This volume of Eurasian Studies in Business and Economics focuses on latest results from research in Banking and Finance, Accounting and Corporate Governance, Growth and Development, along with a focus on the Energy sector. The first part on Accounting and Corporate Governance features articles on environmental accounting, audit quality, financial information, and adoption of governance principles. The Banking and Finance part looks at risk-behavior in banks, credit ratings during subprime crisis, stakeholder management, and stock market crises. The book focuses then on the energy sector and analyzes macroeconomic impacts of electricity generation, risk dimensions in wind energy, the latest EU energy reforms, and discusses prediction models.

This book examines the physical and economic characteristics of the global oil resource to explain why peak oil has been so poorly understood. The author draws on information held in oil industry datasets that are not widely available outside of the specialist literature, and describes a number of methods that have been successfully used to predict oil peaks. In contrast to the widely-held view that 'all oil forecasts are wrong', these methods correctly predicted the current peak in global conventional oil production. Current oil forecasts are then compared to evaluate the expected dates for regional and global oil peaks for conventional oil, all-oils, and all-liquids. The dates of global peaks in the production of all-oil and all-liquids appear to be reasonably soon, while the oil price that is needed to support these global production levels continues to rise. The world faces serious constraints in its oil supply, which accounts for about one-third of total world energy use, and over 90% of the fuel used for transportation. Readers of this book will gain a thorough understanding of the critical, but poorly understood, phenomenon of peak oil that has already had significant impacts on society in terms of high oil prices, and which will place increasing constraints on mankind's supply of energy and economic well-being in the coming years.

This book provides an overview of floating offshore wind farms and focuses on the economic aspects of this renewable-energy technology. It presents economic maps demonstrating the main costs, and explores various important aspects of floating offshore wind farms. It examines topics including offshore wind turbines, floating offshore wind platforms, mooring and anchoring, as well as offshore electrical systems. It is a particularly useful resource in light of the fact that most water masses are deep and therefore not suitable for fixed offshore wind farms. A valuable reference work for students and researchers interested in naval and ocean engineering and economics, this book provides a new perspective on floating offshore wind farms, and makes a useful contribution to the existing literature.

The thesis has critically examined, both theoretically and experimentally, a novel tri-generation system concept - with encouraging system performance demonstrated. The thesis establishes the significant potential of the novel tri-generation system in providing effective built environment decarbonisation through decentralised generation; strengthening the case for a future hydrogen economy. In response to the critical need to decarbonise the built environment, alternative methods for more effective energy utilisation need to be explored including tri-generation systems. The thesis presents the design, development and testing of a novel proof-of-concept tri-generation system based on solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and liquid desiccant air conditioning technology to provide electricity, heating and cooling to building applications. No previous work has been reported on such a system. The theme of the work sits within the topics of low-carbon and sustainable energy technologies, building services and low carbon building applications.

By combining perspectives from experts in domestic politics, regional politics, and specialists in international security, this edited volume focuses on the central role of energy production and supply in the Russian-Western completion across Eurasia.

The 2011 Energy Statistics Yearbook is the fifty-fifth issue in a series of annual compilations of internationally comparable statistics summarizing world energy trends. Annual data for 224 countries and areas for the period 2008 to 2011 are presented on production, trade and consumption of energy: solids, liquids, gaseous fuels and electricity. In addition, per capita consumption series are also provided for all energy products. Graphs are included to illustrate historic trends and/or changes in composition of production and/or consumption of major energy products. Special tables of interest include: international trade tables for coal, crude petroleum and natural gas by partner countries - providing information on direction of trade; selected series of statistics on renewables and wastes; refinery distillation capacity; and a table on selected energy resources.

This book analyses how socially responsible investments as well as the rising importance of Islamic finance are linked to the shift towards renewable energy. Academics and practitioners in the field take a global perspective and present case studies from several countries. The book is divided into three parts: The first part sheds new light on the energy shift towards renewable energy. The second shows the increasing interest of investors in sustainability, and the authors argue that investors not only look at expected returns and risks, but also at social returns. Finally, the third part explains the need for social returns in Islamic finance, which cannot be explained by traditional finance theory. This is the fifth volume in a series on energy organized by the Centre for Energy and Value Issues (CEVI).

Using the Enel case, this volume unpacks the effective implementation of an ambidextrous perspective on adaptation and change, providing some key lessons for managers and scholars. It begins by exploring Enel's recent history, before mapping the steps of a remarkable transition from public monopolist to a successful transnational group.

Packed with case studies and practical real-world examples, Electricity Marginal Cost Pricing Principles allows regulators, engineers and energy economists to choose the pricing model that best fits their individual market.

Written by an author with 13 years of practical experience, the book begins with a clear and rigorous explanation of the theory of efficient pricing and how it impacts investor-owned, publicly-owned, and cooperatively-owned utilities using tried and true methods such as multiple-output, functional form, and multiproduct cost models. The author then moves on to include self-contained chapters on applying estimating cost models, including a cubic cost specification and policy implications while supplying actual data and examples to allow regulators, energy economists, and engineers to get "a feel" for the methods with which efficient prices are derived in today s challenging electricity market. The book is accompanied by a companion website which will allow for the testing of methods and validating results.

A guideto cost issues surrounding the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity

Clearly explains cost models which can yield the marginal cost of supplying electricity to end-users

Real-world examples that are practical, meaningful, and easy to understand

Explans the policy implications of each example

Provide suggestions to aid in the formation of the optimal market price"

Air pollution policy is closely connected with climate change, public health, energy, transport, trade, and agriculture, and generally speaking, the Earth has been pushed to the brink and the damage is becoming increasingly obvious. The transport sector remains a foremost source of air pollutants - a fact that has stimulated the production of biofuels. This book focuses on the biodiesel industry, and proposes a modification of the entire manufacturing chain that would pave the way for further improvements. Oil derived from oilseed plantations/crops is the most commonly used feedstock for the production of biodiesel. At the same time, the UK's Royal Academy of Engineering and 178 scientists in the Netherlands have determined that some biofuels, such as diesel produced from food crops, have led to more emissions than those produced by fossil fuels. Accordingly, this book re-evaluates the full cycle of biodiesel production in order to help find optimal solutions. It confirms that the production and use of fertilizers for the cultivation of crop feedstocks generate considerably more GHG emissions compared to the mitigation achieved by using biodiesel. To address this fertilization challenge, projecting future biofuel development requires a scenario in which producers shift to an organic agriculture approach that includes the use of microalgae. Among advanced biofuels, algae's advantages as a feedstock include the highest conversion of solar energy, and the ability to absorb CO2 and pollutants; as such, it is the better choice for future fuels. With regard to the question of why algae's benefits have not been capitalized on for biofuel production, our analyses indicate that the sole main barrier to realizing algae's biofuel potential is ineffective international and governmental policies, which create difficulties in reconciling the goals of economic development and environmental protection.

Forming the 10th volume from this successful international conference series, this book features research from scientists, practitioners and other experts working across the field of water resources management. Water is essential for sustaining life on our planet and its uneven distribution is a source of permanent conflict. The growth of human population combined with the irregularity in precipitation and water availability may restrict even further the access to water in certain regions of the world. This problem is made more severe by anthropogenic activities that affect its quality. Moreover, changes in the landscape, use of the land and climate conditions lead to a continuous revaluation of river basin management objectives. This requires the development of better measuring tools as well as the use of increasingly accurate computer software. This volume provides an insight into the state of the art in the current technology, techniques and solutions in sustainable water resources management as they have been developed and applied in different countries. Themes related to water resources include: Water management and planning; Water rights and accessibility; Water markets economics and policies; Climate change; Irrigation; Water resources in arid regions; Ground water; Hydraulic engineering; Trans-boundary water management; Water, food and energy; Water and the community; Integrated water analysis; Wetlands as water sources.

The trade of global bioenergy commodities, such as ethanol, biodiesel and wood pellets has been growing exponentially in the past decade, and have by 2013 reached true "commodity" volumes, i.e. tens of millions of tonnes traded each year, and billions (both in US$/ ) of annual turnover.

IEA Bioenergy Task 40 was founded in 2004 and is now in its 4th triennium. For the past 9 years, task 40 has monitored the developments in international bioenergy trade, including the organization of about 20 workshops on trade-related topics, and the publication of over 100 studies, country reports, newsletters, etc. The amount of material produced over the years and insights gained in how biomass markets and international trade of biomass and biofuels has developed is impressive. Besides that the group has produced overviews and insights, also a large amount of practical experience has been brought together in what works and what doesn't. Last but not least, based on all this, there are clear(er) views on how to proceed to build working sustainable international biomass markets in the future. This book compiles those lessons and insights into an easily accessible book publication."""

This book presents the methodology and mathematical models for dual-fuel coal-gas power plants in two basic configurations: systems coupled in parallel and in series. Dual-fuel gas and steam systems, especially parallel systems, have great potential for modernizing existing combined heat and power (CHP) plants. This book presents calculations using a novel methodology applied to systems in continuous time and analyzes the impact of the investment profitability of the EU ETS (European Union Emissions Trading Scheme) derogation mechanism, which encourages enterprises to modernize existing generation units. It also includes a detailed case study of a coal power plant modernized by repowering with a gas turbine. The book is intended for researchers, market analysts, decision makers, power engineers and students.

Prolonged economic downturn is forcing policy makers and professors to examine how to improve economic development. State and regional governments are therefore moving from public sector-led strategies to private sector-led strategies to enact substantial business-friendly policy reforms. This view of growing economic development sparks interest among public policy, public administration, urban planning, and other academic programs to teach about how America goes about implementing economic development strategies at the state and local level. The Energy Economy is a public policy and current affairs focused economics book targeted toward a public policy and current affairs audience. It offers practical and topical discussions about the most important economic issue of current times: energy.

This work considers the potential effects of competition in the natural gas pipeline industry. Contrary to published studies and government reports, this study concludes that federal regulation in the industry is no longer necessary to limit the market power of current pipeline suppliers. Rather, potential entry by nearby suppliers--a competitive factor largely ignored in most economic analyses--will promote competition in most major markets. The purpose of the work is two-fold: to quantify the competitive effect of potential market entry by natural gas suppliers; and to demonstrate that any industry analysis which fails to consider this competitive factor is likely to be in error.

This compilation and analysis of market-by-market data on current deliveries by pipeline, location of nearby deliveries, and location of nearby pipelines which make no deliveries will be of interest to scholars, policymakers, and industry analysts concerned with competitive, antitrust, and regulatory issues.

Turkey has been reforming its energy markets since the 1980s, culminating in two major bills in the early 2000s. The country has restructured electricity and natural gas markets, establishing an independent regulatory agency (EMRA) and passed legislation on renewable and nuclear energy. With these regulatory reforms, Turkey, as a candidate country for accession to the European Union (EU), has aimed to direct the energy markets to a more competitive environment in parallel with EU energy directives. This book contains an analysis of regulatory reforms in Turkish energy markets (electricity, natural gas, renewable and nuclear energy), the impact of these reforms on country's energy portfolio and role in global energy trade, especially between the EU, the Caspian, Caucasus, and Central Asia. Finally, the book concludes with recommendations for Turkish energy policy. The authors are expert scholars who have written extensively on Turkish regulatory reform and energy economics and who have broad knowledge of global energy market dynamics. The book will be a unique guide for those concerned with the different areas of the Turkish economy and international audiences interested in energy markets of Turkey and surrounding regions, making the book of interest to not only researchers in academia but also industry practitioners, regulators and policy makers as well.

A thoroughly updated introduction to the current issues and challenges facing managers and administrators in the investor and publicly owned utility industry, this engaging volume addresses management concerns in five sectors of the utility industry: electric power, natural gas, water, wastewater systems and public transit. Beginning with a brief overview of the historical development of the industry, the author examines policy issues including the consequences of dealing with deteriorating infrastructure, an aging workforce, climate warming, funding for repair and replacement of facilities, and the demands for meeting the needs of a growing population. In addition to reviewing issues related to various management tasks, he includes chapters on physical and cyber threats and management ethics, liberally laced with real-life examples of utilities' dealings with these challenges. Many tables, figures and boxes expand on key points from the text. Accessible and comprehensive, this thoughtful exploration of the various issues facing administrators and operators in public utilities in the new century will prove a useful overview for students of business and economics, utility staff, and directors of local utility governing boards.

This book presents various methods for sustainability assessment of energy systems, under various different conditions and scenarios. It answers the questions of how to measure the sustainability of energy systems by adopting appropriate metrics and methods. This book provides readers with a comprehensive view of the frontiers of sustainability assessment methods for energy system analysis. It presents various methodologies, allowing readers to understand: the complete metrics for sustainability assessment; life cycle thinking for sustainability assessment of energy systems; and the advanced sustainability assessment methods for energy systems. This book is of interest to researchers, engineers, decision makers, and postgraduate students within the field of energy systems, sustainability, and decision analysis.

The electric power sector operates under an archaic regulatory system that is ill-equipped to oversee a competitive, restructured, regionally-organized industry. This book offers the first systematic discourse on regional aspects of regulatory reform, sharing topical perspectives from leading actors and regional case studies that show how the debate plays out on the ground. It frames the policy debate, applies economic and political theoretical lenses to federalism issues, and outlines options for regulatory reform, modes of cooperation, and an analytical basis for decisions. Most important, it provides a strategic road map for the industry over the coming decade. Contributors include current and former regulators at the State and Federal levels, senior utility executives, leading advocates, government policy makers and academics, including Michael Danielson, Michehl Gent, Kenneth Gordon, Kevin Kelly, Raymond Maliszewski, Richard O'Neill, Jackie Pfannensteil, Mary Sharpe Hayes, Charles Stalon, and many others.

Consume thy rival may be the new law of corporate survival in the U.S. utilities industry. This book describes close to $70 billion of global utility mergers stemming from the anticipated deregulation of the U.S. gas and electrical utilities industries. Occurring from 1995 to 1997, these mergers are completely restructuring U.S. power utilities. Thirty-seven billion dollars of these mergers, a full 53 percent, occurred abroad. About two-thirds of the foreign mergers were U.S. takeovers, while the remaining one-third was mergers, defensive and otherwise, of U.K. firms with other U.K. firms. This may be the first time U.S. industrial restructuring has generated more investment abroad rather than in domestic markets.

Exploring the diversity of strategies and changes driving these mergers, the author concludes that although complex, the mergers can be explained by strategies traditionally used in domestic M&As. These very large U.S. utilities now consider themselves to be operating in a global industry of private, deregulated utilities, and they are determined to survive through mergers that help them cut costs, spread expenses, and increase profits.

Durable business performance is crucially dependent on a stakeholders strategy and accessible entrepreneurial finance available within macro-economic and regulatory environments. The reflections on issues and policies of progress are mainly concerned with enabling entrepreneurial risk-takers to operate within an optimal business environment. This book covers these issues.

Because political events can determine the success or failure of an investment abroad, transnational companies must make every effort to analyze political risks as part of the decisionmaking process. States and Companies, written especially for students of international business and executives of transnational companies, presents a conceptual framework for the analysis of political risk. Although the author focuses his study on the international oil industry, his explanatory model of political risk is applicable to most transnational companies. Lax's study is important because it focuses on developing a context for understanding political risk rather than simply offering a predictive methodology. He provides the theoretical groundwork for this understanding by explaining political risk in terms of a broader theory of interaction between host states and transnational corporations. The inherent conflict of interests and issues hierarchies between these two actors, Lax argues, is the root cause of political risk.