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Books > Professional & Technical > Energy technology & engineering > Alternative & renewable energy sources & technology
Originally published in 1975, Energy provides a comprehensive bibliography of energy in the context of the social sciences. The book argues that energy problems are best seen in the context of social phenomena, such as social attitudes, social behaviours, social institutions and structures and populations. The authors argue that to examine energy problems outside of the context of social factors is to lack a full and detailed examination of the subject. The bibliography provides a comprehensive collection of sources from a range of areas in the social sciences on the subject of energy.
Originally published in 1979, Solar Energy provides a tour of the world of solar energy and asks two key questions: is solar energy the key to the future of our energy needs and what are the facts and potential of this source of renewable power. The book examines solar energy from the past to modern plans for designing domestic solar housing, and looks at the sites and the technology applied to harness the Sun's power, such as the energy potential of windmills and the equatorial oceans. Behrman reports on the progress of scientists and manufacturers in making solar energy a viable competitor in the energy market, and studies the projections of a future energy crop for energy plantations.
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the technology behind the pico-solar revolution and offers guidance on how to test and choose quality products. The book also discusses how pioneering companies and initiatives are overcoming challenges to reach scale in the marketplace, from innovative distribution strategies to reach customers in rural India and Tanzania, to product development in Cambodia, product assembly in Mozambique and the introduction of 'pay as you go' technology in Kenya. Pico-solar is a new category of solar electric system which has the potential to transform the lives of over 1.6 billion people who live without access to electricity. Pico-solar systems are smaller and more affordable than traditional solar systems and have the power to provide useful amounts of electricity to charge the increasing number of low power consuming appliances from mobile phones, e-readers and parking metres, to LED lights which have the power to light up millions of homes in the same way the mobile phone has connected and empowered communities across the planet. The book explains the important role pico-solar has in reducing reliance on fossil fuels while at the same time tackling world poverty and includes useful recommendations for entrepreneurs, charities and governments who want to participate in developing this exciting and rapidly expanding market.
The role of the energy manager has evolved significantly as the task of cutting greenhouse gas emissions from buildings has become increasingly important. Managers are now technical experts, negotiators, construction project managers, procurement specialists, efficiency advocates and often provide energy services to others. This comprehensive book covers how to: * conduct an energy audit * plan a monitoring and verification strategy * make any energy-saving campaign successful * evaluate and make the financial case for energy-saving measures * make use of free energy for lighting and managing heat loss and gain. It also contains special chapters on: * ventilation, heating and cooling * demand management through automated systems * lighting * most requirements of industrial facilities * regulatory requirements in Britain, Europe and the United States * the use of smart meters and monitoring * how to achieve zero energy buildings * the use of renewable energy. For all professional energy, building and facilities managers, energy consultants, students, trainees and academics. It takes the reader from basic concepts to the latest advanced thinking, with principles applicable anywhere in the world and in any climate.
Solar energy is free, abundant and sustainable, with many methods existing to harness it. This guide is the essential introduction to the subject, explaining how the technologies work, how best they should be employed, and the costs and benefits of using them. It provides detailed yet accessible coverage of: passive solar building solar water heating solar space heating other solar thermal applications (such as cooling and desalination) grid-connected photovoltaics stand-alone photovoltaics. It also introduces the reader to larger scale applications such as concentrating solar power. Highly illustrated in full colour, this is the perfect primer for anyone who wants to work with or simply learn more about solar technologies.
Traditionally, power engineering has been a subfield of energy engineering and electrical engineering which deals with the generation, transmission, distribution and utilization of electric power and the electrical devices connected to such systems including generators, motors and transformers. Implicitly this perception is associated with the generation of power in large hydraulic, thermal and nuclear plants and distributed consumption. Faced with the climate change phenomena, humanity has had to now contend with changes in attitudes in respect of environment protection and depletion of classical energy resources. These have had consequences in the power production sector, already faced with negative public opinions on nuclear energy and favorable perception of renewable energy resources and about distributed power generation. The objective of this edited book is to review all these changes and to present solutions for future power generation. Future energy systems must factor in the changes and developments in technology like improvements of natural gas combined cycles and clean coal technologies, carbon dioxide capture and storage, advancements in nuclear reactors and hydropower, renewable energy engineering, power-to-gas conversion and fuel cells, energy crops, new energy vectors biomass-hydrogen, thermal energy storage, new storage systems diffusion, modern substations, high voltage engineering equipment and compatibility, HVDC transmission with FACTS, advanced optimization in a liberalized market environment, active grids and smart grids, power system resilience, power quality and cost of supply, plug-in electric vehicles, smart metering, control and communication technologies, new key actors as prosumers, smart cities. The emerging research will enhance the security of energy systems, safety in operation, protection of environment, improve energy efficiency, reliability and sustainability. The book reviews current literature in the advances, innovative options and solutions in power engineering. It has been written for researchers, engineers, technicians and graduate and doctorate students interested in power engineering.
The marine environment accounts for most of the biodiversity on our planet, while offering a huge potential for the benefit and wellbeing of mankind. Its extensive resources already constitute the basis of many economic activities - but many more are expected in coming years. This book covers current knowledge on uses of marine algae to obtain bulk and fine chemicals, coupled with optimization of the underlying production and purification processes. Major gaps and potential opportunities in this field are discussed in a critical manner. The currrent trends pertaining to marine macro- and microalgae are explained in a simple and understandable writing style. This book covers a wide variety of topics, and as such it will be appropriate as both student text and reference for advances researchers in the field.
Artificial or constructed wetlands are an emerging technology particularly for tropical areas with water scarcity. For big cities, the sustainable management of water resources taking into account proper use is always challenging. The book presents case studies illustrating the above. As plants and microorganisms are a fundamental part of the correct functioning of these systems, their contribution to the degradation of the organic matter and to the removal and transformation of the pollutant compounds present in the wastewaters is also a highlight of this book.
Making innovative products for energy generation that decrease carbon footprints are the need of the hour. This book describes innovations in porous materials for energy generation and storage applications that can have applications in developed as well as developing countries. It provides a comprehensive account of porous materials for potential new applications, such as catalysts for gas storage and energy efficient transformations, which engineers and scientists working in the areas of solar cells, batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, etc. will find to be of immense interest.
This book presents a global and historical perspective of energy flows during the last millennium. The search for sustainable energy is a key issue dominating today's energy regime. This book details the historical evolution of energy, following the overlapping and slow flowing transitions from one regime to another. In doing so it seeks to provide insight into future energy transitions and the means of utilizing sustainable energy sources to reduce humanity's fossil fuel footprint. The book begins with an examination of the earliest and most basic forms of energy use, namely, that of humans metabolizing food in order to work, with the first transition following the domestication and breeding of horses and other animals. The book also examines energy sources key to development during the industrialization and mechanization, such as wood and coal, as well as more recent sources, such as crude oil and nuclear energy. The book then assesses energy flows that are at the forefront of sustainability, by examining green sources, such as solar, wind power and hydropower. While it is easy to see energy flows in terms of "revolutions," transitions have taken centuries to evolve, and transitions are never fully global, as, for example, wood remains the primary fuel source for cooking in much of the developing world. This book not only demonstrates the longevity of energy transitions but also discusses the possibility for reducing transition times when technological developments provide inexpensive and safe energy sources that can reduce the dependency on fossil fuels. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy transitions, sustainable energy and environmental and energy history.
In the face of growing environmental challenges, including climate change and energy security, countries across the globe are developing new policies and programs to address these challenges, and China is no exception. This book analyses China's two most significant climate-related energy policies, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM; including the later Chinese Certified Emission Reduciton - CCER) and the Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Scheme (ECERS). This work specifically examines the strengths and weaknesses of these policies to highlight the deficiencies and advise how they can be optimised, so China can better achieve its emission reduction goals. It analyses the roles and relationships between relevant actors and identifies how successful their cooperation has been, and what factors have affected it. Importantly, the work draws on a wide range of sources from central ministries to civil society, including interviews with Chinese officials, scholars, energy company managers, environment non-govermental organisation (ENGO) personnel, media reports, and online forum discussions. In doing so, the book not only analyses the thoughts of policymakers, as many works do, but also those implementing the policies and those impacted by the policies. The book concludes by offering detailed and practical solutions to address each specific deficiency in the CDM and ECERS policies, with the aim of providing innovations and alternative approaches to improve current and future policies in China. This book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and policymakers interested in climate change, energy, and Chinese environmental policy and politics.
This book explores how, in the wake of the Anthropocene, the growing call for urgent decarbonisation and accelerated energy transitions might have unintended consequences for energy poverty, justice and democracy, especially in the global South. Dilemmas of Energy Transitions in the Global South brings together theoretical and empirical contributions focused on rethinking energy transitions conceptually from and for the global South, and highlights issues of justice and inclusivity. It argues that while urgency is critical for energy transitions in a climate-changed world, we must be wary of conflating goals and processes, and enquire what urgency means for due process. Drawing from a range of authors with expertise spanning environmental justice, design theory, ethics of technology, conflict and gender, it examines case studies from countries including Bolivia, Sri Lanka, India, The Gambia and Lebanon in order to expand our understanding of what energy transitions are, and how just energy transitions can be done in different parts of the world. Overall, driven by a postcolonial and decolonial sensibility, this book brings to the fore new concepts and ideas to help balance the demands of justice and urgency, to flag relevant but often overlooked issues, and to provide new pathways forward. This volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy transitions, environmental justice, climate change and developing countries. The Open Access version of this book, available at https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003052821 has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.
Electric power systems are being transformed from older grid systems to smart grids across the globe. The goals of this transition are to address today's electric power issues, which include reducing carbon footprints, finding alternate sources of decaying fossil fuels, eradicating losses that occur in the current available systems, and introducing the latest information and communication technologies (ICT) for electric grids. The development of smart grid technology is advancing dramatically along with and in reaction to the continued growth of renewable energy technologies (especially wind and solar power), the growing popularity of electric vehicles, and the continuing huge demand for electricity. Smart Grid Systems: Modeling and Control advances the basic understanding of smart grids and focuses on recent technological advancements in the field. This book provides a comprehensive discussion from a number of experts and practitioners and describes the challenges and the future scope of the technologies related to smart grid. Key features: provides an overview of the smart grid, with its needs, benefits, challenges, existing structure, and possible future technologies discusses solar photovoltaic (PV) system modeling and control along with battery storage, an integral part of smart grids discusses control strategies for renewable energy systems, including solar PV, wind, and hybrid systems describes the inverter topologies adopted for integrating renewable power covers the basics of the energy storage system and the need for micro grids describes forecast techniques for renewable energy systems presents the basics and structure of the energy management system in smart grids, including advanced metering, various communication protocols, and the cyber security challenges explores electric vehicle technology and its interaction with smart grids
Traditionally heat and light are thought as energy sources to drive a particular chemical reaction, but now ultrasound is a promising energy source for this purpose. The collapse of a bubble generates a wide range of high temperatures and pressures, and therefore, use of ultrasound has a considerable potential in chemical and allied sciences. Ultrasound-assisted reactions are green and economically viable alternatives to conventional techniques. This new volume presents a complete picture of ultrasound-assisted reactions and technologies that can be used in organic synthesis, polymer synthesis and degradation, nanomaterials, wastewater treatment, food ingredients and products, pharmaceutical applications, bioenergy applications, and more. This volume aims to shed light on the diversified applications of ultrasound and its significant role as a green chemical pathway. Sonochemistry deals with the effect of ultrasonic waves on chemical systems. It has green value because of non-hazardous acoustic radiation and is therefore duly recognized as a green chemistry by synthetic chemists as well as environmentalists. There is no direct interaction of ultrasound with molecular species, but the observed chemical and physical effects of ultrasound are due to the cavitational collapse, which produces drastic conditions of temperature and pressure locally. It induces the formation of various chemical species, which cannot be easily attained under conventional conditions. Sometimes, these species are responsible for driving towards an unusual reactivity in molecular entities. This book, Sonochemistry: An Emerging Green Technology, provides the complete development of sonochemistry, starting with an introduction and basic concepts of sonochemistry and proceeding on to different types of sonochemical reactions, instrumentation, use of ultrasound in driving particular chemical reactions, and its applications in various fields, such as polymer synthesis, decontamination of water and wastewater, preparation of nanomaterials, food technology, pharmaceutical sciences, etc. The book also briefly discusses some areas that utilize ultrasounds of different frequencies. These include food products and their processing; anaerobic digestion of waste; and medical applications such as ultrasonography, sonodynamic therapy, drug delivery, etc. Sonochemistry will be successfully used on an industrial scale in pharmaceutical drugs, polymers, nanomaterials, food technology, material science, biogas production, etc. in years to come and will be an established green chemical technology of the future.
This new volume, Green Consumerism: The Behavior of New Age Consumer, provides a holistic understanding the importance of promoting green products and discusses consumers' buying intentions and decisions. The chapters consider consumer behavior theory in the context of green or ecologically friendly products from both the academic and business perspectives. The chapters present the latest empirical and analytical research in the field of green marketing and provide an abundance of information about profitable and sustainable ways and strategies to deal with environmental problems. The volume considers how consumers are taking responsibility and becoming more aware, driving change in the marketplace. In response, companies are integrating appropriate green strategies into their operational activities, product development processes, and marketing activities to achieve a competitive advantage in saturated markets. This helps companies gain market share and minimize their production costs. Topics discussed in the volume include green pricing, green consumer behavior, various dimensions of consumer purchase intention, sustainable marketing, innovation techniques used to go green, eco-awareness, and other ongoing developments in this rapidly expanding area. Key features: * Discusses research on the latest trends in the field of green marketing, green practices, green products, eco-literacy, environment awareness, protection, management etc. * Provides insight about current consumer behavior, consumers' eco-literacy levels, and their desires to go green * Covers a multitude of topics, including green pricing, green consumer behavior, sustainable marketing, innovation techniques used to go green, eco-awareness, and more
This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Due to climate change, the rise in energy demand, and issues of energy security, more countries are being forced to reexamine their energy policies and consider more renewable sources of energy. Solar power is expected to play a significant role in the changing face of energy economies, due in a large part to the recent technological advances in the field and the significant decrease in cost. This book describes these advances and examines the current state of solar power from a variety of angles. The various sections of the book cover the following topics: an overview of hybrid solar energy systems, solar energy and conservation, current solar energy technologies, the economics of solar power, and public perceptions of solar energy. This easily accessible reference offers a comprehensive guide to this rapidly expanding field. Edited by Muyiwa Adaramola, a researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology whose research focuses both on wind and solar energy, Solar Energy: Application, Economics, and Public Perception is an authoritative and easy-to-use reference, ideal for both researchers in the field and students who wish to gain an overview of this important and wide-ranging topic.
This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" as it is commonly known, refers to the practice of using liquids at very high pressures to fragment rock, thereby allowing natural gas to be harvested. This process increases energy resources but also has some negative environmental impacts as well. This book looks at the environmental impact. The first section looks at fracturing and the water supply, the second section looks at ecosystems and wildlife, while the final section examines the possible effects on human ecosystems and human health.
Due to their high growth rate, algae, microalgae, and aquatic plants are becoming the most promising photosynthetic organisms for biofuel production. Advances in Biofuel Production: Algae and Aquatic Plants explores current investigations and application of the fields of biofuel production and bioengineering and considers from a global context the evolving processes of algal biofuel production. The book looks at how biomass, specifically sugars, nonedible plant materials, and algae (which are designated first, second, and third fuels respectively) are used in the production of fuel. The feasibility of such projects, current methodologies, and how to optimize biofuel production are presented.
This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) refers to a set of technologies and methods for the mitigation, remediation, and storage of industrial CO2 emissions, the most imminent and virile of the greenhouse gases (GHG). The book addresses the methods and technologies currently being applied, developed, and most in need of further research. The book: * Discusses methods of carbon capture in industrial settings * Presents biological and geological approaches to carbon sequestration * Introduces ionic liquids as a method of carbon capture * Introduces new approaches to capturing CO2 from ambient air
The large-scale production of chemicals to meet various societal needs has created environmental pollution, including pollution from byproducts and improper disposal of waste. With the world facing adverse consequences due to this pollution, green chemistry is increasingly being viewed as a means to address this concern. Since most organic syntheses require toxic solvents, more reaction time, and drastic conditions of temperature, conventional methods of organic synthesis are less preferred. Microwave-assisted organic synthesis is considered to be a promising green chemical approach because it reduces reaction time from days or hours to minutes or even seconds, and has many other advantages. It helps reduce side reactions and increase yields, uses fewer solvents or is almost solvent-free, has solid supported reactions, and improves purity. This book's main focus is microwave-assisted organic synthesis processes, particularly various reactions such as cycloaddition, rearrangement, elimination, substitution, oxidation, reduction, condensation, coupling, polymerization, nanomaterials, synthesis of heterocycles, and industrial applications under microwave irradiation. The time is not far off when this methodology will virtually replace existing and cumbersome methods of organic synthesis.
Energy is one of the prime needs of the modern world, and energy demands have been rapidly increasing in the recent years owing to rapid advancements in industrialization and population explosion. Conventional fossil fuels are being depleted at rapid rates, and the use of conventional sources such as coal or nuclear sources cause several hazards to the environment. New sources of fuel, such as bioenergy, are an ideal option for fulfilling ever-increasing energy demands. This important book offers an exploration of these alternate fuel sources, including biohydrogen, microbial fuel cells, bioethanol, and biodiesel production, focusing on the challenges and factors hindering the real-time application of these bioenergy sources. Researchers all over the world are working in this energy sector, and this has led to drastic improvements in bioenergy research. However, the technology gap between research and industrial application still exists. This important book offers engineers and technologists from different disciplines valuable information on this multifaceted field. The field of bioenergy is interdisciplinary, requiring the knowledge of biologists, chemists, physicists, and engineers. Exploring the current trends and future prospects for biofuels, the information presented in this book will be valuable to the international industrial community for identifying new options to circumvent problems that exist in bioenergy applications. Topics include: * Thermophilic biohydrogen production * Bio-hydrogen production * Microbial fuel cells as a promising alternative energy source * Microbial fuel cell applications * Potential of Pscillatoria annae in producing bioethanol * Potential of lignocellulosic biofuels * Biodiesel production * Reactor designs for biodesel production * Long-term storage stability of Pongamia pinnata and Jatropha curcus biodiesel
Biofuel production from waste biomass is increasingly being focused on due to due to several advantages of lignocellulosic biomass, such as availability in abundance from several sources, cost-effectiveness, little competition with food sources, etc. This new volume, Sustainable Biofuel and Biomass: Advances and Impacts, provides an abundance of in-depth information on many types of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass and also describes biomass sources and their availability for biofuel production. This compiled book features 17 chapters that discuss the different aspects of biofuel production from lignocellulosic biomass. Chapters deal with different types lipase-mediated biofuel production, biohydrogen production from lignocellulosic biomass, triacylglycrol biosynthetic pathways in plants for biofuel applications, the industrial prospects of lignocellulosic bioethanol production, biofuel cell production, potential feedstocks availability for bioethanol production, biofuel production from algal biomass, and many other important topics.
This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. The practice of converting corn to ethanol is controversial, with debates currently being raged in both public policy and science. While biofuels from corn have important implications in alleviating some of the global energy crisis, critics argue that it takes away from vital agricultural products needed to feed the world's growing population. The current volume maintains there is a third way, a method of producing biofuel that only uses biomass that is left behind after all agricultural and nutritional products have been harvested from corn. This biomass is referred to as corn stover. The book serves as an important introduction to this method of producing biofuels from agricultural waste. Edited by a professor from the State University of New York, Geneseo, this reference is important not only for research scientists, but for students and public policy makers who wish to learn more about this alternative method of producing ethanol from corn. The sections found in Fuel Production from Non-Food Biomass: Corn Stover describe the following topics: An overview of why corn stover is a good alternative use of power The technology that makes this process possible on various scales Considerations for policy formation, including economic, land-use, and environmental arguments for and against using corn stover as a biofuel Although controversy still exists about the use of corn stover-with some critics saying that it will cause food shortages, particularly for developing nations-the research in this book focuses on using corn's already existing, non-food biomass and argues that food and biofuel could potentially be produced from the same fields.
This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Toward a Sustainable Wine Industry: Green Enology in Practice takes a broad look at the emerging trend of using sustainable wine production methods and business practices. It covers a multitude of aspects of the sustainable wine industry, including production methods, recycling efforts, customer behavior, sustainable business practices, and more. The wine sector, which plays a big role in the agricultural industry around the world, has been facing increasing pressure to fulfill legal environmental requirements while maintaining a competitive position in a global market. Concern for the environment and rising costs have led to an increased interest in sustainable wine production practices. This valuable compendium addresses this trend and looks at different sectors within the wine industry. In all, the book provides a multi-faceted examination of the important aspects of the increasingly necessary and growing sustainable movement. The book aims to shed valuable light on how to build an integrated sustainable business and development system in the wine industry.
This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. As the world's energy hunger grows ever larger, fossil fuel reserves are diminishing-and concerns about climate change remind us that our love affair with fossil fuels cannot continue much longer. This has inspired intense research into sustainable energy sources. Biofuels seemed initially promising, but the world soon realized that food-based biofuel has its own dangers. Second-generation biofuels, however, use biomass from crops' inedible parts-such as the stalks and leaves of sugarcane-offering a far more practical, sustainable, and commercially viable solution. In this book, researchers from around the world review some of the most important and timely topics related to using sugarcane feedstock for biofuel. After a basic overview, topics such as these are included: Pretreatment methods The use of various microbial technologies, including bacteria and yeast, to enhance biofuel production Environmental impacts Economic feasibility The viability of electricity being produced side by side with biofuel Essential reading for graduate students and research scientists investigating second-generation biofuels, this book is also recommended for environmentalists, environmental engineers, and microbiologists. |
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