This book discusses the economic, political, and environmental issues surrounding the international exploration and exploitation of conventional and unconventional natural gas. Shale gas development in recent years has changed the energy discussion in the US as existing reserves of natural gas coupled with horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing make exploitation of these reserves economically feasible; the discussion is quickly becoming international in scope. The potential expansion of natural gas development impacts many regions of the globe and spans multiple perspectives. In a volatile international climate, one of intense geopolitical conflict between Russia and the West, economic slowdowns in Europe and China, military conflicts in the Middle East and northern Africa, and widening income disparity in the U.S., a relatively inexpensive and plentiful energy source like shale gas could play a key role in mitigating such conflicts. In an energy interdependent global community, however, multiple factors such as oil prices, differing rates of exploration, environmental concerns, strategic initiatives, institutional changes, legal and regulatory issues, and actions of the nations involved all have the potential to influence future outcomes. This book discusses each of these in turn, detailing the issues most prevalent in each geographical area. The first volume to provide a comprehensive global view of the impacts of shale gas development, this book fills a gap in the current research literature, providing vital information for the scholarly community and the public alike. This book will be of interest to researchers and students of economics, energy policy, public administration, and international relations as well as policy makers and residents of the regions that are experiencing shale gas development.

This is the eagerly-awaited first volume of the definitive History of the British Coal Industry. Well before 1700 Britain had become heavily dependent upon coal for its fuel, and coal mining had taken its place among the nation's staple industries. John Hatcher traces the production and trade of coal from the intermittent small-scale activity which prevailed in the Middle Ages to the rapid expansion and rising importance which characterized the early modern era. Thoroughly grounded in a formidable range of sources, the book explores the economics and management of mining, the productivity and profitability of colliery enterprise, and the progress of technology. Dr Hatcher examines the owners and operators of collieries and the sources of mining capital, as well as the colliers themselves, their working conditions and earnings. He argues that the spectacular growth of coal output in this period was achieved more through evolutionary than revolutionary processes. This is a scholarly, detailed, and comprehensive study, which will be an essential source for all historians of the medieval and early modern economy, and fascinating reading for anyone with an interest in the British coal industry.

This book explores how different governments have leveraged their capacity to advance a revival of nuclear power. Presenting in-depth case studies of France, Finland, Britain and the United States, Baker and Stoker argue that governments may struggle to promote new investment in nuclear power.

Suitable for self-study or for in-company one-to-one or group teaching, this title presents an essential resource for improving communication in English within the gas and electricity industries.

This edited volume compares seven countries in North America and Europe on the highly topical issue of oil and gas development that uses hydraulic fracturing or "fracking." The comparative analysis is based on the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) and guided by two questions: First, in each country, what are current coalitions and the related policy output? Second, based on the current situation, what are the chances for future policy change? This book is the first to use a social science approach to analyze hydraulic fracturing debates and the first application of the ACF that is deliberately comparative. The contributions in this book advance our understanding about the formation of coalitions and development of public policy in the context of different forms of government and economically recoverable natural resources.

This monograph adresses the challenge of the environmental assessment of leightweight electric vehicles. It poses the question whether the use of lightweight materials in electric vehicles can reduce the vehicles' environmental impact and compares the environmental performance of a lightweight electric vehicle (LEV) to other types of vehicles. The topical approach focuses on methods from life cycle assessment (LCA), and the book concludes with a comprehensive concept on the environmental assessment of LEVs. The target audience primarily comprises LCA practitioners from research institutes and industry, but it may also be beneficial for graduate students specializing in the field of environmental assessment.

This book is a guide to how financial steering is designed, measured and implemented with a special focus on the energy industry. The authors offer an overview of and practical insights into the links between financial steering and accounting, and the temporary cycles of investment, divestment, return and loss, market highs and lows that form the framework of the entire energy industry across all value chain stages. The faster and the larger the cash cycles of investments and their returns, the greater not only the value created, but also the potential loss if the financial steering is not properly designed and managed. Value and value generation require an understanding of how value is both defined and measured in both and how the business/project economics model of a company works - financial steering provides this. Further, the book also discusses accounting topics such as impairments, new IFRS standards and the impact of accounting on key performance indicators of financial steering, which are associated with these investment decision valuations. The combination of accounting with the cash flow perspective provides a complete understanding of selected practical topics of financial steering which are explained in detail in a large number of examples and case studies. The book is intended for a wide range of finance/controlling/treasury/accounting professionals and students. It is written in practical and simple terms to outline the financial steering concept and to bring it to life in daily work and in the decision making process for financial steering. All illustrated concepts are in the same manner relevant and applicable to all other asset-intense industry sectors and their financial steering processes.

Manpower analysis and planning for the energy sector is the cornerstone of any successful national energy program. The human resources aspect of energy problems, however, has received little systematic attention. Responding to the need for a comprehensive information source on this important subject, Professor Hosni's bibliography reviews research completed to date and documents the different strategies that have been developed to cope with changing conditions in the energy market. Providing an international perspective, it draws on the literature of the United States and fifty other countries, with particular attention to the Arab world, where both energy and manpower are critical to future development.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of current renewable energy technologies and their basic principles. It also addresses the financial aspects of renewable energy projects and analyzes their profitability, covering the most relevant topics for engineers, economists, managers and scientists who are actively involved in renewable energy research and management. The authors are professionals and researchers who are active in the industry, and supplement the main content with revealing case studies and best-practice examples.

The global food crises of 2008 and 2010 and the increased price volatility revolve around biofuels policies and their interaction with each other, farm policies and between countries. While a certain degree of research has been conducted on biofuel efficacy and logistics, there is currently no book on the market devoted to the economics of biofuel policies. The Economics of Biofuel Policies focuses on the role of biofuel policies in creating turmoil in the world grains and oilseed markets since 2006. This new volume is the first to put together theory and empirical evidence of how biofuel policies created a link between crop (food grains and oilseeds) and biofuel (ethanol and biodiesel) prices. This combined with biofuel policies role in affecting the link between biofuels and energy (gasoline, diesel and crude oil) prices will form the basis to show how alternative US, EU, and Brazilian biofuel policies have immense impacts on the level and volatility of food grain and oilseed prices.

The oil price collapse of 1985-6 had momentous global consequences: non-fossil energy sources quickly became uncompetitive, the previous talk of an OPEC 'imperium' was turned upside-down, the Soviet Union lost a large portion of its external revenues, and many Third World producers saw their foreign debts peak. Compared to the much-debated 1973 `oil shock', the `countershock' has not received the same degree of attention, even though its legacy has shaped the present-day energy scenario. This volume is the first to put the oil `counter-shock' of the mid-1980s into historical perspective. Featuring some of the most knowledgeable experts in the field, Counter-Shock offers a balanced approach between the global picture and local study cases. In particular, it highlights the crucial interaction between the oil counter-shock and the political `counterrevolution' against state intervention in economic management, put forward by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher in the same period.

Utility and Welfare Optimization in Electricity Market s lays out clear optimization strategies for understanding the economic foundations of regulatory supply measures, further cementing electricity's role as an asset class with fixed and variable costs.

Technologies such as renewable energy alternatives including wind, solar and biomass, storage technologies and electric engines are creating a different landscape for the electricity industry. Using sources and ideas from technologies such as renewable energy alternatives, Research and Technology Management in the Electricity Industry explores a different landscape for this industry and applies it to the electric industry supported by real industry cases. Divided into three sections, Research and Technology Management in the Electricity Industry introduces a range of methods and tools including technology assessment, forecasting, roadmapping, research and development portfolio management and technology transfer. These tools are the applied to emerging technologies in this industry with case studies including data from various organizations including Bonneville Power Administration and Energy Trust of Oregon, from sectors including lighting and wind energy. The final section considers innovation through these technologies. A product result of a collaboration between Bonneville Power Administration and Portland State University, Research and Technology Management in the Electricity Industry is a comprehensive collection of methods, tools, examples and pathways for future innovation in the electricity industry.

This comprehensive book is the only one that addresses theory, practice, management, purchasing and marketing of cooling water systems in one volume. The approach of this essential reference is practical and international, and it is based on 30 years of professional experience. Profusely illustrated, this handbook will enable professionals to understand the factors that may interfere and compromise the optimal functioning of cooling water systems, used in every industrial and commercial premise in the world (e.g., industrial plants, large office towers; hospitals, hotels, etc.). Maintenance of cooling water systems is based on specialty chemicals, and this invaluable handbook contains information on chemical formulations and programming, considered “taboo” and never published before. Scaling, corrosion, micro-biological deposits, among others, interfere with the transfer of heat, a key element to achieve a cost-effective operation of cooling water systems, examined in chapters on Cooling System & Heat Exchange Essentials; Make-Up Water Sources & Their Impurities; and Corrosion, Fouling & Deposition. Different treatments, pre-treatment equipment, devices; application of different chemicals; and computer software programs are analyzed in the chapters on Chemical Treatments & Programs for Cooling Water Systems; and Microbiological Control Programs. Specially important to decision-makers, water treatment field personnel, and cooling water systems marketing personnel are the chapters on Buying and Selling Cooling Water Programs; Surveys, Inspections and Cooling Water Program Selection. The chapters on Managing Cooling Systems and Monitoring and Control, address the importance of improving and maintaining the quality of the cooling water systems process and of optimizing operating costs. An indispensable source for: Chemical, Plant, Maintenance, Operations, Process and Utility Services Engineers; specialty chemicals companies personnel and cooling water systems marketing personnel.

This broad-ranging text provides an analysis and assessment of the European Union's energy policy. It examines the components of the internal energy market alongside energy policy and politics on the international stage, and in doing so outlines the increasing importance of this global issue.

This contributed volume examines the far-reaching effects of the weakening of OPEC's cohesion and influence in the 1980s, the resulting decline of oil prices, and the accompanying economic reversals. These events resulted in both fortune and misfortune for oil users and producers and dramatically changed energy economics worldwide. Moreover, as revealed in this volume, the decade of the 1980s demonstrated that oil producers and oil importers can prosper in an atmosphere of mutual respect, cooperation, and moderation.

The work examines major oil-related topics such as the experiences of OPEC and non-OPEC oil suppliers in the 1980s, adjustment and response of oil importers to changes in the oil market, the impact of oil price changes on both the developed and developing world, and possible future developments in the global oil market. This volume will be of interest to scholars of energy and international economics, as well as professionals in the area of energy development and markets.

This book discusses the relations between the United States and Egypt from Roosevelt to Eisenhower. To protect the free flow of oil, American policymakers looked to Egypt to provide the progressive, pro-Western leadership they believed would insure stability to the region. America's attempts to balance the needs of its British allies with those of Egypt coupled with Egypt's quest for regional hegemony proved to be a recipe for trouble. In the end, America failed in grooming Egypt as the pro-Western leader, could not bring peace to the region, and could not prevent the Soviet Union from gaining a foothold. Yet, the oil continued to flow.

The author looks at the prospects for a transition from natural gas to low carbon gas, which could take several decades, and at how this will depend on the evolution of the fossil fuel industry. She investigates the technologies and energy systems for making the best use of renewable gas resources.

Bringing together renewable energy and energy security, this book covers both the politics and political economy of renewables and energy security and analyzes renewable technologies in diverse and highly topical countries: Japan, China and Northern Europe.

"Oil stands alone among primary commodities in its potential for sending economic shock waves across the world. The value of oil production is one and a half times the world's total production of food grains; demand is unresponsive to price in the short run; and the world's oil resources are heavily concentrated in the Middle East, where political disturbances have been chronic and oil supply is subject to sudden interruption. Together, these factors have made oil a virtual rogue elephant in the world economy since 1973. This book discusses the oil shocks of 1973-74, 1979-80, and the ""minishock"" of 1990-91, and examines the possibility of oil shocks over the next twenty years. The authors assess the world market outlook on the basis of underlying trends on world oil supply and demand. They take into account prospects for investment in oil production in the Persian Gulf states, the former Soviet republics, and Latin America; environmental factors and policies; and political uncertainties in the Middle East. "

This book describes the common ground between electricity markets (EMs) and software agents (or artificial intelligence generally). It presents an up-to-date introduction to EMs and intelligent agents, and offers a comprehensive description of the research advances and key achievements related to existing and emerging market designs to reliably and efficiently manage the potential challenges of variable generation (VG). Most EMs are unique in their complex relationships between economics and the physics of energy, but were created without the notion that large penetrations of variable generation (VG) would be part of the supply mix. An advanced multi-agent approach simulates the behavior of power markets over time, particularly markets with large-scale penetrations of renewable resources. It is intended as a reference book for researchers, academics and industry practitioners, but given the scope of the chapters and the highly accessible style, the book also provides a coherent foundation for several different graduate courses.

This book is a product of Brazilian Academy of Sciences Study Group about water issue. The water cycle was addressed based on an integrated point of view, aiming at joining technological and ecological solutions and integrating quantitative and qualitative aspects of this important environmental asset. Issues such as the water resources management and irrigated agriculture, water and health, water and economy, conservation and reuse as management tools, water in the Brazilian semi arid, water in Amazon, urbanization and water resources, education for the sustainability of water resources, groundwater, availability, pollution and eutrophication of water and science, technology and innovation are of the utmost importance for this exact moment in Brazil, and particularly to the State of Sao Paulo. Addressing these issues will undoubtedly contribute towards a sustainable management of water resources trough the coordinated work of different fields of science, progressing a systemic view about water, that would then finally allow management professionals the possibility of an integral action in anticipating problems and thus anticipate solutions.

During the 1970s and early 1980s utility regulators moved from largely unintrusive regulatory practices towards more aggressive and intrusive strategies. This study explores the reasons for the change and examines the trade-offs involved between seeking fairness to customers and efficiency of operations as primary goals of regulatory policies. An extended case study of the California Public Utilities Commission's conservation policies and utility programs from 1975 to 1984 is used to test theoretical explanations of interventionism. In a look toward the future of interventionist regulatory behavior, Barkovich concludes that in the future regulators will face more stringent limitations in pursuing certain forms of interventionism. "Business Information ALERT"

This pioneering study analyzes the changing nature of utility regulation in the United States, with particular emphasis on the 1970s and early 1980s when regulators moved from largely unintrusive regulatory practices toward more aggressive and intrusive strategies. Barkovich explores the reasons for this change in regulatory behavior and examines the trade-offs involved between seeking fairness to customers and efficiency of operations as primary goals of regulatory policies. Theoretical explanations of regulatory interventionism are then tested in an extended case study of the California Public Utilities Commission's (CPUC) conservation policies and utility programs from 1975 to 1984--widely cited as among the most active and creative in the nation.

Barkovich identifies three factors influencing regulatory decisionmaking--interest groups, the regulatory commission organization, and ideology--and proposes an extension of existing regulatory theory to explain interventionist behavior. Based upon an in-depth examination of the CPUC's policymaking, she demonstrates that regulatory interventionism has a number of prerequisites, among them factors which promote regulatory autonomy and reduce external constraints upon regulators. Finally, Barkovich looks toward the future of interventionist regulatory behavior in an increasingly market-oriented, service delivery system, concluding that, in the future, regulators will face more stringent limitations in pursuing certain forms of interventionism. Energy industry professionals, regulatory decisionmakers, and students of the utility industry and of government regulation of business will find important new insights into the social, political, and economic dynamics of utility regulation.

Peak Load and Capacity Pricing lays out clear pricing strategies for understanding peak load and capacity pricing structures, further cementing electricity's role as an asset class with fixed and variable costs.