Analytical Methods For Energy Diversity Security

Analytical Methods for Energy Diversity and Security is an ideal volume for professionals in academia, industry and government interested in the rapidly evolving area at the nexus between energy and climate change policy. The cutting-edge international contributions allow for a wide coverage of the topic. Analytical Methods for Energy Diversity and Security focuses on the consideration of financial risk in the energy sector. It describes how tools borrowed from financial economic theory, in particular mean-variance portfolio theory, can provide insights on the costs and benefits of diversity, and thus inform investment decision making in conditions of uncertainty. It gives the reader an in-depth understanding of how to manage risk at a time when the world’s focus is on this area. The book provides insights from leading authorities in the area of energy security. It gives readers abundant, rigorous analysis and guidance at a critical time in facing the twin challenges of energy security and climate change. The book also highlights the role of clean energy technology in moving towards future diverse and intelligent electricity systems. It will be a trusted, first point of reference for decision-makers in the field of energy policy. The book includes a foreword by the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner. All royalties from sale of this book will be donated to charities working in the energy sector in the developing world. Theoretical underpinning and applied use of Portfolio theory in the energy sector In-depth consideration of risk Contributions from leading international energy economists Innovative methodologies for thinking about energy security and diversity

Given the uncertain environment in which utilities make their investment decisions, it makes sense to shift electricity planning from its current emphasis on evaluating alternative technologies to evaluating alternative electricity generating portfolios and strategies. The techniques for doing this are rooted in modern finance theory - in particular mean-variance portfolio theory, based on the pioneering work of Nobel Laureate Harry Markowitz 50 years ago. Portfolio analysis is widely used by financial investors to create low risk, high return portfolios under various economic conditions. In essence, investors have learned that an efficient portfolio takes no unnecessary risk to its expected return. In short, these investors define efficient portfolios as those that maximise the expected return for any given level of risk, while minimising risk for every level of expected return. Portfolio theory is highly suited to the problem of planning and evaluating electricity portfolios and strategies because energy planning is not unlike investing in financial securities where financial portfolios are widely used by investors to manage risk and to maximise performance under a variety of unpredictable outcomes. Similarly, it is important to conceive of electricity generation not in terms of the cost of a particular technology today, but in terms of its portfolio cost. At any given time, some alternatives in the portfolio may have high costs while others have lower costs, yet over time, an astute combination of alternatives can serve to minimise overall generation cost relative to the risk. In sum, when portfolio theory is applied to electricity generation planning, conventional and renewable alternatives are not evaluated on the basis of their stand-alone cost, but on the basis of their portfolio cost - that is: their contribution to overall portfolio generating cost relative to their contribution to overall portfolio risk. Portfolio-based electricity planning techniques thus suggest ways to develop diversified generating portfolios with known risk levels that are commensurate with their overall electricity generating costs. Simply put, these techniques help identify generating portfolios that can minimise a utility or society's energy price cost and risk. Foreword by Dr. Pachauri, the 2007 winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace The book will give insights from world authorities in the area of electricity capacity planning, meaning that the book will be a trusted, first point of reference for decision makers in the field. The book evaluates the role of renewables in enhancing energy diversity, giving readers alternative advice to traditional energy sources at a time when this advice is being actively sought. This is an ideal volume for professionals in academia, industry and government interested in the rapidly evolving world of electricity planning and is written by experts from all three areas meaning that readers can relate to the contributors themselves and the situations they describe.

Addressing the major issues associated with green energy and energy efficiency, this book examines the economics of energy from the theoretical as well as applied perspectives. It makes a valuable contribution to existing discussion around environment and climate change issues, and provides an analysis of the socioeconomic and policy-oriented aspects of this topic. Each chapter is self-contained and tackles the fundamental issues and latest developments of a particular sub-topic. Combining rigour and accessibility, this book allows non-specialized readers to understand the complexity of the topic, and to likewise access the most relevant and up-to-date literature. It simultaneously enables more specialized readers to broaden their understanding of complex energy topics and it provides a comprehensive overview of the cutting-edge developments of the issues covered by the book. This book covers important themes including regulation for green energy, the promotion of green energy and efficiency, the challenges and options of renewable energy, and efficiency in economic sectors. It is intended for researchers and postgraduates with an interest in energy, climate change and environmental economics, and also policymakers and energy companies.

This Handbook examines the subject of energy security: its definition, dimensions, ways to measure and index it, and the complicating factors that are often overlooked. The volume identifies varying definitions and dimensions of energy security, including those that prioritize security of supply and affordability alongside those that emphasize availability, energy efficiency, trade, environmental quality, and social and political stewardship. It also explores the various metrics that can be used to give energy security more coherence, and also to enable it to be measured, including recent attempts to measure energy security progress at the national level, with a special emphasis placed on countries within the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), countries within Asia, and industrialized countries worldwide. This Handbook: • Broadens existing discussions of energy security that center on access to fuels, including "oil security" and "coal security." • Focuses not only on the supply side of energy but also the demand, taking a hard look at energy services and politics along with technologies and infrastructure; • Investigates energy security issues such as energy poverty, equity and access, and development; • Analyzes ways to index and measure energy security progress at the national and international level. This book will be of much interest to students of energy security, energy policy, economics, environmental studies, and IR/Security Studies in general.

Renewable energy technologies produce many measurable benefits, such as a clear reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. However, it is also apparent that these methods of energy production come with costs. Discussing renewable energy developments within an economic context, this pertinent Handbook provides a comprehensive view of the present and future dimensions of renewable energy use.

Ô. . . was impressed by the scope of the contributions and their clarity. All appear to have been written specifically for this ÒHandbookÓ and all are readily comprehensible without a large amount of assumed previous knowledge. . . a very useful source document and many of the chapters represent a good starting point for student research projects.Õ Ð Tony Owen, Economics of Energy and Environmental Policy ÔIn todayÕs modern world where energy resources are increasingly scarce, climate change is a hot-button issue, and population growth continues to push the need to promote sustainable living, Handbook of Sustainable Energy is highly recommended as an absolutely invaluable contribution to graduate school libraries and the pool of literature available to professionals in the field.Õ Ð The Midwest Book Review Major contemporary issues and debates relating to the sustainable use of energy are addressed in this far-reaching Handbook. The contributing authors discuss the ongoing debates about sustainability and energy use, energy economics, renewable energy, efficiency and climate policy. New and original chapters from leading academics cover the full spectrum of relevant research including: definitions of sustainability in energy use; consumer behaviour and energy markets; the impacts of innovation and new technologies; energy economics and climate modelling; low carbon economies and renewable energies. The authors critically engage with perspectives from developed and developing countries from both global and regional standpoints. This Handbook will make a timely and important contribution to the study of energy, climate change and climate economics, and will prove essential reading for international researchers in the fields of natural resources, climate change and energy. Students in environmental science faculties, economics departments, business schools and engineering schools will also find this important and enriching compendium insightful. Similarly, policy-makers in energy and environment ministries and international organizations will find much topical debate to engage them.

There has been a burgeoning interest in energy security in recent years due to the transformation of the energy landscape through deepening market deregulation, rising environmental challenges, growing energy hunger, and significant political changes. Depicting energy security as an evolving concept that absorbs economic and political conditions, this book adopts an economic approach to energy security in the international gas market. Uniquely, the book explores the theoretical assumptions and practical consequences attached to both demand and supply-side security in global energy markets. It investigates why energy exporters are so protective of independence in energy exports. The book also looks at the critically important issue of environmental aspects of energy security, particularly around climate change. It also analyses the potential for a cartel in the international gas market, similarly to the oil industry. This book will be of much interest to readers in energy economics, energy security, energy policy, IR/security studies, and relevant policy-makers.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue Optimisation Models and Methods in Energy Systems that was published in Energies