This book addresses the main challenges in implementing the concepts that aim to replace the regular fossil-fuels based energy pattern with the novel energy pattern relying on renewable energy. As the built environment is one major energy consumer, well known and exploited by each community member, the challenges addressing the built environment has to be solved with the consistent contribution of the community inhabitants and its administration. The transition phase, which already is under implementation, is represented by the Nearly Zero Energy Communities (nZEC). From the research topics towards the large scale implementation, the nZEC concept is analyzed in this book, starting with the specific issues of the sustainable built environment, beyond the Nearly Zero Energy Buildings towards a more integrated view on the community (Chapter1) and followed by various implementation concepts for renewable heating & cooling (Chapter 2), for renewable electrical energy production at community level (Chapter 3) and for sustainable water use and reuse (Chapter 4). As the topic is still new, specific instruments supporting education and training (Chapter 5) are needed, aiming to provide the knowledge that can drive the communities in the near future and is expected to increase the acceptance towards renewable energy implemented at community level. The sub-chapters of this book are the proceedings of the 5th edition of the Conference for Sustainable Energy, during 19-21 October 2017, organized by the R&D Centre Renewable Energy Systems and Recycling, in the R&D Institute of the Transilvania University of Brasov. This event was organized under the patronage of the International Federation for the Science of Machines and Mechanisms (IFToMM) - the Technical Committee Sustainable Energy Systems, of the European Sustainable Energy Alliance (ESEIA) and of the Romanian Academy of Technical Sciences.

This book analyzes contemporary issues relating to energy, environment, and globalization in the Indian context. As a signatory to the Paris climate accord, India has reiterated its commitment to taking strong and positive steps toward climate change mitigation. However, as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, it is battling the effects of a steep rise in fossil fuel usage and pollution. Further, increasing globalization is leading to greater economic activity and production, resulting in additional energy use, which has a negative effect on the environment. The book argues that globalization need not have only a negative environmental impact; it can also have positive impact through the importation of environmentally sound technologies and implementing global compliance standards. The book is divided into three sections: The energy section discusses issues relating to the status of Indian natural gas market and the need for developing an efficient gas market in India; the economics and politics of sustainable energy in India; the challenges of thermal power and significance of clean thermal power generation in India; environmental and policy issues concerning energy use in urban India; the importance of energy use in developing Human Development Index (HDI); and issues relating to renewable energy in India. The environment section then examines topics such as the impact of global warming on local weather by examining the frequency of extreme weather events such as drought and floods, and their impact on farming activities in the Indian state of Odisha; the importance of according the economic value to environmentally significant things like national park , mangroves, etc. for sustainable development; the role of environmental accounting for ecological sustainability and ecotourism; and environmental concerns increasingly gaining traction among the corporate sector for their long-run benefits . Lastly, the third section addresses issues relating to the challenges and opportunities of globalization, such as the interface between globalization and environment; managing India's business interest in proposing new Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT); the challenges being faced by Indian exports and their revival; and making Indian SMEs competitive. As such, it is an invaluable resource for policymakers, researchers, practitioners and students in the field of energy, environment and trade economics.

This work presents a comprehensive investigation of the most significant renewable hydrogen production processes. Technical, economic and ecological studies are described for the processes of steam reforming of ethanol, natural gas and biogas; water electrolysis with energy from renewable sources (wind power, photovoltaic and hydroelectric), and hydrogen production using algae. Aimed at mechanical and chemical engineering graduate students and researchers involved in environmental sciences, sustainable energy and bioenergy research, this book introduces readers to the latest developments in the field and provides essential reference material for future research. The book first presents a comprehensive literature review of the processes studied. Subsequently, it provides a technical report on assessing the energetic efficiency for each hydrogen production process, as well as an economic study of the respective hydrogen production costs. Lastly, the ecological efficiency of each process is addressed. Over the past few decades, the UNESP's Group of Optimization of Energetic Systems, headed by Professor Jose Luz Silveira, has been pursuing research in the field of renewable energy generation. A major part of the group's research focuses on the production of hydrogen as a fuel and its important contribution to mitigating the environmental impacts caused by pollutant emissions.

This book presents selected contributions to the Pan-American Congress of Naval Engineering, Maritime Transport and Port Engineering (COPINAVAL), which is in its twenty-fifth edition and has become a reference event for the global maritime and port sector, attracting more and more participants from different countries. The 2017 congress was held in Panama City, Panama, bringing together a select group of scientists, entrepreneurs, academics and professionals to discuss the latest technological advances in the maritime industry.

This book discusses topics related to power electronics, especially electromagnetic transient analysis and control of high-power electronics conversion. It focuses on the re-evaluation of power electronics, transient analysis and modeling, device-based system-safe operating area, and energy balance-based control methods, and presenting, for the first time, numerous experimental results for the transient process of various real-world converters. The book systematically presents both theoretical analysis and practical applications. The first chapter discusses the structure and attributes of power electronics systems, highlighting the analysis and synthesis, while the second chapter explores the transient process and modeling for power electronics systems. The transient features of power devices at switching-on/off, transient conversion circuit with stray parameters and device-based system-safe operating area are described in the subsequent three chapters. The book also examines the measurement of transient processes, electromagnetic pulses and their series, as well as high-performance, closed-loop control, and expounds the basic principles and method of the energy-balanced control strategy. Lastly, it introduces the applications of transient analysis of typical power electronics systems. The book is valuable as a textbook for college students, and as a reference resource for electrical engineers as well as anyone working in the field of high-power electronics system.

Climate change, energy production and consumption, and the need to improve the sustainability of all aspects of human activity are key inter-related issues for which solutions must be found and implemented quickly and efficiently. To be successfully implemented, solutions must recognize the rapidly changing socio-techno-political environment and multi-dimensional constraints presented by today's interconnected world. As part of this global effort, considerations of climate change impacts, energy demands, and incorporation of sustainability concepts have increasing importance in the design, construction, and maintenance of highway and airport pavement systems. To prepare the human capacity to develop and implement these solutions, many educators, policy-makers and practitioners have stressed the paramount importance of formally incorporating sustainability concepts in the civil engineering curriculum to educate and train future civil engineers well-equipped to address our current and future sustainability challenges. This book will prove a valuable resource in the hands of researchers, educators and future engineering leaders, most of whom will be working in multidisciplinary environments to address a host of next-generation sustainable transportation infrastructure challenges. "This book proposes a broad detailed overview of the actual scientific knowledge about pavements linked to climate change, energy and sustainability at the international level in an original multidimensional/multi-effects way. By the end, the reader will be aware of the whole global issues to care about for various pavement technical features around the world, among which the implications of modelling including data collection, challenging resources saving and infrastructures services optimisation. This is a complete and varied work, rare in the domain." Dr. Agnes Jullien Research Director Director of Environmental, Development, Safety and Eco-Design Laboratory (EASE) Department of Development, Mobility and Environment Ifsttar Centre de Nantes Cedex- France "An excellent compilation of latest developments in the field of sustainable pavements. The chapter topics have been carefully chosen and are very well-organized with the intention of equipping the reader with the state-of-the-art knowledge on all aspects of pavement sustainability. Topics covered include pavement Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), pervious pavements, cool pavements, photocatalytic pavements, energy harvesting pavements, etc. which will all be of significant interest to students, researchers, and practitioners of pavement engineering. This book will no doubt serve as an excellent reference on the topic of sustainable pavements." Dr. Wei-Hsing Huang Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology (IJPRT) and Professor of Civil Engineering National Central University Taiwan

Heat transfer enhancement in single-phase and two-phase flow heat exchangers in important in such industrial applications as power generating plant, process and chemical industry, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration systems, and the cooling of electronic equipment. Energy savings are of primary importance in the design of such systems, leading to more efficient, environmentally friendly devices. This book provides invaluable information for such purposes.

Proceedings of the First Contractors' Meeting held in Brussels, April 18, 1986

Battery System Modeling provides advances on the modeling of lithium-ion batteries. Offering step-by-step explanations, the book systematically guides the reader through the modeling of state of charge estimation, energy prediction, power evaluation, health estimation, and active control strategies. Using applications alongside practical case studies, each chapter shows the reader how to use the modeling tools provided. Moreover, the chemistry and characteristics are described in detail, with algorithms provided in every chapter. Providing a technical reference on the design and application of Li-ion battery management systems, this book is an ideal reference for researchers involved in batteries and energy storage. Moreover, the step-by-step guidance and comprehensive introduction to the topic makes it accessible to audiences of all levels, from experienced engineers to graduates.

We all face risks in a variety of ways, as individuals, businesses and societies. The discipline of risk assessment and risk management is growing rapidly and there is an enormous drive for the implementation of risk assessment methods and risk management in organizations. There are great expectations that these tools provide suitable frameworks for obtaining high levels of performance and balance different concerns such as safety and costs.

The analysis and management of risk are not straightforward. There are many challenges. The risk discipline is young and there area a number of ideas, perspectives and conceptions of risk out there. For example many analysts and researchers consider it appropriate to base their risk management policies on the use of expected values, which basically means that potential losses are multiplied with their associated consequences. However, the rationale for such a policy is questionable.

A number of such common conceptions of risk are examined in the book, related to the risk concept, risk assessments, uncertainty analyses, risk perception, the precautionary principle, risk management and decision making under uncertainty. The Author discusses these concepts, their strenghts and weaknesses, and concludes that they are often better judged as misconceptions of risk than conceptions of risk.

Key Features: Discusses common conceptions of risk with supporting examples.Provides recommendations and guidance to risk analysis and risk management.Relevant for all types of applications, including engineering and business.Presents the Author's overall conclusions on the issues addressed throughout the book.

All those working with risk-related problems need to understand the fundamental ideas and concepts of risk. Professionals in the field of risk, as well as researchers and graduate sutdents will benefit from this book. Policy makers and business people will also find this book of interest.

Data, Statistics, and Useful Numbers for Environmental Sustainability: Bringing the Numbers to Life is an accessible reference for researchers working in environmental and sustainability fields who need to communicate the latest data and statistics to reinforce their own research or message. The book compiles the most-needed numbers into one resource and covers a variety of relevant topics, including materials, energy, environment, city planning, electronics, and waste. This handbook is clearly indexed and full of comprehensive tables, making it easy to find answers. Researchers in environmental and sustainability-related fields will find it an invaluable resource.

This book poses the question of whether identifiable individual-level attributes (e.g., values, interests, knowledge, demographic characteristics) lead to support for or opposition to the development and implementation of alternative energy technologies. In recent years, attempts to site alternative energy technologies (e.g., wind, solar, wave) have been met by intense opposition from a variety of sources, including many environmentalists from whom one might expect support for non-carbon based renewable energy initiatives. This volume argues that there are indeed such discernible attributes, and moreover that the identification and exploration are important for the development of support strategies for the well-informed and achievable siting of such technologies.

* New chapter specifically on electric vehicles * Increased international focus, with more examples from outside the USA * Pedagogical features including learning objectives at the start of each chapter, in-chapter questions and end-of-chapter suggested online activities * Student companion website material: multiple choice questions and homework exercises * Instructor companion website material: lecture slides, solution files for instructors; suggested questions for discussion forums to increase engagement; and activities to achieve the chapter learning objectives, including quizzes with answers, that instructors can use to assess student attainment

The International Conference on New and Renewable Energy Technologies for Sustainable Development held in Ponta Delgada, Azores (2002), Portugal, has provided technology specialists and hardware developers with the opportunity to discuss, review and demonstrate the research directions, the design methodologies, and the production techniques leading to cost- effective energy technologies for sustainable development.

This dialog provides the context for more detailed technical presentations and panel discussions on energy systems, renewable resource exploitation, and the engineering design and optimisation for minimum resource consumption. The papers included in this volume are selected from those presented at the conference reflecting to present the state-of-the-art developments in the field.

The selection of papers presented in this volume has enlightened various fields of scientific and economic development which should merge efforts in the understanding of the sustainable development concept and technological implications. The book will be of particular interest to engineering practitioners, product developers, researchers, and also economists, political scientists and government administrators exploring the multifaceted relationship between renewable energy technologies and sustainable development. Keynote lectures frame the technical and policy issues confronting the sustainable development movement and enrich the dialog between various segments of the community.

This book collects the lectures delivered by the Authors during the NATO ASI "Fundamentals and Developments of Photocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Processes," held in Erice (Trapani, Italy) from May 20th to June 2nd 1984. The ASI was devoted to the general field of photochemical conversion and storage of solar energy. It had the aim of defining the "state of art" and of outlining perspectives, lines of development and practic al utilization of this form of energy. The world energy crisis has stimulated scientists to investigate new routes for finding and testing methods and processes for obtaining renewable and cheap sources of energy. Within this framework, the possibility of solar energy utilization on a large scale must overcome the stage of discovering efficient processes for the photochemical conversion and for the storage. The most promising way for achieving this goal seems the photosplitting of water and related reactions. The methods for obtaining the water photosplitting are essentially based on photoelectrochemical cells and on photocatalytic systems (gas-solid and gas-liquid-solid). Extensive research work is currently done all over the world both in universities and in industrial laboratories in these areas. The ASI has given to the audience a general view of the fundamental aspects and as much as possible a detailed insight of the various methods and processes. A section has been also devoted to the photoreactors, a field in which the interest is ix x FOREWORD steadily increasing and whose development is essential for the practical exploitation of the various methods.

This book reports on the most recent applications of processes with a particular focus on the source and the properties of biogas and on the characteristics of the fuel cells (FCs). It describes adsorbing materials of potential interest are reviewed and the preparation methods and treatments employed to improve the adsorption properties as well as the stability and regenerability. The characterization of the chemical and physical properties involved in these processes is examined in particular detail. The book also covers aspects that concern the development of the adsorption apparatus with particular attention on the target of low residual concentration and high selectivity.High temperature FCs, such as molten carbonates (MCFCs) or solid oxides (SOFCs), are efficient, with a low environmental impact, and they can use a wide variety of fuels, such as biogas. The presence of some poisonous compounds such as sulphides, halides, and siloxanes can react with electrode catalysts and electrolyte, leading to the degradation and short lifetime of the cell. The treatment of raw biogas to obtain a FC-compatible fuel is mainly based on adsorption processes on suitable materials.

Solar energy will play an important role in our future energy supply, to the advantage of both the environment and the economy. This book focuses on water-based solar heating technology, presenting basic principles on solar radiation and the solar heating system, including details on orientation and output, sizing, the solar collector, the solar circuit, heat exchangers, heat stores and overall system technology. A range of practical applications are described, such as multi- and single-family dwellings, pools, camp sites, sports facilities, schools and industry. The potential and diversity of solar energy is made clear with additional sections on solar electricity, passive solar and solar air heating.

Maintaining and improving energy security is one of the biggest challenges worldwide. The NATO ARW conference in Tashkent, October 2012, was devoted to discussing visions and concepts that are currently discussed in different research fields. Leading scientists have written concise contributions to introduce the reader to this exciting topic. The present volume summarizes the discussions at the conference.

Composites are widely used in marine applications. There is considerable experience of glass reinforced resins in boats and ships but these are usually not highly loaded. However, for new areas such as offshore and ocean energy there is a need for highly loaded structures to survive harsh conditions for 20 years or more. High performance composites are therefore being proposed. This book provides an overview of the state of the art in predicting the long term durability of composite marine structures. The following points are covered: * Modelling water diffusion * Damage induced by water * Accelerated testing * Including durability in design * In-service experience. This is essential reading for all those involved with composites in the marine industry, from initial design and calculation through to manufacture and service exploitation. It also provides information unavailable elsewhere on the mechanisms involved in degradation and how to take account of them. Ensuring long term durability is not only necessary for safety reasons, but will also determine the economic viability of future marine structures.

This book provides insights on a broad spectrum of renewable and sustainable energy technologies from the world's leading experts. It highlights the latest achievements in policy, research and applications, keeping readers up-to-date on progress in this rapidly advancing field. Detailed studies of technological breakthroughs and optimizations are contextualized with in-depth examinations of experimental and industrial installations, connecting lab innovations to success in the field. The volume contains selected papers presented at technical and plenary sessions at the World Renewable Energy Congress, the world's premier conference on renewable energy and sustainable development. Held every two years, the Congress provides an international forum that attracts hundreds of delegates from more than 60 countries.

Passive and active solar strategies together with the adoption of energy conservation measures and the integration of new materials and technologies can lead to a dramatic reduction of 75-90 per cent in the energy consumption of the buildings. The objective of Task 13 of the IEA's Solar Heating and Cooling Programme was to advance solar building technologies and demonstrate this potential by designing and constructing buildings that met very low energy consumption targets while maintaining a good indoor climate. This revised second edition of this book presents the findings of the Task 13 experts and includes the results of the monitoring programme, conducted to determine the effectives of the techniques and strategies adopted. This new edition also provides a detailed explanation of this research programme in terms of how far the expectations of the Task experts were met and highlights the specific successes and lessons learned from the project.