An increasing interest in renewable energy resources and the search for maintainable energy policies have inspired the research contributions included in this book. Energy production and distribution need to respond to the modern world's dependence on conventional fuels. To achieve this, collaborative research is required between multiple disciplines, including materials, energy networks, new energy resources, storage solutions, waste to energy systems, smart grids and many other related subjects. Energy policies and management are of primary importance for sustainability and need to be consistent with recent advances in energy production and distribution. Challenges lie as much in the conversion from renewable energies such as wind and solar to useful forms like electricity, heat and fuel at an acceptable cost (including environmental damage) as in the integration of these resources into existing infrastructure.

Originating from the 8th edition of the Energy and Sustainability conference, the research included in this volume contributes to the increasing amount of interest in renewable energy resources and the search for maintainable energy policies. Energy production and distribution need to respond to the modern world's dependency on conventional fuels. This volume includes collaborative research between different disciplines, including materials, energy networks, new energy resources, storage solutions, waste to energy systems, smart grids and many other related subjects. Energy policies and management are of primary importance to achieve the development of sustainability and need to be consistent with recent advances in energy production and distribution. Challenges lie as much in the conversion from renewable energies such as wind and solar to useful forms like electricity, heat and fuel at an acceptable cost (including environmental damage) as in the integration of these resources into an existing infrastructure. A range of topics are covered, including: Energy efficiency, Energy storage and distribution, Sustainable buildings, Energy policies, Biomass and biofuels, Environmental risk management, Case studies and Ecosystem modelling.

Originating from the 42nd conference on Boundary Elements and other Mesh Reduction Methods (BEM/MRM), the research presented in this book consist of high quality papers that report on advances in techniques that reduce or eliminate the type of meshes associated with such methods as finite elements or finite differences. The maturity of BEM since 1978 has resulted in a substantial number of industrial applications which demonstrate the accuracy, robustness and easy use of the technique. Their range still needs to be widened, taking into account the potentialities of the Mesh Reduction techniques in general. As design, analysis and manufacture become more integrated the chances are that the users will be less aware of the capabilities of the analytical techniques that are at the core of the process. This reinforces the need to retain expertise in certain specialised areas of numerical methods, such as BEM/MRM, to ensure that all new tools perform satisfactorily in the integrated process. The papers in this volume help to expand the range of applications as well as the type of materials in response to industrial and professional requirements. Some of the topics include: Hybrid foundations; Meshless and mesh reduction methods; Structural mechanics; Solid mechanics; Heat and mass transfer; Electrical engineering and electromagnetics; Fluid flow modelling; Damage mechanics and fracture; Dynamics and vibrations analysis.