquid fuels, wastes to electricity, and wastes to power ethanol plants illustrate how currently generated MSW and past wastes in landfills can be processed with proven plasma gasification technology to eliminate air and water pollution from landfills.

This book covers in a textbook-like fashion the basics or organic solar cells, addressing the limits of photovoltaic energy conversion and giving a well-illustrated introduction to molecular electronics with focus on the working principle and characterization of organic solar cells. Further chapters based on the author's dissertation focus on the electrical processes in organic solar cells by presenting a detailed drift-diffusion approach to describe exciton separation and charge-carrier transport and extraction. The results, although elaborated on small-molecule solar cells and with focus on the zinc phthalocyanine: C60 material system, are of general nature. They propose and demonstrate experimental approaches for getting a deeper understanding of the dominating processes in amorphous thin-film based solar cells in general. The main focus is on the interpretation of the current-voltage characteristics (J-V curve). This very standard measurement technique for a solar cell reflects the electrical processes in the device. Comparing experimental to simulation data, the author discusses the reasons for S-Shaped J-V curves, the role of charge carrier mobilities and energy barriers at interfaces, the dominating recombination mechanisms, the charge carrier generation profile, and other efficiency-limiting processes in organic solar cells. The book concludes with an illustrative guideline on how to identify reasons for changes in the J-V curve. This book is a suitable introduction for students in engineering, physics, material science, and chemistry starting in the field of organic or hybrid thin-film photovoltaics. It is just as valuable for professionals and experimentalists who analyze solar cell devices.

This volume offers environmentally friendly technical solutions that can be implemented to solve problems throughout the value chain of the fossil fuel industry. This new book presents an up-to date view of hydrocarbon microbiology and biotechnology, presented by experts around the world with interest in how our expanding understanding of hydrocarbonoclast ecology and physiology can translate to better tools for bioremediation, oil recovery, bio-upgrading of unconventional crudes, the development of biorefining technologies, and the production of hydrogen and electricity from hydrocarbon wastes. The common theme across the chapters in this book is an interest in how developing hydrocarbon biotechnologies may reduce our impact on the global environment. Written by eminent scientists from both academia and industry, the book starts with a historical perspective on hydrocarbon chemistry and formation, petroleum microbiology, and biotechnology. This is followed by a review of recent research developments in bioremediation and other biotechnologies for hydrocarbons, the principal constituents of petroleum and natural gas.

Millions of lives and business have either been lost or significantly impacted by COVID-19. Yet, many are warning that climate change will be much more devastating over the coming decades. Reality is starting to set in. We are not going to achieve our global mitigation targets; we probably won’t even come close. Individuals faced with this reality react differently, from willful ignorance to anxiety and depression, all normal reactions. If you believe in science and understand the likelihood of our failure to meet our targets, you need to accept and plan for an unknown, challenging future. We may be individually powerless to stop climate change, but we certainly can act in ways that will help us better face the consequences. This book provides a structured approach to plan and prepare today for a world rocked by a turbulent climate.

Millions of lives and business have either been lost or significantly impacted by COVID-19. Yet, many are warning that climate change will be much more devastating over the coming decades. Reality is starting to set in. We are not going to achieve our global mitigation targets; we probably won’t even come close. Individuals faced with this reality react differently, from willful ignorance to anxiety and depression, all normal reactions. If you believe in science and understand the likelihood of our failure to meet our targets, you need to accept and plan for an unknown, challenging future. We may be individually powerless to stop climate change, but we certainly can act in ways that will help us better face the consequences. This book provides a structured approach to plan and prepare today for a world rocked by a turbulent climate.

Artificial photosynthesis is the process of converting solar energy into useful fuels and represents a significant achievement in the production of clean energy for the planet. In the process, energy is generated from water and CO2 reduction using solar-powered photocatalysis. This book provides a comprehensive overview of recently developed, multifunctional materials as visible light-driven catalysts, their mechanisms and applications in solar energy utilisation and conversion. Chapters highlight the use of different approaches such as molecular catalysis, nanomaterials systems, as well as thin-films for solar-driven evolution of renewable fuels, such as hydrogen. This is the first book to give an overview of this area, with chapters specifically interesting for those looking towards industrial applications. With in-depth discussions ranging from understanding, to engineering of materials and applied devices, it will be suitable for industry professionals, researchers and students interested in understanding of the current state of photocatalysis research and its possible applications in the energy domain.

Covers potential energy storage (rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors) and energy conversion (solar cells and fuel cells) materials. Develops theoretical predictions and experimental observations under a unified quasi-particle framework. Illustrate up-to-date calculation results and experimental measurements. Describes successful synthesis, fabrication, and measurements, as well as potential applications and near future challenges.

This book presents readers with an integrated modeling approach for analyzing and understanding the interconnection of water, energy, and food resources and discusses the relationship between resilience and sustainability of the food- energy -water (FEW) system. Authors provide novel frameworks, models, and algorithms designed to balance the theoretical and applicative aspects of each chapter. The book covers an integrated modeling approach for FEW systems along with developed methods, codes, and planning tools for designing interdependent energy, water and food systems. In-depth chapters discuss the impact of renewable energy resources in FEW systems, sustainable design and operation, net zero energy buildings, and challenges and opportunities of the FEW nexus in the sustainable development of different countries. This book is useful for graduate students, researchers, and engineers seeking to understand how sustainable FEW systems contribute to the resilience of these systems and help policy and design makers allocate and prioritize resources in an integrated manner across the food, energy, and water sectors.

Greenhouse Gases Balance of Bioenergy Systems covers every stage of a bioenergy system, from establishment to energy delivery, presenting a comprehensive, multidisciplinary overview of all the relevant issues and environmental risks. It also provides an understanding of how these can be practically managed to deliver sustainable greenhouse gas reductions. Its expert chapter authors present readers to the methods used to determine the greenhouse gas balance of bioenergy systems, the data required and the significance of the results obtained. It also provides in-depth discussion of key issues and uncertainties, such as soil, agriculture, forestry, fuel conversion and emissions formation. Finally, international case studies examine typical GHG reduction levels for different systems and highlight best practices for bioenergy GHG mitigation. For bringing together into one volume information from several different fields that was up until now scattered throughout many different sources, this book is ideal for researchers, graduate students and professionals coming into the bioenergy field, no matter their previous background. It will be particularly useful for bioenergy researchers seeking to calculate greenhouse gas balances for systems they are studying. I will also be an important resource for policy makers and energy analysts.

Direct Thermochemical Liquefaction for Energy Applications presents the state-of-the-art of the value chains associated with these biomass conversion technologies. It covers multiple feedstock availability and feedstock composition impact on process chemistry and product quality and composition. Expert authors from around the world explore co-processing benefits, process parameters, implementation and scaling, upgrading to drop-in liquid biofuels or integration into existing petrochemical refinery infrastructure. Finally, these topics are put into a sustainability perspective by establishing an LCA framework for this type of process. Its focus on implementation based on the most comprehensive knowledge makes this book particularly useful for researchers and graduate students from all sorts of background working in the field of biomass and biofuels. It is also a valuable reference for engineers working to commercialize DTL technologies, engineering specialists designing process equipment, refinery professionals and developers.

-- Covers the most relevant production and distribution channels of aquafeed and the ingredients used commonly as sources of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. This will help the industry understand how to position itself to meet the challenge of securing aquafeed to sustain aquaculture. -- 20 chapters cover different aspects of aquafeeds, from the market to cutting-edge technologies, including nutritional aspects and the impact of aquafeeds on climate change. This enables aquafeeds to be approached from different perspectives. -- Up until now, aquafeed-related issues were addressed as secondary subjects in undergraduate textbooks, being part of books covering a broad spectrum of subjects. Other book focus on processing techniques with aquafeed products mentioned in a tangential manner. This means a book focused on aquafeeds, covering different aspects of their production and commercialization chain, is a real necessity. -- Interdisciplinary chapters, with collaborations between academic researchers and industry professionals, cover not only technical aspects but also market analysis.

1. This book gives the reader a comprehensive and in-depth introduction to the variable gain control and details a series of related innovative technologies. Instead of reading various relevant books, this book enables readers to establish an overall understanding of variable gain control methods for different systems. 2. The goal of this book is to interpret complex control knowledge in simple terms. It is easy to understand and needs little background knowledge. 3. It highlights the practical applications of variable gain control in energy conversation. The designed variable gain control has a simple form and is convenient for engineering applications. 4. Discussion remarks are provided in each chapter with new contributions to emphasize the novelty of the presented design and analysis methods. Moreover, a number of interesting remaining problems in the related topics, which are worthy of further investigation, are discussed in this book. 5. Simulation results are given in each chapter, sometimes in a comparative manner, to show the effectiveness of these methods.

Submerged and Floating Photovoltaic Systems: Modelling, Design and Case Studies investigates how the use of photovoltaic systems in and on the water can create a positive synergy by increasing the cost effectiveness of PV systems, satisfying the local energy demand and creating positive effects on water. Tina and Rosa-Clot combine their wealth of experience to present a theoretical, numerical, experimental and design-focused analysis of water-integrated PV systems. The book is dedicated to providing a very accessible and understandable analysis of the theoretical and modeling aspects of these PV systems. The authors explore and analyze many existing projects and case studies which provide the reader with an understanding of common design and installation problems, as well as a thorough economic study to help the reader justify the adoption of this very clean method of creating renewable energy.

This volume presents refereed papers based on the oral and poster presentations at the 4th International Conference on Renewable Energy Sources, which was held from June 20 to 23, 2017 in Krynica, Poland. The scope of the conference included a wide range of topics in renewable energy technology, with a major focus on biomass and solar energy, but also extending to geothermal energy, heat pumps, fuel cells, wind energy, energy storage, and the modeling and optimization of renewable energy systems. The conference had the unique goal of gathering Polish and international researchers' perspectives on renewable energy sources, and furthermore of balancing them against governmental policy considerations. Accordingly, the conference offered not only scientific sessions but also panels to discuss best practices and solutions with local entrepreneurs and federal government bodies. The Conference was jointly organized by the University of Agriculture in Krakow, the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (CIGR), the Polish Society of Agricultural Engineering, AGH University of Science and Technology (Krakow), the Polish Society for Agrophysics under the patronage of the Rector of the University of Agriculture in Krakow, and the Polish Chamber of Ecology.