Energy Analysis For A Sustainable Future

The vast majority of the countries of the world are now facing an imminent energy crisis, particularly the USA, China, India, Japan and EU countries, but also developing countries having to boost their economic growth precisely when more powerful economies will prevent them from using the limited supply of fossil energy. Despite this crisis, current protocols of energy accounting have been developed for dealing with fossil energy exclusively and are therefore not useful for the analysis of alternative energy sources. The first part of the book illustrates the weakness of existing analyses of energy problems: the science of energy was born and developed neglecting the issue of scale. The authors argue that it is necessary to adopt more complex protocols of accounting and analysis in order to generate robust energy scenarios and effective assessments of the quality of alternative energy sources. The second part of the book introduces the concept of energetic metabolism of modern societies and uses empirical results. The authors present an innovative approach – Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) – capable of characterizing the quality of alternative energy sources in relation to both environmental constraints and socio-economic requirements. This method allows the metabolic pattern of a society to be described in relation to its feasibility, when looking at biophysical factors, and desirability, when looking at socio-economic factors. Addressing the issue of scale in energy analysis by cutting through the confusion found in current applications of energy analysis, this book should be of interest to researchers, students and policy makers in energy within a variety of disciplines.

Energy for Sustainable Development: Demand, Supply, Conversion and Management presents a comprehensive look at recent developments and provides guidance on energy demand, supply, analysis and forecasting of modern energy technologies for sustainable energy conversion. The book analyzes energy management techniques and the economic and environmental impact of energy usage and storage. Including modern theories and the latest technologies used in the conversion of energy for traditional fossil fuels and renewable energy sources, this book provides a valuable reference on recent innovations. Researchers, engineers and policymakers will find this book to be a comprehensive guide on modern theories and technologies for sustainable development. Uniquely covers Energy Demand, Supply, Conversion and Management in one complete reference Offers relevant information for both undergraduate and postgraduate programs on energy conversion, making it a key reference for study Includes extensive coverage that links energy conversion with efficiency and management through storage, savings, economics and environmental impact

This book explains why conventional energy analysis and statistics are not useful for generating robust energy scenarios and effective assessments of the quality of alternative energy sources. Then it presents an innovative multi-scale approach, illustrated with empirical results, for effectively dealing with sustainability in face of the coming energy crisis.

Independent, scientifically based, integrated, policy-relevant analysis of current and emerging energy issues for specialists and policymakers in academia, industry, government.

C. S. Lewis rightly instructed, "The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts." This book aims to achieve this task by pushing the frontiers of scholarship for securing a sustainable future through green energy and infrastructure. This encompasses the notion that what we create is in harmony and integration with both the spatial and temporal domains. Through numerous practical examples and illustrations, this book examines a comprehensive review of the latest science on indoor environmental health, energy requirements for buildings, and the "greening" of infrastructure. Also, it provides a discussion on the underlying properties of biomass and its influence on furthering energy conversion technologies. Energy storage is essential for driving the integration of renewable energy, and different storage approaches are discussed in terms of power balancing, grid stability, and reliability. Features: Focuses on the importance of coupling green energy with green infrastructure Provides an unbiased update of the state-of-the-art of sustainability science Discusses utilizing sustainable building materials for simultaneous improvement in energy, economic, and environmental bottom lines for industry Illuminates practical steps that need to be undertaken to achieve a greener infrastructure Green Energy and Infrastructure: Securing a Sustainable Future is appropriate for researchers, students, and decision-makers seeking the latest, practical information on environmental sustainability.

This book presents essential information for the development of a comprehensive sustainable energy policy. It examines the diverse types of energy, their resource abundance and the material needs to develop and use them, and how communities and cities can better control their own destinies by locally managing energy use and generation. This approach does not suggest the undoing of existing infrastructures and energy providers, but rather a cooperative transition from national-regional energy management to a more local-centered system. The information is the foundation for eight specific legislative initiatives necessary for a national comprehensive sustainable policy that can both facilitate and drive the process of evolution from a carbon-energy economy to a sustainable renewable energy future.

Explores how these conflicting scenarios could be reconciled; how can we shape a more sustainable energy system from the existing one; and possible technological progress and innovations to enable a brighter future. Addresses the reality that there exists no consensus on the extent to which innovations can really contribute to reconciling ever-growing energy consumption, availability of resources and the environment, and the structural demands on any energy system. Offers and explains a four-point strategy: Energy should according to its importance regain a top priority in the political arena; higly targeted subsidies should be given for a limited amount of time to speed up the market introduction of energy-efficient and regenerative techniques in analogy to the ‚Dutch model‘; Negotiated agreements and unilateral self-commitments can subsequently ensure further market diffusion of sustainable energy innovations.; the basic research in energy should not be diminished but intensified instead