Renewable energy is crucial to preserve the environment. This energy involves various systems that should be optimized and assessed to provide better performance. The goal of this book is to present the latest research works on nature-inspired computing approaches applied to the design and development of renewable energy systems. The design and development of renewable energy systems remain a challenge. This book focuses on nature-inspired computing approaches which are the most prevailing solutions. Therefore, the book provides new solutions to the renewable energy domain. It is an essential research book for researchers, students, engineers, and individuals working in the renewable energy industry.

Energy policies and management are of primary importance to achieve the development of sustainability and need to be consistent with recent advances in energy production and distribution. Progressing from an economy mainly focussed on hydrocarbons to one taking advantage of sustainable renewable energy resources requires considerable scientific research, as well as the development of new engineering systems. Energy fuels the world’s economy. Diminishing resources and severe environmental effects resulting from the continuous use of fossil fuels has motivated an increasing amount of interest in renewable energy resources and the search for sustainable energy policies. Key difficulties to overcome often originate from the conversion of renewable energies (wind, solar, etc.) to useful forms (electricity, heat, fuel) at an acceptable cost, including impacts on the environment as well as in the integration of these resources into the existing infrastructure. A wide range of topics are covered by the works contained in this book. The collaboration of varied disciplines are involved in order to arrive at optimum solutions, including studies of materials, energy networks, new energy resources, storage solutions, waste to energy systems, smart grids and many others.

There are a large number of books available on fuel cells; however, the majority are on specific types of fuel cells such as solid oxide fuel cells, proton exchange membrane fuel cells, or on specific technical aspects of fuel cells, e.g., the system or stack engineering. Thus, there is a need for a book focused on materials requirements in fuel cells. Key Materials in Low-Temperature Fuel Cells is a concise source of the most important and key materials and catalysts in low-temperature fuel cells. A related book will cover key materials in high-temperature fuel cells. The two books form part of the "Materials for Sustainable Energy & Development" series.
Key Materials in Low-Temperature Fuel Cells brings together world leaders and experts in this field and provides a lucid description of the materials assessment of fuel cell technologies. With an emphasis on the technical development and applications of key materials in low-temperature fuel cells, this text covers fundamental principles, advancement, challenges, and important current research themes. Topics covered include: proton exchange membrane fuel cells, direct methanol and ethanol fuel cells, microfluidic fuel cells, biofuel cells, alkaline membrane fuel cells, functionalized carbon nanotubes as catalyst supports, nanostructured Pt catalysts, non-PGM catalysts, membranes, and materials modeling.
This book is an essential reference source for researchers, engineers and technicians in academia, research institutes and industry working in the fields of fuel cells, energy materials, electrochemistry and materials science and engineering.

With the integration of more distributed or aggregated renewables, and the wide utilization of power electronic devices, modern power systems are facing new stability and security challenges, such as the weakly damped oscillation caused by wind farms connected through long distance transmission lines, the frequency stability problem induced by the reduction of inertia and the voltage stability issue resulting from the interactions between transmission systems and dynamic loads. Meanwhile, synchronized phasor measurement technology developed very fast in the last decade, and more phasor measurement units (PMUs) and wide area measurement systems (WAMSs) have been deployed. These provide more insights into the system dynamics and approaches to overcoming the new challenges. This book addresses the emerging concepts, methodologies and applications of wide area monitoring, control and protection in power systems with integrated large scale renewables. Chapters cover monitoring, modelling and validation, control, and data mining with an emphasis on synchrophasor technology, and experiences with real power grids.

Containing papers from the 3rd International Conference on Energy Production and Management: The Quest for Sustainable Energy, this book discusses the future creation and use of energy resources. It also examines the issue of converting new sustainable sources of energy into useful forms, while finding efficient methods of storage and distribution. An important objective of the book is discussing ways in which more efficient use can be made of conventional as well as new energy sources. This relates to savings in energy consumption, reduction of energy losses, as well as the implementation of smart devices and the design of intelligent distribution networks. This volume provides a comparison of conventional energy sources, particularly hydrocarbons, with a number of other ways of producing energy, emphasising new technological developments, based on renewable resources such as solar, hydro, wind and geothermal. In many cases the challenges lie as much with production of such renewable energy at an acceptable cost, including damage to the environment, as with integration of those resources into the existing infrastructure. The changes required to progress from an economy based mainly on hydrocarbons to one taking advantage of sustainable energy resources are massive and require considerable scientific research as well as the development of advanced engineering systems. Such progress demands close collaboration between different disciplines in order to arrive at optimum solutions.

Safety and security are crucial to the operations of nuclear power plants, but cyber threats to these facilities are increasing significantly. Instrumentation and control systems, which play a vital role in the prevention of these incidents, have seen major design modifications with the implementation of digital technologies. Advanced computing systems are assisting in the protection and safety of nuclear power plants; however, significant research on these computational methods is deficient. Cyber Security and Safety of Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation and Control Systems is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the digital developments of instrumentation and control systems for assuring the safety and security of nuclear power plants. While highlighting topics such as accident monitoring systems, classification measures, and UAV fleets, this publication explores individual cases of security breaches as well as future methods of practice. This book is ideally designed for engineers, industry specialists, researchers, policymakers, scientists, academicians, practitioners, and students involved in the development and operation of instrumentation and control systems for nuclear power plants, chemical and petrochemical industries, transport, and medical equipment.

Wind energy is often framed as a factor in rural economic development, an element of the emerging "green economy" destined to upset the dominant greenhouse- gas-emitting energy industry and deliver conscious capitalism to host communities. The bulk of wind energy firms, however, are subsidiaries of the same fossil fuel companies that wrought havoc in shale-gas and coal-mining towns from rural Appalachia to the Great Plains. On its own, wind energy development does not automatically translate into community development. In Governing the Wind Energy Commons, Keith Taylor asks whether revenue generated by wind power can be put to community well-being rather than corporate profit. He looks to the promising example of rural electric cooperatives, owned and governed by the 42 million Americans they serve, which generate $40 billion in annual revenue. Through case studies of a North Dakota wind energy cooperative and an investor-owned wind farm in Illinois, Taylor examines how regulatory and social forces are shaping this emerging energy sector. He draws on interviews with local residents to assess strategies for tipping the balance of power away from absentee-owned utilities.

As environmental issues remain at the forefront of energy research, renewable energy is now an all-important field of study. And as smart technology continues to grow and be refined, its applications broaden and increase in their potential to revolutionize sustainability studies. This potential can only be fully realized with a thorough understanding of the most recent breakthroughs in the field. Research Advancements in Smart Technology, Optimization, and Renewable Energy is a collection of innovative research that explores the recent steps forward for smart applications in sustainability. Featuring coverage on a wide range of topics including energy assessment, neural fuzzy control, and biogeography, this book is ideally designed for advocates, policymakers, engineers, software developers, academicians, researchers, and students.

This book evaluates China's energy diplomacy across the globe and how it transcends the barriers to maintain both its security and its Chinese characteristics. How China graduated from 'self-sufficiency' to 'Go out' policy. How will China's energy security evolve within the ambit of Chinas new normal? For China, its energy security has been of primary importance, both domestically and internationally. This book explores the foreign dimension. The energy security in the Mao era was a necessity, a policy in the Deng era and a strategy in the period henceforth. The book identifies the evolution of China from a manufacturer to an investor, that is, its outbound direct investments in the energy field and the shift in its focus from traditional fuels to renewable energy sources. It goes beyond the traditional choices of energy like West Asia and Africa and explore the lesser suppliers who could have a stronger say in the future to come.

Access to power and electricity is a vital resource for businesses and for sustaining the livelihood of consumers. However, producing reliable and renewable energy and distributing it in rural areas can be challenging. Such activities require special technical support measures for organizing a highly efficient and cost-effective production process. Renewable Energy and Power Supply Challenges for Rural Regions provides innovative insights into energy production, consumption, and distribution in rural regions and examines sustainable and renewable power sources. The content within this publication explores such topics as renewable energy, electrical network, and thermal energy storage. It is designed for electricians, policymakers, state officials, professionals, researchers, and academicians.

In recent years, the algal biorefinery is seen as a promising alternative to fossil derived products that reduce the environmental pollution, product costs and support circular bioeconomy. However, the upstream algal cultivation and downstream processing are the energy intensive processes and are considered as bottlenecks in promoting algal biorefinery. Improving the biomass productivity and bioproduct developments are still underway, while a number of novel bioprocess and bio-reactor engineering technologies were developed recently. Therefore, this book provides extensive knowledge of microalgae refineries. This book is divided into two volumes (Vol. I & Vol. II), which presents complete coverage of microalgae refineries. Therefore, Vol. I offers complete coverage of the algal bioproducts process, including biotechnological applications and environmental effects of microalgae cultivation. While Vol. II, provides various industrial applications and future prospects of algal biorefinery for sustainable development of circular bioeconomy. With contributions from world experts, focuses on microalgae from an organism perspective to deliver a complete picture from evolution to bioproducts. The edited book provides a concise introduction to the science, biology, technology, and application of algae. It covers downstream and upstream steps of the algal refinery for the production of algal biomass, which has several social benefits.

Hydropower is a mature and cost-competitive renewable energy source, contributing the bulk of global renewable electricity. Over the past decades, computer technology has led to significant possible improvements in monitoring, diagnostics, protection and control through retrofitting of large plants, and there is potential for additional large plants as well as for smaller installations. This book presents a systematic approach to mathematical modeling of different configurations of hydropower plants over four sections - modeling and simulation approaches; control of hydropower plants; operation and scheduling of hydropower plants, including pumped storage; and special features of small hydropower plants. The chapters address the fundamentals and the latest concepts, providing the most appropriate solutions for cost-effective and reliable operation, and include several real-world case studies of hydropower plants in operation. Modeling and Dynamic Behaviour of Hydropower Plants is essential reading for researchers involved with hydropower, as well as for advanced students in power engineering.

The world is entering the Third Industrial Revolution, an era of remarkable progress in science and technology that will require a global shift away from reliance on fossil-fuel and carbon-based energy. This book explains how America can lead the effort to reverse global warming and become the world leader in global energy innovation. America is trailing other parts of the developed world in terms of its development of-and commitment to-renewable energy. In Europe and Asia, sustainable communities, smart green grids, and emerging environmentally sound technologies are becoming common. The United States must move beyond the lethargy and defeatism of the 9/11 era, rediscover its ability to lead in technological inventiveness, and revitalize its economy via the creation of green jobs and sustainable, carbon-neutral communities. Because the lives of America's children and grandchildren are at stake, America must act quickly. Global Energy Innovation: Why America Must Lead explains why the emerging Third Industrial Revolution will become the largest social and economic megatrend of the post-modern era. With its comprehensive, up-to-date examination of renewable energy systems and related green technologies, this book represents a call-to-action that will benefit any reader, regardless of their status as a lay person, scholar, or scientist. Describes numerous examples of Europe and Asia's emerging activities in the Third Industrial Revolution, as well as the EU and Asia's historical and current activities in climate change mitigation, renewable energy technologies, and economic models to promote the green revolution Covers new technologies across the globe, ranging from single-hut solar energy generation for African villages to industrial-scale wind farms in Mongolia Includes materials from the United Nations and information from scientific studies on climate change, global population growth, and environmental degradation Offers directions for the creation of successful public policies and sustainability strategies on a community level, from colleges and universities to towns and cities Details the benefits that the United States could enjoy in this new era of energy innovation