Could everything we know about fossil fuels be wrong? For decades, environmentalists have told us that using fossil fuels is a self-destructive addiction that will destroy our planet. Yet at the same time, by every measure of human well-being, from life expectancy to clean water to climate safety, life has been getting better and better. How can this be? The explanation, energy expert Alex Epstein argues in The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, is that we usually hear only one side of the story. We're taught to think only of the negatives of fossil fuels, their risks and side effects, but not their positives--their unique ability to provide cheap, reliable energy for a world of seven billion people. And the moral significance of cheap, reliable energy, Epstein argues, is woefully underrated. Energy is our ability to improve every single aspect of life, whether economic or environmental. If we look at the big picture of fossil fuels compared with the alternatives, the overall impact of using fossil fuels is to make the world a far better place. We are morally obligated to use more fossil fuels for the sake of our economy and our environment. Drawing on original insights and cutting-edge research, Epstein argues that most of what we hear about fossil fuels is a myth. For instance . . . Myth Fossil fuels are dirty. Truth The environmental benefits of using fossil fuels far outweigh the risks. Fossil fuels don't take a naturally clean environment and make it dirty; they take a naturally dirty environment and make it clean. They don't take a naturally safe climate and make it dangerous; they take a naturally dangerous climate and make it ever safer. Myth Fossil fuels are unsustainable, so we should strive to use "renewable" solar and wind. Truth The sun and wind are intermittent, unreliable fuels that always need backup from a reliable source of energy--usually fossil fuels. There are huge amounts of fossil fuels left, and we have plenty of time to find something cheaper. Myth Fossil fuels are hurting the developing world. Truth Fossil fuels are the key to improving the quality of life for billions of people in the developing world. If we withhold them, access to clean water plummets, critical medical machines like incubators become impossible to operate, and life expectancy drops significantly. Calls to "get off fossil fuels" are calls to degrade the lives of innocent people who merely want the same opportunities we enjoy in the West. Taking everything into account, including the facts about climate change, Epstein argues that "fossil fuels are easy to misunderstand and demonize, but they are absolutely good to use. And they absolutely need to be championed. . . . Mankind's use of fossil fuels is supremely virtuous--because human life is the standard of value and because using fossil fuels transforms our environment to make it wonderful for human life."

The rapid emergence of China as a major industrial power poses a complex challenge for global resource markets. Backed by the Chinese government, Chinese companies have been acquiring equity stakes in natural resource companies, extending loans to mining and petroleum investors, and writing long-term procurement contracts for oil and minerals. These activities have aroused concern that China might be "locking up" natural resource supplies, gaining "preferential access" to available output, and extending "control" over the world's extractive industries. On the demand side, Chinese appetite for vast amounts of energy and minerals puts tremendous strain on the international supply system. On the supply side, Chinese efforts to procure raw materials can either exacerbate or help solve the problems of high demand.Evidence from the 16 largest Chinese natural resource procurement arrangements shows that Chinese efforts-like Japanese deployments of capital and purchase agreements in the late 1970s through the 1980s-fall predominantly into categories that help expand, diversify, and make more competitive the global supplier system. Investigation of smaller projects indicates the 16 largest do not suffer from selection bias. However, Chinese attempts to exercise control over mining of rare earth elements may constitute a significant exception. The investigative focus of this analysis is deliberately narrow and precise, assessing the impact of Chinese resource procurement on the structure of the global supply base. The broader policy discussion in the concluding chapter raises other separate important issues, including the impact of Chinese resource procurement on rogue states, on authoritarian leadership, on civil wars, on corrupt payments and the deterioration of governance standards, and on environmental damage. Such effects may make patterns of Chinese resource procurement objectionable, on grounds quite apart from the debate about possible "control" of access on the part of China and Chinese companies.

Given the potential disruption of climate change, understanding energy issues and technologies is more important than ever if societies are to make informed choices on policy. Now in its third edition, Introduction to Energy explores the crucial issues connected to modern energy technology and its uses. Fully updated to respond to the substantial developments in the energy sector, the book expands on the relationships of energy use and climate change; of energy availability and the alleviation of world poverty; and of energy consumption and the sustainability of the lifestyles of people in the industrialized world. Directed at a broad readership, it assumes no prior technical expertise and avoids complex mathematical formulations, continuing to provide a standard for introductory energy courses. It is also a useful supplementary text for programs in public policy, business law and resource economics.

A master storyteller as well as a leading energy expert, Daniel Yergin continues the riveting story begun in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "The Prize." In "The Quest," Yergin shows us how energy is an engine of global political and economic change and conflict, in a story that spans the energies on which our civilization has been built and the new energies that are competing to replace them.
"The Quest" tells the inside stories, tackles the tough questions, and reveals surprising insights about coal, electricity, and natural gas. He explains how climate change became a great issue and leads readers through the rebirth of renewable energies, energy independence, and the return of the electric car. Epic in scope and never more timely, "The Quest "vividly reveals the decisions, technologies, and individuals that are shaping our future.

Utilities Reform in 21st Century Australia: Providing the Essentials traces the development and consequences of the economic reform measures undertaken in the utilities sector in Australia (communications, energy, water/wastewater services, and transport) in the last years of the 20th century, and early decades of the 21st century. In doing so, it looks at the process of reform across industries, and across the state and federal jurisdictions, to identify what motivations the various governments had for pursing reform, how change varied across jurisdictions, and what issues arose in the process. Although by the mid-1990s all states and territories and the Australian Government were committed to reforming utilities as part of the National Competition Policy, not all pursued this reform with the same degree of speed and breadth of action. The broad trends of economic reform in Australia, and abroad, are also touched upon, to provide an outline of the wider context in which the reform of the utilities occurred. This book, therefore, explores the relationship between politics and society on the one hand and economic reform on the other; as well on as the efforts of governments in Australia to promote economic growth and the wealth of Australians in an increasingly complex and challenging global economic climate.

Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Processes, Fourth Edition, winner of a 2022 Textbook Excellence Award (Texty) from the Textbook and Academic Authors Association, provides accessible coverage of clean, safe alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power. Aldo da Rosa's classic and comprehensive resource has provided thousands of engineers, scientists, students and professionals alike with a thorough grounding in the scientific principles underlying the complex world of renewable energy technologies. The fourth edition has been fully updated and revised by new author Juan Ordonez, Director of the Energy and Sustainability Center at Florida State University, and includes new worked examples, more exercises, and more illustrations to help facilitate student learning.

Americans' safety, productivity, comfort, and convenience depend on the reliable supply of electric power. The electric power system is a complex "cyber-physical" system composed of a network of millions of components spread out across the continent. These components are owned, operated, and regulated by thousands of different entities. Power system operators work hard to assure safe and reliable service, but large outages occasionally happen. Given the nature of the system, there is simply no way that outages can be completely avoided, no matter how much time and money is devoted to such an effort. The system's reliability and resilience can be improved but never made perfect. Thus, system owners, operators, and regulators must prioritize their investments based on potential benefits. Enhancing the Resilience of the Nation's Electricity System focuses on identifying, developing, and implementing strategies to increase the power system's resilience in the face of events that can cause large-area, long-duration outages: blackouts that extend over multiple service areas and last several days or longer. Resilience is not just about lessening the likelihood that these outages will occur. It is also about limiting the scope and impact of outages when they do occur, restoring power rapidly afterwards, and learning from these experiences to better deal with events in the future. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction and Motivation 2 Today's Grid and the Evolving System of the Future 3 The Many Causes of Grid Failure 4 Strategies to Prepare for and Mitigate Large-Area, Long-Duration Blackouts 5 Strategies for Reducing the Harmful Consequences from Loss of Grid Power 6 Restoring Grid Function After a Major Disruption 7 Conclusions Appendix A: Statement of Task Appendix B: Committee Biographies Appendix C: Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest Appendix D: Presentations and Committee Meetings Appendix E: Examples of Large Outages Appendix F: Acronyms

The light-duty vehicle fleet is expected to undergo substantial technological changes over the next several decades. New powertrain designs, alternative fuels, advanced materials and significant changes to the vehicle body are being driven by increasingly stringent fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards. By the end of the next decade, cars and light-duty trucks will be more fuel efficient, weigh less, emit less air pollutants, have more safety features, and will be more expensive to purchase relative to current vehicles. Though the gasoline-powered spark ignition engine will continue to be the dominant powertrain configuration even through 2030, such vehicles will be equipped with advanced technologies, materials, electronics and controls, and aerodynamics. And by 2030, the deployment of alternative methods to propel and fuel vehicles and alternative modes of transportation, including autonomous vehicles, will be well underway. What are these new technologies - how will they work, and will some technologies be more effective than others? Written to inform The United States Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards, this new report from the National Research Council is a technical evaluation of costs, benefits, and implementation issues of fuel reduction technologies for next-generation light-duty vehicles. Cost, Effectiveness, and Deployment of Fuel Economy Technologies for Light-Duty Vehicles estimates the cost, potential efficiency improvements, and barriers to commercial deployment of technologies that might be employed from 2020 to 2030. This report describes these promising technologies and makes recommendations for their inclusion on the list of technologies applicable for the 2017-2025 CAFE standards. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 Technologies for Reducing Fuel Consumption in Spark-Ignition Engines 3 Technologies for Reducing Fuel Consumption in Compression-Ignition Diesel Engines 4 Electrified Powertrains 5 Transmissions 6 Non-Powertrain Technologies 7 Cost and Manufacturing Considerations for Meeting Fuel Economy Standards 8 Estimates of Technology Costs and Fuel Consumption Reduction Effectiveness 9 Consumer Impacts and Acceptance Issues 10 Overall Assessment of CAFE Program Methodology and Design Appendix A: Statement of Task Appendix B: Committee Biographies Appendix C: Presentations and Committee Meetings Appendix D: Ideal Thermodynamic Cycles for Otto, Diesel, and Atkinson Engines Appendix E: SI Engine Definitions and Efficiency Fundamentals Appendix F: Examples of Friction Reduction Opportunities for Main Engine Components Appendix G: Friction Reduction in Downsized Engines Appendix H: Variable Valve Timing Systems Appendix I: Variable Valve Lift Systems Appendix J: Reasons for Potential Differences from NHTSA Estimates for Fuel Consumption Reduction Effectiveness of Turbocharged, Downsized Engines Appendix K: DOE Research Projects on Turbocharged and Downsized Engines Appendix L: Relationship between Power and Performance Appendix M: HCCI Projects Appendix N: Effect of Compression Ratio of Brake Thermal Efficiency Appendix O: Variable Compression Ratio Engines Appendix P: Fuel Consumption Impact of Tier 3 Emission Standards Appendix Q: Examples of EPA's Standards for Gasoline Appendix R: Impact of Low Carbon Fuels to Achieve Reductions in GHG Emissions (California LCFS 2007 Alternative Fuels and Cleaner Fossil Fuels CNG, LPG) Appendix S: NHTSA's Estimated Fuel Consumption Reduction Effectiveness of Technologies and Estimated Costs of Technologies Appendix T: Derivation of Turbocharged, Downsized Engine Direct Manufacturing Costs Appendix U: SI Engine Pathway NHTSA Estimates Direct Manufacturing Costs and Total Costs Appendix V: SI Engine Pathway NRC Estimates Direct Manufacturing Costs Alternative Pathway, Alternative High CR with Exhaust Scavenging, and Alternative EVAS Supercharger Appendix W: Technologies, Footprints, and Fuel Economy for Example Passenger Cars, Trucks, and Hybrid Passenger Cars Appendix X: Full System Simulation Modeling of Fuel Consumption Reductions Appendix Y: Acronym List

Optionen sind seit jeher fester Bestandteil der Finanzmarkte, finden jedoch gleichwohl zunehmend Einsatz in der Energiewirtschaft. Das vorliegende essential verschafft einen UEberblick uber dieses Instrument und dessen Einsatz. Dazu wird das Instrument der Option unter anderem uber die resultierenden Zahlungsstroeme sowie darauf aufbauend Einsatzmoeglichkeiten von Optionen in der Energiewirtschaft beschrieben. Den Abschluss bildet ein Ausblick auf die Bewertung dieser Instrumente. Ein theoretischer Ansatz zur Bewertung wird kurz umrissen. Aus dem theoretischen Vorgehen lassen sich einige Ansatze ableiten, die in der Praxis weit verbreitet sind und hier ebenfalls kurz vorgestellt werden.

Das essential bietet eine Gesamtschau der deutschen Nachhaltigkeitspolitik. Die Handlungsfelder Agrar, Energie, Verkehr und Wald werden kompakt analysiert und einer Bewertung unterzogen. Im Kern wird die Governance der Nachhaltigkeitstransformation multiperspektivisch in den Handlungsfeldern charakterisiert. Hierbei werden zentrale Herausforderungen herausgearbeitet und Perspektiven fur die Zukunft der Klimaschutzpolitik in Deutschland abgeleitet.

Forderung und Umsetzung von Energieeffizienz und Klimaschutz zahlen zu den vorrangigen Aufgaben von Stadten und Gemeinden. Innovative Dienstleistungen leisten hierzu einen bedeutenden Beitrag. Der Sammelband prasentiert aktuelle Umsetzungskonzepte aus 15 Stadten und bietet einen Uberblick uber neue Erkenntnisse aus der Dienstleistungsforschung im Hinblick auf Energieeffizienz. Die Beitrage anerkannter Wissenschaftler richten sich an alle, die sich dieses interdisziplinare Forschungs- und Handlungsfeld erschliessen mochten."

Ronald Deckert und Andre Sass geben einen UEberblick uber beachtliche Entwicklungen rund um Digitalisierung, Vernetzung und kunstliche Intelligenz verbunden mit "Industrie 4.0" und "Energiewirtschaft 4.0". Ausgehend von grundlegenden Strukturen, Herausforderungen in der Wertschoepfung und dem digitalen status-quo beleuchten sie mit Schwerpunkt auf der Elektrizitatswirtschaft relevante Technologien und umsetzungsorientierte Erfolgsfaktoren fur den digitalen Wandel, die fur die Erreichung unternehmerischer und gesellschaftlicher Ziele wertvoll sind.

Stephan Schnorr erlautert die Grundzuge des Portfolio-Managements von Strom- und Gasmengen in Stadtwerken und gibt wertvolle Hinweise zur effizienten Bewirtschaftung. Der Autor, selbst seit vielen Jahren Portfolio-Manager, beschreibt die wichtigsten Stellschrauben wie die valide Bewertung von Portfolios, ihre langfristige Bewirtschaftung und kurzfristige Optimierung sowie das Reporting. Dieses essential ist die optimale Einstiegslekture fur alle, die mit dem Thema Gas- und Stromportfolios zu tun haben. Zahlreiche Abbildungen, UEbersichten und konkrete Rechenbeispiele erleichtern den Transfer in die Praxis. In der zweiten Auflage wurden einige Straffungen vorgenommen. Dies ermoeglicht es nun noch besser, sich die Grundlagen des Themas anzueignen. Der Fokus liegt starker auf dem Portfolio-Management. Daruber hinaus wurde an einigen Stellen aktualisiert.

This open access book presents a picture of the current energy challenges on the African continent (and the Sub-Saharan region in particular) and proposes pathways to an accelerated energy transition. Starting with an analysis of the status quo and the outlook for Africa's energy demand and energy access, it provides an account of the available resources, including hydrocarbons and renewable energy resources, which are playing an increasingly crucial role. It then moves on to analyze the level of investment required to scale-up Africa's energy systems, shedding light on the key barriers and elaborating on potential solutions. It also provides a suggestion for improving the effectiveness of EU-Africa cooperation. While mainly intended for policymakers and academics, this book also speaks to a broader audience interested in gaining an overview of the challenges and opportunities of the African energy sector today and in the future.

Dieses Buch schafft endlich Transparenz und Orientierung in der gesellschaftlichen Diskussion uber die deutsche Energiepolitik. Es bietet einen konzentrierten UEberblick uber die Konzeption, den aktuellen Stand der Umsetzung und die Kosten der Energiewende. Anhand der wesentlichen Zahlen, Fakten und Argumente beantwortet es die wichtigsten Fragen in der oeffentlichen Energiewende-Diskussion: Ist die Energiewende zu teuer fur den einzelnen Privathaushalt? Macht die Energiewende die internationale Wettbewerbsfahigkeit der Wirtschaft wirklich kaputt? Kostet die Energiewende tatsachlich "unfassbar viel Geld" - koennen wir sie uns volkswirtschaftlich uberhaupt leisten? Sind die grossen Stromtrassen von Norden nach Suden wirklich erforderlich Ist die Energiewende noch zu retten oder ist sie schon gescheitert? In pragnantem und informativem Stil werden so uberraschende Einsichten und spannende Zusammenhange fundiert dargestellt - fur jeden, der die Energiewende wirklich verstehen will!

This book examines what lies behind the uncertainties surrounding the fuel and power markets. Exploring the role of renewables and how they potentially disrupt or create opportunities, it challenges widely accepted wisdoms in investment. The author asks questions such as: Are "business as usual" strategies that favour fossil fuels the best route to future prosperity? What prospects do firms face when their competitors diversify into renewables? Why do generous subsidies to renewables often fail to achieve wide-scale deployment? Illustrating how real options and option games reasoning yield vastly different insights from those gained from NPVs, Energy Investments offers case studies and simulations to demonstrate how firms can benefit from the methods it showcases.

An energy industry researcher and investment advisor provides a fresh perspective on the economics of energy

From major players in the energy industry, such as big oil, to the emerging cap-and-trade market, no other book offers a more complete overview of the energy industry, specifically its economic and financial intricacies, than "Investing in Energy: A Primer on the Economics of the Energy Industry."Details how to value and invest in the four big energy sectors: oil, gas, power, and greenDescribes key financial considerations for the energy sectors, including credit metrics, the importance of liquidity, cash flow, and capital expendituresFrom Bloomberg, a leading provider of the most up-to-date business news and financial data

A comprehensive guide to the economics of the energy industry, "Investing in Energy" will prove an invaluable resource for traditional energy investors looking to expand into new areas, as well as for eco-investors looking to better understand how energy markets function.

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.