The book encodes a vision for the actively sustainable management and development of the built environment by referring to the application of timber-based construction systems as additive solutions for the multi-purpose improvement of existing buildings. It translates this vision into an innovative methodology for the management of the entire building process - from design to production, operation, and maintenance - and the assessment of timber-based construction performances across the whole building life-cycle. This approach is based on a multi-dimensional analysis, which starts from the structure of the Active House (AH) protocol, improved through information-integrated digital environments and multi-criteria evaluation methods, such as BIM and Design Optioneering. During the design stage, indeed, it analyzes and compares different design choices, according to the DO method, until the definition and validation of the "As-Built" step, while in the operational phase, it refers to sensors-retrieved data to show the evolution of the building behaviour, accounting for real users' interaction, building performances decay and needs of maintenance, defining the digital twin of the building: a real Cognitive Building. Finally, the application of this methodology identifies innovative models of processes, products, and design of wood-based construction technologies, suitable to satisfy the needs of the 2D/3D construction layering for the sustainable transformation of the built environment.

This textbook provides broad coverage of energy supply and use. It discusses how energy is produced, transformed, delivered to end users, and consumed. The author discusses all of this at an undergraduate level, accessible to students of varying backgrounds. High-level and human-scale perspectives are included. As a high-level example, the book discusses the shares of global primary energy that are provided by oil, gas, coal, hydroelectricity, and renewables, as well as trends in energy consumption and supply over time. Human-scale examples will resonate with readers' every day experiences. The link between economic development and energy consumption is presented, which facilitates understanding of how global energy consumption growth is inevitable as economic development occurs. Coverage includes separate chapters on the oil, natural gas, coal, and electricity sectors. Each of these provides high-level descriptions of the technology involved in the production of that type of energy as well as the processing and transportation that occurs to bring the energy to end users. The book discusses the technological implications of energy transitions such as increased use of renewables or changes in the use of nuclear energy using Germany and Japan as examples. It closes with a discussion of future energy use.

This book discusses the main renewable energy resources, along with the current challenges that make it difficult achieve 100% decarbonized energy sources. It presents the perspectives of international expert authors in the field, giving readers a multi-dimensional view of the subject. The book explores numerous approaches for a smooth transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies, including those based on engineering methods, as well as policies, strategies, and social perceptions. It presents several case studies and examples from industry, showcasing the potential role of renewable sources and their challenges. The inclusion of both established methods and cutting-edge developments will make this book of interest to academics, industry professionals, policy makers, and graduate students alike.

Systemic change is required move to a circular economy (CE) model which can meet the demands of a growing population in a manner that is decoupled from resource use and waste generation. This book takes a deep dive into the innovation aspect of the circular economy (CE), with a specific focus on India as a geography, where the transformation to a circular economy is underway. How a developing country like India is tackling the complexities in the transformation and creating innovative solutions is showcased in this book through many practical examples and inspirational case studies. The book lays the foundations for mainstreaming Resource Efficiency (RE) / CE in India, and covers innovation led by businesses and start-ups, along with innovative policies, financing and collaborative models required to spur and accelerate circular economy approaches and provides linkages to the international context. Features: * Provides insight into role of innovation in circular economy transition. * Helps to develop and facilitate adoption of resource efficiency policy and strategy with particular focus on key resource sectors and waste streams. * Treats circular economy as a holistic approach across the entire lifecycle, and places emphasis on upstream interventions and systems change. * Examines current context of COVID19 and its impact on circular economy models and practices. * Touches upon how the EU-based approach was adapted and contextualized significantly to work in the unique Indian landscape. This book is aimed at students, researchers and professionals in circular economy, sustainability, business innovation, environmental studies, natural resources management, environmental and resource conservation policy.

A shift towards implementation of renewable energy has disadvantages, such as power availability, storage capacity, and accompanying costs, and therefore the potential of clean fossil fuel technologies to ensure the stability of electricity generation needs to be reconsidered until these challenges will be overcome. These clean technologies can help prevent the greenhouse effect and, at the same time, guarantee energy security, as coal is a widespread, price-stable raw material that is available in large quantities. This book focuses on the carbon chain, starting from the formation of CO2, through its capture, possible cleaning, to the production of useful products such as dimethylether, methanol, and carbonated cement prefabricates. The comprehensive case study presents the research results of an international team established within the "CCS-CCU technology for carbon footprint reduction using bio-adsorbents" (BIOCO2) project.

The central questions of this book are how technologies decline, how societies deal with technologies in decline, and how governance may be explicitly oriented towards parting with 'undesirable' technology. Surprisingly, these questions are fairly novel. Thus far, the dominant interest in historical, economic, sociological and political studies of technology has been to understand how novelty emerges, how innovation can open up new opportunities and how such processes may be supported. This innovation bias reflects how in the last centuries modern societies have embraced technology as a vehicle of progress. It is timely, however, to broaden the social study of technology and society: next to considering the rise of technologies, their fall should be addressed, too. Dealing with technologies in decline is an important challenge or our times, as socio-technical systems are increasingly part of the problems of climate change, biodiversity loss, social inequalities and geo-political tensions. This volume presents empirical studies of technologies in decline, as well as conceptual clarifications and theoretical deepening. Technologies in Decline presents an emerging research agenda for the study of technological decline, emphasising the need for a plurality of perspectives. Given that destabilisation and discontinuation are seen as a way to accelerate sustainability transitions, this book will be of interest to academics, students and policy makers researching and working in the areas of sustainability science and policy, economic geography, innovation studies, and science and technology studies.

Summarizes current recycling processes, challenges, and perspectives. Offers a comprehensive review of current commercialized LIB recycling companies. Showcases an innovative closed-loop hydrometallurgical recycling process to recycle lithium cathode materials. Provides detailed modelling and economic analysis of several hydrometallurgical recycling processes. Features practical cases and data developed by the authors.

The book encompasses novel CFD techniques to compute offshore wind and tidal applications. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques are regarded as the main design tool to explore the new engineering challenges presented by offshore wind and tidal turbines for energy generation. The difficulty and costs of undertaking experimental tests in offshore environments have increased the interest in the field of CFD which is used to design appropriate turbines and blades, understand fluid flow physical phenomena associated with offshore environments, predict power production or characterise offshore environments, amongst other topics.

This collection focuses on energy efficient technologies including innovative ore beneficiation, smelting technologies, recycling and waste heat recovery. The volume also covers various technological aspects of sustainable energy ecosystems, processes that improve energy efficiency, reduce thermal emissions, and reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse emissions. Papers addressing renewable energy resources for metals and materials production, waste heat recovery and other industrial energy efficient technologies, new concepts or devices for energy generation and conversion, energy efficiency improvement in process engineering, sustainability and life cycle assessment of energy systems, as well as the thermodynamics and modeling for sustainable metallurgical processes are included. This volume also includes topics on CO2 sequestration and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from process engineering, sustainable technologies in extractive metallurgy, as well as the materials processing and manufacturing industries with reduced energy consumption and CO2 emission. Contributions from all areas of non-nuclear and non-traditional energy sources, such as solar, wind, and biomass are also included in this volume.Papers from the following symposia are presented in the book:Energy Technologies and CO2 ManagementAdvanced Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage Deriving Value from Challenging Waste Streams: Recycling and Sustainability Joint SessionSolar Cell SiliconStored Renewable Energy in Coal

This book highlights the present scenario of energy demand and power generation technologies in tropical countries. The tropics are well known to receive direct sunlight. Furthermore, different than four-season countries, tropical countries have a continuous summer-like season, and therefore, they are rich in clean energy sources, like solar and biomass. Home to 40% of the world's population, the demand for energy in these countries keeps increasing. With the present serious global concern on the environment, the choice of power generation is no doubt the cleanest possible resources. This book delves into the opportunity that various tropical countries have in pursuing environmentally friendly power generation systems.

Provides authoritative guidance on statistical analysis techniques and inferential methods for one-shot device life-testing Estimating the reliability of one-shot devices--electro-expolsive devices, fire extinguishers, automobile airbags, and other units that perform their function only once--poses unique analytical challenges to conventional approaches. Due to how one-shot devices are censored, their precise failure times cannot be obtained from testing. The condition of a one-shot device can only be recorded at a specific inspection time, resulting in a lack of lifetime data collected in life-tests. Accelerated Life Testing of One-shot Devices: Data Collection and Analysis addresses the fundamental issues of statistical modeling based on data collected from accelerated life-tests of one-shot devices. The authors provide inferential methods and procedures for planning accelerated life-tests, and describe advanced statistical techniques to help reliability practitioners overcome estimation problems in the real world. Topics covered include likelihood inference, competing-risks models, one-shot devices with dependent components, model selection, and more. Enabling readers to apply the techniques to their own lifetime data and arrive at the most accurate inference possible, this practical resource: Provides expert guidance on comprehensive data analysis of one-shot devices under accelerated life-tests Discusses how to design experiments for data collection from efficient accelerated life-tests while conforming to budget constraints Helps readers develops optimal designs for constant-stress and step-stress accelerated life-tests, mainstream life-tests commonly used in reliability practice Includes R code in each chapter for readers to use in their own analyses of one-shot device testing data Features numerous case studies and practical examples throughout Highlights important issues, problems, and future research directions in reliability theory and practice Accelerated Life Testing of One-shot Devices: Data Collection and Analysis is essential reading for graduate students, researchers, and engineers working on accelerated life testing data analysis.

Describes various electrochemical processes related to the renewable compounds, including hydrogen evolution, oxygen evolution, oxygen reduction, carbon dioxide reduction, nitrogen reduction, methanol oxidation, urea oxidation and ammonia oxidation. Highlights fundamental aspects, catalysts designing principles and measurement criteria of different electrochemical transformations. Covers the important electrocatalysts, including transition metal phosphide-based electrocatalysts, earth-abundant electrocatalysts, graphene-supported nanomaterials, self-supported nanoarrays, single-atom catalysts and MOFs derived electrocatalysts. Explores the strategies and mechanisms for improving the electrocatalytic performance of various electrocatalysts. Discusses future development of renewable compounds produced by electrochemical transformation.

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.

Energy Storage discusses the needs of the world's future energy and climate change policies, covering the various types of renewable energy storage in one comprehensive volume that allows readers to conveniently compare the different technologies and find the best process that suits their particularly needs. Each chapter is written by an expert working in the field and includes copious references for those wishing to study the subject further. Various systems are discussed, including mechanical/kinetic, thermal, electrochemical and other chemical, as well as other emerging technologies. Incorporating the advancements in storing energy as described in this book will help the people of the world further overcome the problems related to future energy and climate change.

This book discusses the technical, economic, and environmental aspects of electric vehicles and their impact on electrical grids and energy systems. The book is divided into three parts that include load modeling, integration and optimization, and environmental evaluation. Theoretical background and practical examples accompany each section and the authors include helpful tips and hints in the load modeling and optimization sections. This book is intended to be a useful tool for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and engineers who are trying to solve power and engineering problems related electric vehicles. Provides optimization techniques and their applications for energy systems; Discusses the economic and environmental perspectives of electric vehicles; Contains the most comprehensive information about electric vehicles in a single source.

Industrial Applications of Renewable Plastics: Environmental, Technological, and Economic Advances provides practical information to help engineers and materials scientists deploy renewable plastics in the plastics market. It explores the uses, possibilities, and problems of renewable plastics and composites to assist in material selection and rejection. The designer's main problems are examined, along with basic reminders that deal with structures and processing methods that can help those who are generally familiar with metals understand the unique properties of plastic materials. The book offers a candid overview of main issues, including conservation of fossil resources, geopolitical considerations, greenhouse effects, competition with food crops, deforestation, pollution, and disposal of renewable plastics. In addition, an overview of some tools related to sustainability (Life cycle assessments, CO2 emissions, carbon footprint, and more) is provided. The book is an essential resource for engineers and materials scientists involved in material selection, design, manufacturing, molding, fabrication, and other links in the supply chain of plastics. The material contained is of great relevance to many major industries, including automotive and transport, packaging, aeronautics, shipbuilding, industrial and military equipment, electrical and electronics, energy, and more.

Collates the most relevant and up to date information on renewable energy systems in a user friendly format for undergraduate and high school students Focused on power production technologies from renewable energy sources. An introduction to how sources of renewable energy work; their advantages and drawbacks. Timely text with the need for fast adoption of renewable energy technologies around the world. Diverse audience including students with some scientific background such as final year in high school wanting to know more about combatting climate change.

This book explores the role and importance of interdisciplinary research in addressing key issues in climate and energy decision making. For over 30 years, an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students anchored at Carnegie Mellon University, joined by investigators and students from a number of other collaborating institutions across North America, Europe, and Australia, have worked together to better understand the global changes that are being caused by both human activities and natural causes. This book tells the story of their successful interdisciplinary work. With each chapter written in the first person, the authors have three key objectives: (1) to document and provide an accessible account of how they have framed and addressed a range of the key problems that are posed by the human dimensions of global change; (2) to illustrate how investigators and graduate students have worked together productively across different disciplines and locations on common problems; and (3) to encourage funders and scholars across the world to undertake similar large- scale interdisciplinary research activities to meet the world's largest challenges. Exploring topics such as energy efficiency, public health, and climate adaptation, and with a final chapter dedicated to lessons learned, this innovative volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, energy transitions and environmental studies more broadly.

This book evaluates off-grid solar electrification in Africa by examining how political, economic, institutional, and social forces shape the adoption of off-grid solar technologies, including how issues of energy injustice are manifested at different levels and spaces. The book takes a historical, contemporary, and projective outlook using case studies from pre- and ongoing electrification communities in non-Western countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, Malawi, Tanzania, and Nigeria. Beyond the diverse nature of these countries in terms of their geographical location in West, East, and Southern Africa, each offers a different experience in terms of colonial history, economic and institutional infrastructure, social and cultural context, and level of adoption of off-grid solar technologies. Notably, the book contributes to the off-grid solar and energy justice scholarship in low-income non-Western contexts. It examines various approaches to energy justice and does so by engaging with Western and non-Western philosophical notions of the concept. It takes into consideration the major principles of Ubuntu philosophy with the adoption of off-grid solar technologies, hence enriching the energy justice framework. Finally, the book interrogates the degree to which the social mission that catalysed the expansion of the off-grid solar sector is being undermined by broader structural dynamics of the capital investment upon which it is reliant. It also argues that the ascendance of off-grid solar electrification in Africa is transformative in that it enables millions of people without access to or facing uncertainties linked to centralised grid energy to have access to basic energy services.

Advances in Bioenergy is a new series that provides both principles and recent developments in various kinds of bioenergy technologies, including feedstock development, conversion technologies, energy and economics, and environmental analysis. The series uniquely provides the fundamentals of the technologies, along with reviews that will be invaluable for students in understanding the technology.

This book presents the design and operation of DC wind systems and their integration into power grids. The chapters give an in-depth discussion on turbine conversion systems that have been adapted for DC grids and address characteristics of wind turbines when converting kinetic wind energy to electrical energy, components associated with DC systems, and the design and analysis of DC grids. Additionally, the performance of medium voltage DC (MVDC) array grid and high voltage DC (HVDC) transmission grid connected via an offshore substation with DC/DC converters are also addressed. The book examines multiphase hybrid excitation generator systems for wind turbines and discusses its design and operation for all DC systems. The book provides an insight into the state-of-the-art technological advancements for existing and futuristic wind generation schemes, and provides materials that will allow students, researchers, academics, and practicing engineers to learn, expand and complement their expertise.

The thesis provides different opportunities and ideas to face some current challenges in the electricity systems. It focuses on the effective and efficient integration of distributed low carbon technologies in the grid of the future. Planning and operation problems for different clean solutions, such as market bidding strategies for intermittent energy producers, demand side management algorithms for smart buildings, and electrical storage options for network operators, are studied for facilitating the integration of renewable energy sources in the power system chain.

Solar Heating and Cooling Systems: Fundamentals, Experiments and Applications provides comprehensive coverage of this modern energy issue from both a scientific and technical level that is based on original research and the synthesis of consistent bibliographic material that meets the increasing need for modernization and greater energy efficiency to significantly reduce CO2 emissions. Ioan Sarbu and Calin Sebarchievici present a comprehensive overview of all major solar energy technologies, along with the fundamentals, experiments, and applications of solar heating and cooling systems. Technical, economic, and energy saving aspects related to design, modeling, and operation of these systems are also explored. This reference includes physical and mathematical concepts developed to make this publication a self-contained and up-to-date source of information for engineers, researchers, and professionals who are interested in the use of solar energy as an alternative energy source.

This derivative volume stemming from content included in our seminal Power Electronics Handbook takes its chapters related to renewables and establishes them at the core of a new volume dedicated to the increasingly pivotal and as yet under-published intersection of Power Electronics and Alternative Energy. While this re-versioning provides a corollary revenue stream to better leverage our core handbook asset, it does more than simply re-package existing content. Each chapter will be significantly updated and expanded by more than 50%, and all new introductory and summary chapters will be added to contextualize and tie the volume together. Therefore, unlike traditional derivative volumes, we will be able to offer new and updated material to the market and include this largely original content in our ScienceDirect Energy collection. Due to the inherently multi-disciplinary nature of renewables, many engineers come from backgrounds in Physics, Materials, or Chemical Engineering, and therefore do not have experience working in-depth with electronics. As more and more alternative and distributed energy systems require grid hook-ups and on-site storage, a working knowledge of batteries, inverters and other power electronics components becomes requisite. Further, as renewables enjoy broadening commercial implementation, power electronics professionals are interested to learn of the challenges and strategies particular to applications in alternative energy. This book will bring each group up-to-speed with the primary issues of importance at this technological node. This content clarifies the juncture of two key coverage areas for our Energy portfolio: alternative sources and power systems. It serves to bridge the information in our power engineering and renewable energy lists, supporting the growing grid cluster in the former and adding key information on practical implementation to the latter.

Steam Generation from Biomass: Construction and Design of Large Boilers provides in-depth coverage of steam generator engineering for biomass combustion. It presents the design process and the necessary information needed for an understanding of not only the function of different components of a steam generator, but also what design choices have been made. Professor Vakkilainen explores each particular aspect of steam generator design from the point-of-view of pressure part design, mechanical design, layout design, process design, performance optimization, and cost optimization. Topics such as fuels and their emissions, steam-water circulation, auxiliary equipment, availability and reliability, measurements and control, manufacture, erection, and inspection are covered. Special attention is given to recovery boilers and fluidized bed boilers, and automated design and dimensioning calculation spreadsheets are available for download at the book's companion website. This book is intended for both design engineers and steam boiler operators, as well as those involved in plant management and equipment purchasing.