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Books > Business & Economics > Industry & industrial studies > Energy industries & utilities > General
The challenges in Russia's energy sector are changing. On the demand side, Europe is seeking to limit its dependence on Russian oil and gas, with the result that China and other Asian countries are likely to eventually become growing export markets for Russian energy. On the supply side, oil and gas fields in West Siberia are diminishing and in future Russia's energy will have to come more from East Siberia and the Arctic, which will necessitate new infrastructure development and the employment of advanced technologies, which may increase Russia's dependence on commercial partners from outside Russia. This book explores the challenges facing Russia's energy sector and the resulting security implications. It includes a discussion of how far the Russian state is likely to continue to monopolise the energy sector, and how far competition from private and foreign companies might be allowed.
Three decades ago, federal policymakers--Republicans and
Democrats--embarked on a general strategy of deregulation. In the
electricity, gas delivery, and telecommunications industries, the
strategy called for restructuring to separate production from
transmission and distribution, followed by elimination of price
controls. The expected results were lower prices and increased
quality, reliability, and scope of services. Paul W. MacAvoy, an
economist with forty years of experience in the regulatory field,
here assesses the results and concludes that deregulation has
failed to achieve any of these goals in any of these
industries.
The perception of Central Asia and its place in the world has come to be shaped by its large oil and gas reserves. Literature on energy in the region has thus largely focused on related geopolitical issues and national policies. However, little is known about citizens' needs within this broader context of commodities that connect the energy networks of China, Russia and the West. This multidisciplinary special issue brings together anthropologists, economists, geographers and political scientists to examine the role of all forms of energy (here: oil, gas, hydropower and solar power) and their products (especially electricity) in people's daily lives throughout Central Asia and the Caucasus. The papers in this issue ask how energy is understood as an everyday resource, as a necessity and a source of opportunity, a challenge or even as an indicator of exclusionary practices. We enquire into the role and views of energy sector workers, rural consumers and urban communities, and their experiences of energy companies' and national policies. We further examine the legacy of Soviet and more recent domestic energy policies, the environmental impact of energy use as well as the political impact of citizens' energy grievances. This book was published as a special issue of Central Asian Survey.
This book offers a detailed account of how renewable energy has moved from the margins to the mainstream in the UK, and of the battles that have been fought to achieve this, trawling through the often troubled history of government involvement. The book examines how renewables became what now seem likely to be the dominant energy sources of the future. Renewable energy technologies, using solar and wind power and other natural energy sources, are now supplying around 30% of UK electricity and appear set to continue expanding to supply around 50% within the next decade. Although the emphasis of the book is on the UK, developments there are compared with those in other countries to provide an overall assessment of the relevance of the UK experience. Chapters explore why the UK still lags behind many other countries in deploying renewables, in part, it is argued, due to its continued reliance on nuclear power. The book ends with a discussion on what sort of changes may be expected over the coming years. The author does not assume a single answer, but invites readers to consider the possibilities.
Taken from a report for the Electric Power Research Institute, Joy Dunkerley's study aims to clarify the relationship between energy consumption and economic output in industrialised countries. Originally published in 1980 and using data from 1972, this study uses cross-country comparisons of energy use to stress the importance of new supply options and measures of controlling energy use without affecting living standards whilst also discussing the impact of energy prices and economic growth in the countries studied. This title will be of interest to students of environmental studies.
Since China has now become the world's largest energy consumer, its energy sector has understandably huge implications for the global economy. This book examines the transformation of China's conventional and renewable energy sectors, with special attention to state-business relations. Two studies examine the development of China's energy profile, especially China's renewable energy. Two others explore governmental relations with state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and their reform. Despite drastic restructuring in the late 1990s, SOEs continue their oligopolistic control of the oil and gas sectors and even overshadow the stock market. Three studies investigate the factors that help propel the expansion of China's conventional energy firms, as well as those producing renewable energy (i.e. solar PV industry). A study of China's solar PV industry suggests that China's governmental support for it has evolved from subsidising production (a "mercantile" stage aimed at expanding the industry's global production and export share) to subsidising the demand side (aiming at expanding domestic demand and absorbing redundant manufacture capacity). Another review of this industry finds that firms tend to pay heavy attention to extra-firm institutional network relationships both inside and outside China, and that buyer-supplier networks are influenced by extra-local managerial education. The final chapter compares China's provinces and their embedded carbon-footprints per capita in urban areas from a consumption perspective, using a self-organizing feature map (SOFM) model. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Asia Pacific Business Review.
Originally published in 1983, Energy and Household Expenditure Patterns claimed that two-thirds of energy consumption in the United States came from households. This study aimed to estimate the expected changes in household activities and how this would affect energy consumption in the country as a whole. Also discussed are implications of direct energy purchases and spending on energy goods in households as well as predicting the growth in energy consumption leading up to the year 2000. This title will be of interest to students of Environmental Studies and Economics.
During the past few decades there has been an advance in the research and development of solving the issue of declining energy resources. Funding by the U.S. government into energy research has risen steeply. Because of the growing importance of research and development in this field of research, in 1973 Resources for the Future undertook a study of energy-associated study, including an investigation of how research on energy R & D itself could be carried out. This title, first published in 1974, assesses a wide range of ways in which economics could contribute to decisions on where and in what amounts government R & D money should be spent. The report also evaluates the research and development approach in relation to other public energy policies or management tools. The book will be of interest to students of environmental studies and economics.
Historic sites celebrate defining moments in history, memorialize important events and people, and contribute to the character of the locations where they are situated. Heritage designation, both globally and nationally, is an inherently contested issue. As detailed in this volume, concerns of politics and identity, criteria for designation, impacts on communities and sites, and challenges to management planning are central to any understanding of the process by which heritage sites are created, developed, and maintained. The idea for this volume originated at a symposium hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design. Contributors address such topics as the need to revamp criteria for designation, the effect historic site recognition has on local communities, the challenges encountered in maintaining a site, and issues linked to specific political climates or actions and group identity. The contributors constitute an international cast of leading scholars, employees, and policy-makers, all of whom have had extensive experience with World Heritage and National Register site stewardship. The work will be an invaluable reference for historians, architects, and those committed to the preservation of national monuments.
If, in the ancient world, it was guns and germs and steel that determined the fates of people and nations, in modern times it is electricity. No other form of power translates into affluence and influence like it. Though demand for it is growing exponentially, it remains one of the most difficult forms of energy to supply and to do so reliably. Storage is even harder. This paradox has shaped global politics, affected the outcome of wars, and underlies the growing chasm between rich and poor, educated and uneducated. It is changing the game for business, and the requirements of national defence. It is altering the landscape and complicating the task of dealing effectively with climate change. In this book, Robert Bryce explains the unique nature of electricity as a commodity. He draws on stories from history to illustrate the stunning impact of our quest to harness it, illuminates exactly what is required to successfully sustain it, and explores the impact on societies and individuals when it collapses. As billions of people around the world still live in darkness, the gap between the electricity haves and have-nots widens, with profound political and ethical consequences. Modern life, even civilisation, has become ever more dependent on a source of energy that must be produced locally and in the moment, in a reliably steady stream at particular wattage, conveyed on wires strung on poles or threaded through pipes. If the lights go out, so does our manner of living, with potentially devastating consequences.
Written by the leading expert in the history of UK energy, this study provides new, in-depth analysis of the development of UK petroleum policies towards the North Sea oil and gas industry from the early 1960s to the early 1980s. Following on from volume I (The Growing Dominance of the State) to discuss the more recent history of the North Sea oil and gas industry, here Alex Kemp offers new insights into developments in the industry. The controversial decisions to raise gas prices to consumers and to introduce the Gas Levy are discussed, while the thinking behind the gradual reduction in taxation - including the abolition of SPD (Supplementary Petroleum Duty) and the removal of royalties on new developments - is fully explained. The various options considered to reduce the powers of BNOC (British National Oil Corporation), then privatise its upstream assets, and finally to abolish the state company altogether are fully discussed, as is the thinking leading up to the privatisation of the British Gas Corporation in 1986. This volume also sheds light on the development of policies onshore, particularly the role of the OSO (Offshore Supplies Office), and the response of British industry to the North Sea opportunity. Finally, the evolution of policies relating to health, safety, decommissioning, and the environment over the whole period of the study are examined. The Official History of North Sea Oil and Gas will be of interest to students of North Sea oil and gas, energy economics, business history, and British politics, as well as to petroleum professionals and policymakers.
The resource curse is a variant of a wider rent curse that can also be driven by geopolitical rent, regulatory rent, and labour rent. Total rent can therefore be from one-tenth to two-fifths of GDP and sometimes more. Rent is detached from the activity that generates it and is up for grabs so it feeds contents for its capture and its deployment can radically impact the development trajectory for better or worse, all too often for worse. The Rent Curse: Natural Resources, Policy Choice, and Economic Development studies two rent driven models to suggest that low rent incentivizes the elite to grow the economy efficiently, whereas high rent encourages rent siphoning for immediate enrichment at the expense of long-term growth. It looks at low rent Mauritius and high rent Trinidad and Tobago to show that low rent stimulates rapid and relatively egalitarian economic growth with incremental democratization, whereas high rent inhibits competitive diversification and frequently causes protracted growth collapses. The post-war prioritization of industry has proved a double edged sword. The Rent Curse employs rent driven models to explain why low rent East Asia has closed the income gap with advanced economies; why rent rich Latin America may be de-industrializing; why agricultural neglect launched sub-Saharan Africa on a false start to economic development; why South Asia pioneers growth through export services; and why governmenets in the oil-rich Gulf states raised the incomes of nationals without conferring the skills to sustain them.
East Asian nations through the dialogue between ASEAN and its partners have been promoting energy market integration (EMI) for a decade. The formation of the East Asian Summit (EAS) group in 2005 adds new momentum to the EMI course in the region. The objective of this edited volume is to present new insights into the understanding of EMI in East Asia and draw implications for further development. This book is the first publication of its kind exclusively focusing on EMI in East Asia. The chapters are written by a distinguished group of specialists in the field of energy policy, business and economics. The covered topics range from the general debates about EMI to regional policy responses. A variety of qualitative and quantitative methods are employed in this book. For qualitative methods, public goods theory and the comparative study method are two examples. The quantitative methods include economic growth theory, principle component approach, input-output table, computable general equilibrium (CGE) models and econometric techniques. Important policy implications can be drawn from the findings. One clear message is that EMI should be promoted actively but in a gradual, incremental manner. Other policy implications are related to inter-regional governance, infrastructure development and gas market integration. The content has not been published elsewhere and hence makes a unique contribution to the literature. There are also case studies of specific energy sectors such as petroleum and natural gas. Overall this book should be of interest to a wide audience such as academia, business analysts and policy makers.
This book provides a succinct overview of the evolution of policies addressing energy and climate justice in South Africa. Drawing on a range of analytical perspectives, including socio-technical studies, just transitions, and critical political economy, it explains why South Africa's energy transition from a coal-dependent, centralised power generation and distribution system has been so slow, and reveals the types of socio-political inequalities that persist across regimes and energy sources. Topics explored include critical approaches to the South African state and its state-owned energy provider, Eskom; the political ecologies of coal and water; the politics of non-renewable energy alternatives; as well as the trajectory and fate of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), the country's major renewable energy policy. The book concludes with reflections on alternative, neglected energy and development paths, suggesting how the political economy of South Africa's energy system could be further transformed for the better.
Presented in nontechnical terms, this book offers a unique and powerful conceptual framework for analysis of energy technologies (standard and alternative) in terms of their respective dollar costs, environmental costs, and national security costs. Energy technologies examined include coal, nuclear, oil, natural gas, solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, biomass and biogas, energy conservation and efficiency, ocean power, hydrogen, electric power and transmission, and transportation. This three-point framework allows examination of issues and problems associated with implementation of U.S. energy policies in the context of major social goals (such as growth and equity), with treatment of conflicts and trade-offs between energy development and other social values (such as health and safety, cultural, historical, and aesthetic values). These are the key political issues for policy makers formulating national energy policy and decisions makers implementing it.
Explanatory text that treats the complete fundamentals of energy and current energy resources, technologies developments, solutions to energy issues and new concepts ranging from fossil fuel to solar energy, biomass energy, wind energy, ocean energy, geothermal energy, hydrogen energy, fuel cells, thermo-electric systems, nuclear energy and nanotechnology concepts to generate clean energy. The theoretical aspects of various energy conversion technologies, and design practices in light of national and international perspectives are discussed with educational examples. Every technique is explained in detail and every chapter is concluded with a reference section, recommended reading and a number of questions. Intended for university students with various backgrounds, who are involved in energy science and engineering (chemistry, physics, environmental sciences, earth sciences, petroleum, mining and mechanical engineering). Recommended for professionals seeking an introduction to the subject.
The international energy industry frequently gives rise to complex, high-value disputes. As economic and commercial circumstances change, joint venture partners may disagree over operations, sellers and buyers may manoeuvre to amend pricing terms and states may seek to improve their take from investment projects. Any of these outcomes can have significant consequences for the long-term prospects of companies operating in the sector. These are just some of the issues covered by this new title, which provides a practical, user-friendly overview of the essentials of dispute resolution in the energy industry. Leading practitioners from international law firms and global companies consider, among other things, the drafting of dispute resolution clauses, the effective use of international arbitration, the management of large-scale energy disputes, and the development of case law in oil and gas disputes, construction disputes, environmental disputes and disputes arising in the nuclear sector. Edited by Ronnie King, head of the arbitration team at international law firm Ashurst LLP, this title will be of practical value for all dispute resolution lawyers advising in the energy industry, and for others who have an interest in the important issues discussed.
The rapid development of energy program evaluation has broad implications for the policy porcess and policy design. Evaluation plays a far-reaching role in the energy policy process, affecting all segments of the population and the allocation of billions of dollars in public and private expenditure. The authors have selected a variety of energy program evaluations from the hundreds that have been conducted over the past five years to illustrate this development in energy policy. Thus, they inform the policy community in both academia and in government of the impact of evaluation in the energy context. They also enlighten practitioners in energy program evaluation of the policy implications of this work.
A comprehensive overview of trading and risk management in the energy markets "Energy Trading and Risk Management "provides a comprehensive overview of global energy markets from one of the foremost authorities on energy derivatives and quantitative finance. With an approachable writing style, Iris Mack breaks down the three primary applications for energy derivatives markets - Risk Management, Speculation, and Investment Portfolio Diversification - in a way that hedge fund traders, consultants, and energy market participants can apply in their day to day trading activities. Moving from the fundamentals of energy markets through simple and complex derivatives trading, hedging strategies, and industry-specific case studies, Dr. Mack walks readers through energy trading and risk management concepts at an instructive pace, supporting her explanations with real-world examples, illustrations, charts, and precise definitions of important and often-misunderstood terms.From stochastic pricing models for exotic derivatives, to modern portfolio theory (MPT), energy portfolio management (EPM), to case studies dealing specifically with risk management challenges unique to wind and hydro-electric power, the bookguides readers through the complex world of energy trading and risk management to help investors, executives, and energy professionals ensure profitability and optimal risk mitigation in every market climate."Energy Trading and Risk Management" is a great resource to help grapple with the very interesting but oftentimes complex issues that arise in energy trading and risk management.
This book provides a broad overview of the financial, economic and legal implications of energy industry regulations in various countries. In light of significant changes around the globe, it analyses various institutions that are involved in regulative measures, and based on various country studies, it offers insights into how energy sector regulations differ across countries with different market structures and institutions. Covering major topics such as laws and regulations geared to market competition and sustainability and the impact of noncompliance to regulations, from the perspectives of financial markets, and financial risks, the book is divided into four parts: Part I Regulations: price and trade controls; Part II. Non-price & trade control regulations; Part III: Compliance with regulations; and Part IV: Market issues and regulation. It will appeal to scholar in economics, finance and related fields as well as to policymakers and practitioners in the energy industry. This is the seventh volume in a series on energy organized by the Centre for Energy and Value Issues (CEVI). The previous volumes in the series were: Financial Aspects in Energy (2011), Energy Economics and Financial Markets (2012), Perspectives on Energy Risk (2014), Energy Technology and Valuation Issues (2015), Energy and Finance (2016) and Energy Economy, Finance and Geostrategy (2018).
The climate of our planet is changing at a rate unprecedented in recent human history. The energy absorbed from the sun exceeds what is returned to space. The planet as a whole is gaining energy. The heat content of the ocean is increasing, the surface and atmosphere are warming, mid-latitude glaciers are melting, sea level is rising, and the Arctic Ocean is losing its ice cover. None of these assertions is based on theory but on hard observational facts. Given the science-heavy nature of climate change, debates and discussions have not played as big a role in the public sphere as they should, and instead are relegated to often misinformed political discussions and inaccessible scientific conferences. Michael B. McElroy, an eminent Harvard scholar of environmental studies, combines both his research chops and pedagogical expertise to present a book that will appeal to the lay reader but still be grounded in scientific fact. The book begins with a general introduction, followed by chapters on energy basics, a discussion of the contemporary energy systems of the US and China, and the aforementioned chapters on climate. It continues with a series of chapters on specific energy options: coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, and biomass. The perspective is global but with a specific focus on the US and China recognizing the critical role these countries must play in addressing the challenge of global climate change. The book concludes with a discussion of initiatives now underway to at least reduce the rate of increase of greenhouse gas emissions, together with a vision for a low carbon energy future that could in principle minimize the long-term impact of energy systems on global climate.
Decades have passed since black lung disease was recognized as a national disgrace and Congress was pushed to take legislative action. Since then, however, not much has changed. Big coal companies-along with their allies in the legal and medical professions-have continually flouted the law and exposed miners to deadly amounts of coal dust, while also systematically denying benefits to miners who suffer and die because of their jobs. Indeed, these men and their families, with little access to education, legal resources, and other employment options, have long been fighting to wrench even modest compensation and medical costs from our nation's biggest mining interests-all to combat a disease that could have been eradicated years ago. Tracing their heroic stories back to the very beginning, Chris Hamby, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on this issue, gives us a deeply troubling yet ultimately triumphant work that promises to do for Black Lung what Beth Macy did for the opioid epidemic. From corporate offices and mine shafts, to hospital beds and rural clinics, Soul Full of Coal Dust becomes a legal and medical thriller that brilliantly traces how a powerless band of laborers-alongside a small group of lawyers and doctors, often working out of their homes or in rural clinics and tiny offices-challenged one of the world's most powerful forces, Big Coal, and won. Full of the rich and complex atmosphere of Appalachia and packed with tales of those who have toiled in the mines of West Virginia, Soul Full of Coal Dust Sis a necessary and timely book about injustice and resistance.
In 2014, European heads of state selected new targets for the EU as part of the 2030 climate and energy framework. These targets will guide the ambition and nature of EU policy in this area until 2030 and are likely to have important implications for Europe's transition to a low-carbon economy. This book exposes the role of civil society and business interest groups in setting the policymaking agenda and defining the range of options for the framework. Based on a unique sample of 32 in-depth interviews with Brussels policy elites, this book casts EU interest representation in a new light. In a novel application of the 'multiple streams approach', sequential chapters present the problems faced by policymakers, the range of policy options available to address them and the political constraints within which policy entrepreneurs attempted to attached policies to problems.
This book provides several up-to-date empirical policy-oriented studies on assessing the impacts of climate change on various economic sectors and the role of renewable energy resources in mitigating pollution and climate change. It suggests various policy recommendations on how to increase the share of renewable energy resources in the energy baskets of the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the rest of the world to ensure energy sustainability. As of 2020, most of the world's energy investment still went to carbon-emitting sources, namely, fossil fuels. On the other hand, the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic Project Overview 20 March 2021 08:39 Page 6 of 9 downturns shrank the global energy demand, including fossil fuels, resulting in a sharp drop in their prices. Low fossil fuel prices are harmful to developing renewable energy projects, making solar, wind, and other renewable energy resources less competitive as sources of electricity. This is endangering the Paris agreement and the "Climate Action" goal of the United Nations. Given the high share of fossil fuels in the energy mix of the members of ASEAN, tremendous challenges must be faced for their energy transition in the post-Covid-19 world. The authors call for sound policy and applicable technologies to ensure sustainable energy availability, accessibility, and affordability to reach emission reduction targets. |
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