Research for the development of more efficient photocatalysts has experienced an almost exponential growth since its popularization in early 1970 s. Despite the advantages of the widely used TiO2, the yield of the conversion of sun power into chemical energy that can be achieved with this material is limited" "prompting the research and development of a number of structural, morphological and chemical modifications of TiO2, as well as a number of novel photocatalysts with very different composition." Design of Advanced Photocatalytic Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications" provides a systematic account of the current understanding of the relationships between the physicochemical properties of the catalysts and photoactivity.

The already long list of photocatalysts phases and their modifications is increasing day by day. By approaching this field from a material sciences angle, an integrated view allows readers to consider the diversity of photocatalysts globally and in connection with other technologies. "Design of Advanced Photocatalytic Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications" provides a valuable road-map, outlining the common principles lying behind the diversity of materials, but also delimiting the imprecise border between the contrasted results and the most speculative studies. This broad approach makes it ideal for specialist but also for engineers, researchers and students in related fields.

This edited volume gives an insight into climate and energy protection in China and the European Union (EU). By taking a closer look at the EU and China seperately, the book presents the current situation in terms of environmental policy and energy use/ consumption in EU as well as in China. The book broaches the collaboration of the EU and China regarding climate and energy protection. The target audience primarily comprises research experts in the field of climate research as well as public decision makers.

Hybrid Hydrogen Systems for Stationary and Transportation Applications presents an original, comprehensive approach to hybrid energy system optimization and provides a much-needed systems approach to hydrogen energy applications. This textbook will be bought by graduate and senior undergraduate students studying renewable energy and the design and optimisation of hydrogen energy systems as well as the lecturers who teach these subjects. Hybrid Hydrogen Systems for Stationary and Transportation Applications will also be bought by researchers and practitioners working with hydrogen and fuel cells as well as policy makers and advocates of renewable energy.

This book provides a practical description of the technology of pellet production on the basis of renewable sources as well as the utilization of pellets. The author explains what kinds of biomass are usable in addition to wood, how to produce pellets and how to use pellets to produce energy. Starting with the basics of combustion, gasification and the pelletizing process, several different technologies are described. The design, planning, construction and economic efficiency are discussed as well. The appendix gives useful advice about plant concepts, calculations, addresses, conversion tables and formulas.

Climate change, environmental impact and declining natural resources are driving scientific research and novel technical solutions. Green Energy and Technology serves as a publishing platform for scientific and technological approaches to "green" - i.e., environmentally friendly and sustainable - technologies. While the main focus lies on energy and power supply, the series also covers green solutions in industrial engineering and engineering design. Green Energy and Technology is a monograph series addressing researchers, advanced students and technical consultants, as well as decision makers in industry and politics. The level presentation ranges from instructional to highly technical. Gas hydrates are potentially one of the most important energy resources for the future. They represent one of the world's largest untapped reservoirs of energy and, according to some estimates, have the potential to meet global energy needs for the next thousand years. Methane Gas Hydrate examines this potential by focusing on methane gas hydrate, which is increasingly considered a significant source of energy. Methane Gas Hydrate gives a general overview of natural gas, before delving into the subject of gas hydrates in more detail and methane gas hydrate in particular. As well as discussing methods of gas production, it also discusses the safety and environmental concerns associated with the presence of natural gas hydrates, ranging from their possible impact on the safety of conventional drilling operations to their influence on Earth's climate. Methane Gas Hydrate is a useful reference on an increasingly popular energy source. It contains valuable information for chemical engineers and researchers, as well as for postgraduate students.

This book describes methods for adaptive control of distributed-collector solar fields: plants that collect solar energy and deliver it in thermal form. Controller design methods are presented that can overcome difficulties found in these type of plants: they are distributed-parameter systems, i.e., systems with dynamics that depend on space as well as time;their dynamics is nonlinear, with a bilinear structure;there is a significant level of uncertainty in plant knowledge.

Adaptive methods form the focus of the text because of the degree of uncertainty in the knowledge of plant dynamics. Parts of the text are devoted to design methods that assume only a very limited knowledge about the plant. Other parts detail methods that rely on knowledge of the dominant plant structure. These methods are more plant specific, but allow the improvement of performance.

"Adaptive Control of Solar Energy Collector Systems" demonstrates the dynamics of solar fields to be rich enough to present a challenge to the control designer while, at the same time, simple enough to allow analytic work to be done, providing case studies on dynamics and nonlinear control design in a simple and revealing, but nontrivial way.

The control approaches treated in this monograph can be generalized to apply to other plants modelled by hyperbolic partial differential equations, especially process plants in which transport phenomena occur, plants like dryers, steam super-heaters and even highway traffic.

An important example, used repeatedly throughout the text, is a distributed-collector solar field installed at Plataforma Solar de Almeria, located in southern Spain. The control algorithms laid out in the text are illustrated with experimental results generated from this plant.

Although the primary focus of this monograph is solar energy collector, the range of other systems which can benefit from the methods described will make it of interest to control engineers working in many industries as well as to academic control researchers interested in adaptive control and its applications.

This book focuses on the impacts of the built environment, and how to predict and measure the benefits and consequences of changes taking place to address sustainability in the development and building industries. It draws together the best treatments of these subjects from the Leeds Sustainability Institute's inaugural International Conference on Sustainability, Ecology, Engineering, Design for Society (SEEDS). The focus of discussion is on understanding how buildings and spaces are designed and nurtured to obtain optimal outcomes in energy efficiency and environmental impacts. In addition to examining technical issues such as modeling energy performance, emphasis is placed on the health and well-being of occupants. This holistic approach addresses the interdependence of people with the built and natural environments. The book's contents reflect the interdisciplinary and international collaboration critical to assembly of the knowledge required for positive change.

This book presents state-of-the-art research and case studies on new approaches to the design, construction and planning of our cities. Emphasis is placed on the role of alternative and renewable energy in the development of urban infrastructures that enable sustainable futures. Reflecting the multi-faceted efforts required to successfully meet sustainability challenges, this book is a collaboration between practitioners and academics across a broad spectrum of specializations. Compelling research findings are explained in the context of practical implementation, enhanced by case studies from industry leaders in order to create a pragmatic reference across policy areas where environmentally aware decision making is required.

Today s highly parameterized large-scale distributed computing systems may be composed of a large number of various components (computers, databases, etc) and must provide a wide range of services. The users of such systems, located at different (geographical or managerial) network cluster may have a limited access to the system s services and resources, and different, often conflicting, expectations and requirements. Moreover, the information and data processed in such dynamic environments may be incomplete, imprecise, fragmentary, and overloading. All of the above mentioned issues require some intelligent scalable methodologies for the management of the whole complex structure, which unfortunately may increase the energy consumption of such systems. An optimal energy utilization has reached to a point that many information technology (IT) managers and corporate executives are all up in arms to identify scalable solution that can reduce electricity consumption (so that the total cost of operation is minimized) of their respective large-scale computing systems and simultaneously improve upon or maintain the current throughput of the system.

This book in its eight chapters, addresses the fundamental issues related to the energy usage and the optimal low-cost system design in high performance green computing systems. The recent evolutionary and general metaheuristic-based solutions for energy optimization in data processing, scheduling, resource allocation, and communication in modern computational grids, could and network computing are presented along with several important conventional technologies to cover the hot topics from the fundamental theory of the green computing concept and to describe the basic architectures of systems. This book points out the potential application areas and provides detailed examples of application case studies in low-energy computational systems. The development trends and open research issues are also outlined. All of those technologies have formed the foundation for the green computing that we know of today."

This is the first book entirely devoted to providing a perspective on the state-of-the-art of cloud computing and energy services and the impact on designing sustainable systems. Cloud computing services provide an efficient approach for connecting infrastructures and can support sustainability in different ways. For example, the design of more efficient cloud services can contribute in reducing energy consumption and environmental impact. The chapters in this book address conceptual principles and illustrate the latest achievements and development updates concerning sustainable cloud and energy services. This book serves as a useful reference for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students and practitioners interested in the design, implementation and deployment of sustainable cloud based energy services. Professionals in the areas of power engineering, computer science, and environmental science and engineering will find value in the multidisciplinary approach to sustainable cloud and energy services presented in this book.

The central theme of this book "Microbial BioEnergy: Hydrogen Production" is focused on the biological machinery that microorganisms use to produce hydrogen gas.The book summarizes the achievements over the past decade in the biochemistry, structural and molecular biology, genomics and applied aspects of microbial H2-production, including microbial fuel cells (MFC), by phototrophs such as purple sulfur and non-sulfur bacteria ("Thiocapsa" spp., "Rhodobacter "and "Rhodopseudomonas" spp.) microalgae ("Chlamydomonas")and cyanobacteria ("Anabaena spp.") along with anaerobes and thermophiles such as "Caldicellulosiruptor "and "Thermotoga." This is the first bookof this series entirely devoted to microbial bio-hydrogen production and is intended to be a precious source of information for PhD students, researchers and undergraduates from disciplines such as microbiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, photochemistry and chemical engineering, interested in basic and applied sciences."

This book emerges from the recognition that energy, environment and ecosystems are dynamically and inextricably connected. The energy environment system must be addressed in its totality, so that we can devise sustainable solutions that incorporate both economic growth and environmental conservation. No single clean energy source will sustain long-term energy security, and fossil fuels will remain prominent in the mix of energy sources for several decades to come. Energy solutions, therefore, must employ a broad and diverse range of approaches, including cleaner fossil fuel technologies, and an affordable transition to greener power generation employing waste, water and renewable resources. Moreover, adapting to this changing global energy picture will require a transformational shift in the ways we use and deliver energy services. The authors begin with a broad introductory chapter on sustainable energy and the environment, classifying energy resources, cataloging environmental degradations, and outlining the concepts and practices of sustainability. In Chapters Two and Three, they summarize the basic constituents of the environment, the biosphere and its natural cycles, and offer a model of Earth's planetary temperatures and the greenhouse effect. Chapters Four and Five outline conventional energy and power systems, and related environmental degradations. The next several chapters cover clean coal technologies for power generation, and discuss sustainable energy and power technologies based on both thermal and photovoltaic solar energy, along with biomass and wind. The final chapters examine in depth the management of waste and water, pollution control and energy conservation. The book introduces a unique approach to sustainability and energy conservation which emphasizes the relationships between underlying scientific principles and practical applications employed in engineering solutions. All this is offered in a form that matches the requirements of college-level environmental science and engineering courses.

In this global wake-up call, nuclear physicist Jeff Eerkens explores remedies for the impending energy crisis, when oil and natural gas are depleted. The Nuclear Imperative demonstrates that solar, wind, and biomass power are incapable of supplying the enormous quantities of electricity and heat needed for manufacturing portable synthetic fuels to replace our current use of fossil fuels. It offers a fresh look at uranium-produced energy as the optimal affordable solution.

This book presents recent studies on the power electronics used for the next generation wind turbine system. Some criteria and tools for evaluating and improving the critical performances of the wind power converters have been proposed and established. The book addresses some emerging problems as well as possibilities for the wind power conversion, and may be useful as an inspiring reference for the researchers in this field.

This volume explores the latest developments in the area of polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) used for high-temperature fuel cells. Featuring contributions from an international array of researchers, it presents a unified viewpoint on the operating principles of fuel cells, various methodologies used for the fabrication of PEMs, and issues related to the chemical and mechanical stabilities of the membranes. Special attention is given to the fabrication of electrospun nanocomposite membranes. The editors have consciously placed an emphasis on developments in the area of fast-growing and promising PEM materials obtained via hygroscopic inorganic fillers, solid proton conductors, heterocyclic solvents, ionic liquids, anhydrous H3PO4 blends, and heteropolyacids. This book is intended for fuel cell researchers and students who are interested in a deeper understanding of the organic-inorganic membranes used in fuel cells, membrane fabrication methodologies, properties and clean energy applications.

As power systems develop to incorporate renewable energy sources, the delivery systems may be disrupted by the changes involved. The grid's technology and management must be developed to form Smart Grids between consumers, suppliers and producers. Conducted Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) in Smart Grids considers the specific side effects related to electromagnetic interference (EMI) generated by the application of these Smart Grids.
Conducted Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) in Smart Grids presents specific EMI conducted phenomena as well as effective methods to filter and handle them once identified. After introduction to Smart Grids, the following sections cover dedicated methods for EMI reduction and potential avenues for future development including chapters dedicated to:

potential system services,
descriptions of the EMI spectra shaping methods,
methods of interference voltage compensation, and theoretical analysis of experimental results.

By focusing on these key aspects, Conducted Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) in Smart Grids provides a concise and comprehensive coverage of an extensive subject matter. It constitutes a key resource for any industry practitioners, researchers or system designers with interest in Smart Grids, particularly their electromagnetic compatibility in the conducted EMI frequency range.
"

This edited volume establishes a forum for international experts to explore cutting-edge questions associated with the land use and biomass production. Topics include 'do we have enough land, either primary or marginal, to accommodate future production of biomass?', 'how are farming decisions made in response to biomass incentives?', 'is the current bio-mass production socially, economically and environmentally sustainable?', and 'what are the main constraints currently limiting biofuel deployment?' The expansion of biomass production is often at the cost of reduced land availability for food production and losses of areas with ecological functions such as forests and wetlands. This process often involves complex interplay of physical dynamics and human systems that are driven by numerous geographic and socio-economic factors at different scales. Thus, the state-of-the-art research on the land use issues surrounding the biomass production and its environmental impacts is important for informed land management decision making. This book will be of great use to researchers in land use management and biomass-based renewable energy, as well as practitioners.

The book provides an overview on various microorganisms and their industrialization in energy conversion, such as ethanol fermentation, butanol fermentation, biogas fermentation and fossil energy conversion. It also covers microbial oil production, hydrogen production and electricity generation. The content is up to date and suits well for both researchers and industrial audiences.

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) operate at high temperatures allowing more fuel flexibility and also useful heat output and so increase total efficiency, but does give some interesting engineering challenges." ""Solid Oxide Fuels Cells: Facts and Figures" provides clear and accurate data for a selection of SOFC topics from the specific details of Ni cermet anodes, chemical expansion in materials, and the measuring and modelling of mechanical stresses, to the broader scope of the history and present design of cells, to SOFC systems and the future of SOFC.

Celebrating Ulf Bossel s work on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, and especially his running of the European Fuel Cell Forum, " ""Solid Oxide Fuels Cells: Facts and Figures" covers important topics on the way including intermediate temperature fuel cells, metal supported fuel cells and both new materials and engineering solutions to some of the challenges of getting SOFC to market. The chapters are based on the special plenary talks given by some of the most respected and talented people in the field at the 2010 European SOFC Forum in Luzern and the title for this book comes from the report produced by Ulf for the IEA Final Report on SOFC Data, Facts and Figures, Swiss Federal Office of Energy, Berne, 1992.

The comprehensive nature of" ""Solid Oxide Fuels Cells: Facts and Figures" makes it a key resource of SOFC topics for students, lecturers, researchers and industry practitioners alike.

Celebrating Ulf Bossel s work on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, and especially his running of the European Fuel Cell Forum, " ""Solid Oxide Fuels Cells: Facts and Figures" covers important topics on the way including intermediate temperature fuel cells, metal supported fuel cells and both new materials and engineering solutions to some of the challenges of getting SOFC to market. The chapters are based on the special plenary talks given by some of the most respected and talented people in the field at the 2010 European SOFC Forum in Luzern and the title for this book comes from the report produced by Ulf for the IEA Final Report on SOFC Data, Facts and Figures, Swiss Federal Office of Energy, Berne, 1992.

The comprehensive nature of" ""Solid Oxide Fuels Cells: Facts and Figures" makes it a key resource of SOFC topics for students, lecturers, researchers and industry practitioners alike.

The comprehensive nature of" ""Solid Oxide Fuels Cells: Facts and Figures" makes it a key resource of SOFC topics for students, lecturers, researchers and industry practitioners alike."

This book presents a concise framework for assessing technical and sustainability impacts of existing biorefineries and provides a possible road map for development of novel biorefineries. It offers a detailed, integrated approach to evaluate the entire biomass production chain, from the agricultural feedstock production and transportation, to the industrial conversion and commercialization & use of products. The Brazilian sugarcane biorefinery is used as a case study; however, the methods and concepts can be applied to almost any biomass alternative. Chapters explore the main issues regarding biorefinery assessment, including feedstock production and transportation modeling, biofuels and green chemistry products, as well as assessment of sustainability impacts. This book is a valuable source of information to researchers in bioenergy, green chemistry and sustainability fields. It also provides a useful framework for government agencies, investors and the energy industry to evaluate and predict the success of current and future biorefinery alternatives.

Implementing the Circular Economy for Sustainable Development presents the concept of the circular economy with the goal of understanding its present status and how to better implement it, particularly through environmental policies. It first tackles the definition of a circular economy in the context of sustainability and the differences in defining the concept across disciplines, including its fallibilities and practical examples. It then goes on to discuss the implementation of a circular economy, including the increasing variety of technological, mechanical, and chemical procedures to contend with and the need for stakeholder support in addition to improved business models. The second half of the book, therefore, presents tools, approaches, and practical examples of how to shape environmental policy to successfully implement a circular economy. It analyzes deficiencies of current regulations and lays the groundwork for the design of integrated environmental policies for a circular economy. Authored by an expert in environmental economics with decades of experience, Implementing the Circular Economy for Sustainable Development is a timely, practical guide for sustainability researchers and policymakers alike to move more efficiently toward a circular economy and sustainable development.

This book presents innovative research and its applications in the development of transportation infrastructure, and discusses the latest trends, challenges and unsolved problems in the field of transport technology. The book also presents a range of solutions to problems faced by the rapidly growing economies of the developing world. Core challenges confronting policymakers in the field of transport technology include traffic congestion, air pollution, traffic fatalities and injuries, and petroleum dependence. At the same time, the increased use of hybrid and electric vehicles is changing consumer needs and behaviors. The solutions discussed in this book will encourage and inspire researchers, industry professionals and policymakers alike to put these methods into practice.

Biomass conversion research is a combination of basic science, applied science, and engineering testing and analysis. Conversion science includes the initial treatment (called pre-treatment) of the feedstock to render it more amenable to enzyme action, enzymatic saccharification, and finally product formation by microbiological or chemical processes. In Biomass Conversion: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail methods which are now commonly used to study biomass conversion. These methods include Biomass Feedstocks and Cellulose, Plant Cell Wall Degrading Enzymes and Microorganisms, and Lignins and Hemicelluloses. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, the chapters include the kind of detailed description and implementation advice that is crucial for getting informed, reproducible results in the laboratory.

Energy appears to be a fundamental driving force of economic and political strategies as well as planetary stability. Energy-related issues such as (1) the availability of new energy sources and viable technologies, (2) the disparity in access to energy sources, (3) the role of energy in our societies (energy societal metabolism), (4) the energy support to the life of our cities (where about half of world population is going to live very soon), and (5) the energy demand for food security all over the world, are "hot" problems that humans will have to face within the framework of sustainability (ecologically sound production and consumption patterns associated with socially acce- able life styles), in terms of policies, technological development and economic processes. A coherent energy strategy is required, addressing both energy supply and demand, security of access, development problems, equity, market dynamics, by also taking into account the whole energy lifecycle including fuel production, transmission and distribution, energy conversion, and the impact on energy equipment manufacturers and the end-users of energy systems. Issues of energy efficiency and rebound effect must also be taken into proper account. In the short term, the aim should be to achieve higher energy efficiencies and increased supply from local energy sources, in particular renewable energy sources.

This book covers the topic of vibration energy harvesting using piezoelectric materials. Piezoelectric materials are analyzed in the context of their electromechanical coupling, heterogeneity, microgeometry and interrelations between electromechanical properties. Piezoelectric ceramics and composites based on ferroelectrics are advanced materials that are suitable for harvesting mechanical energy from vibrations using inertial energy harvesting which relies on the resistance of a mass to acceleration and kinematic energy harvesting which couples the energy harvester to the relative movement of different parts of a source. In addition to piezoelectric materials, research efforts to develop optimization methods for complex piezoelectric energy harvesters are also reviewed. The book is important for specialists in the field of modern advanced materials and will stimulate new effective piezotechnical applications.