Energy is directly related to the most critical economic and social issues which affect sustainable development such as mobility, food production, environmental quality, regional and global security issues. Two-thirds of the new demand will come from developing nations, with China accounting for 30%. Without adequate attention to the critical importance of energy to all these aspects, the global, social, economic and environmental goals of sustainability cannot be achieved. Indeed the magnitude of change needed is immense, fundamental and directly related to the energy produced and consumed nationally and internationally. Today, it is estimated that more than two billion people worldwide lack access to modern energy resources. Distributed Renewable Energies for Off-Grid Communities provides various options and case studies related to the potential of renewable energies along with their environmental, economic and social dimensions.
Case studies provide you with solutions to for future decentralized energy supply Expanded coverage over previous work in the field to include coverage of rural and urban communities Provides new solutions for future decentralized energy supply

Distributed Renewable Energies for Off-Grid Communities: Empowering a Sustainable, Competitive, and Secure Twenty-First Century, Second Edition, is a fully revised reference on advances in achieving successful energy transition. Addressing the highly dynamic, complex and multidimensional process of a dominant socio-technical system transforming into another, this up-to-date reference addresses all stages of this complex process with data and figures to demonstrate how to tackle the process of changing a society's energy circumstance. This new edition provides an updated picture of renewables in communities and their use, covering energy concepts, strategies, prospects and combining all aspects to provide a roadmap to self-sustainable development. Addressing the influence of society on the development of renewable industry, this book provides guidelines with case studies, along with trends and innovative practices regarding renewable energy and their applications with a goal of successfully establishing smooth energy transitions in self-sustainable communities.

More than two billion people worldwide have currently no access to grid electricity or other efficient energy supply. This is one third of humanity and the majority live in rural areas. The productivity and health of these people are diminished by reliance on traditional fuels and technologies, with women and children suffering most. Energy is the key element to empower people and ensure water, food and fodder supply as well as rural development. Therefore access to energy should be treated as the fundamental right to everybody. Renewable energy has the potential to bring power, not only in the literal sense, to communities by transforming their prospects.
This book offers options that meet the needs of people and communities for energy and engage them in identifying and planning their own provision. It describes updated renewable energy technologies and offers strategies and guidelines for the planning and implementation of sustainable energy supply for individuals and communities.