Author : Muyiwa Adaramola
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 409 pages
File Size : 39,35 MB
Release : 2014-10-24
Category : Science
ISBN : 1498710964
This title includes a number of Open Access chapters.Due to climate change, the rise in energy demand, and issues of energy security, more countries are being forced to reexamine their energy policies and consider more renewable sources of energy. Solar power is expected to play a significant role in the changing face of energy economies, due in a
Author : National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 386 pages
File Size : 25,22 MB
Release : 2010-04-05
Category : Science
ISBN : 030913708X
A component in the America's Energy Future study, Electricity from Renewable Resources examines the technical potential for electric power generation with alternative sources such as wind, solar-photovoltaic, geothermal, solar-thermal, hydroelectric, and other renewable sources. The book focuses on those renewable sources that show the most promise for initial commercial deployment within 10 years and will lead to a substantial impact on the U.S. energy system. A quantitative characterization of technologies, this book lays out expectations of costs, performance, and impacts, as well as barriers and research and development needs. In addition to a principal focus on renewable energy technologies for power generation, the book addresses the challenges of incorporating such technologies into the power grid, as well as potential improvements in the national electricity grid that could enable better and more extensive utilization of wind, solar-thermal, solar photovoltaics, and other renewable technologies.
Author : Travis Bradford
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 255 pages
File Size : 29,66 MB
Release : 2008-09-26
Category : Science
ISBN : 0262261928
An innovative analysis that shows how the shift to solar energy—in particular, the use of photovoltaic cells—is both economically advantageous and inevitable, and will rival the information and communication technologies revolution in its transformative effects. In Solar Revolution, fund manager and former corporate buyout specialist Travis Bradford argues—on the basis of standard business and economic forecasting models—that over the next two decades solar energy will increasingly become the best and cheapest choice for most electricity and energy applications. Solar Revolution outlines the path by which the transition to solar technology and sustainable energy practices will occur. Developments in the photovoltaic (PV) industry over the last ten years have made direct electricity generation from PV cells a cost-effective and feasible energy solution, despite the common view that PV technology appeals only to a premium niche market. Bradford shows that PV electricity today has become the choice of hundreds of thousands of mainstream homeowners and businesses in many markets worldwide, including Japan, Germany, and the American Southwest. Solar energy will eventually be the cheapest source of energy in nearly all markets and locations because PV can bypass the aging and fragile electricity grid and deliver its power directly to the end user, fundamentally changing the underlying economics of energy. As the scale of PV production increases and costs continue to decline at historic rates, demand for PV electricity will outpace supply of systems for years to come. Ultimately, the shift from fossil fuels to solar energy will take place not because solar energy is better for the environment or energy security, or because of future government subsidies or as yet undeveloped technology. The solar revolution is already occurring through decisions made by self-interested energy users. The shift to solar energy is inevitable and will be as transformative as the last century's revolutions in information and communication technologies.
Author : Hisham M. Akhonbay
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 289 pages
File Size : 46,60 MB
Release : 2018-09-27
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 042978659X
The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) has been at the epicenter of global energy markets because of its substantial endowment of hydrocarbons. Yet countries in the region have also stated their intent to be global leaders in renewable energy. This collection explores the drivers for the widespread adoption of renewable energy around the GCC, the need for renewable energy and the policy-economic factors that can create success. All six countries within the GCC have plans to include renewable energy power generation in their energy mix for various reasons including: a growing demand for electricity because of increasing populations, an increasing government fiscal deficit due to inefficient subsidies, the need to diversify the economy and global pressure to meet climate change requirements. However, the decision of when and by how much to introduce renewable energy is fraught with complications. In this book, a stellar cast of regional policy and academic experts explore the reasons behind these renewable energy plans and the potential impediments to success, whether it be the declining cost of producing energy from hydrocarbons, an infrastructure which needs to be updated, social acceptance, lack of financing and even harsh weather. Weighing up all these factors, the book considers the route forward for renewable energy in the Gulf region. The Economics of Renewable Energy in the Gulf offers an excellent examination of the adoption of renewable energy in the area. It will be of great interest to academic researchers and policy makers alike, particularly those working in the areas of energy economics, public policy and international relations.
Author : Hermann Scheer
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 34,31 MB
Release : 2013-06-17
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 1136547622
The global economy and our way of life are based on the exploitation of fossil fuels, which not only threaten massive environmental and social disruption through global warming but, at present rates of consumption, will run out within decades, causing huge industrial dislocation and economic collapse. Even before then, the conflicts it causes in the Middle East and elsewhere will be frighteningly exacerbated. The alternative exists: renewable energy from renewable sources - above all, solar. Substituting renewable for fossil resources will take a new industrial revolution to avert the worst of the damage and establish a new international order. It can be done, and it can be done in time. The Solar Economy, by one of the world's most effective analysts and advocates, lays out the blueprints, showing how the political, economic and technological challenges can be met using indigenous, renewable and universally available resources, and the enormous opportunities and benefits that will flow from doing so.
Author : Gregory F. Nemet
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 238 pages
File Size : 40,41 MB
Release : 2019-05-20
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0429643853
Solar energy is a substantial global industry, one that has generated trade disputes among superpowers, threatened the solvency of large energy companies, and prompted serious reconsideration of electric utility regulation rooted in the 1930s. One of the biggest payoffs from solar’s success is not the clean inexpensive electricity it can produce, but the lessons it provides for innovation in other technologies needed to address climate change. Despite the large literature on solar, including analyses of increasingly detailed datasets, the question as to how solar became inexpensive and why it took so long still remains unanswered. Drawing on developments in the US, Japan, Germany, Australia, and China, this book provides a truly comprehensive and international explanation for how solar has become inexpensive. Understanding the reasons for solar’s success enables us to take full advantage of solar’s potential. It can also teach us how to support other low-carbon technologies with analogous properties, including small modular nuclear reactors and direct air capture. However, the urgency of addressing climate change means that a key challenge in applying the solar model is in finding ways to speed up innovation. Offering suggestions and policy recommendations for accelerated innovation is another key contribution of this book. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy technology and innovation, climate change and energy analysis and policy, as well as practitioners and policymakers working in the existing and emerging energy industries.
Author : Richard J Goettle Iv
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 115 pages
File Size : 14,82 MB
Release : 2019-06-07
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 1000312178
First published 1982. Twice during the 1970s -- the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973-74 and the tight oil market of 1978-79 associated with the political upheaval in Iran -- the U.S. economy experienced severe shocks as a result of massive price increases for imported oil. By 1980 the price for imported crude oil had increased to nearly twenty times the price in 1970. This book seeks to provide a basis for determining the macroeconomic effects of solar energy investments over the 1980 to 2000 time period. It structures its analysis in a multidimensional form, specifying variations in • conventional energy costs; • solar market penetration; • solar technology costs.
Author : Roger Fouquet
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 41,69 MB
Release : 2018
Category : Environmental policy
ISBN : 9781786437365
This major reference work brings together for the first time key articles on the economics of renewable energy. From a modest role as a backstop technology in the 1970s to a central role in low carbon transitions today, this collection reveals the emergence and growing importance of this sub-field of economics. Topics covered in this timely volume include the costs of renewable power (taking account of issues related to technological development, intermittency and interconnection), policies that promote renewable energy development, its public and private demand, and its impact on the environment and the economy. This indispensable collection is complemented by a comprehensive introduction that will serve as an essential source of reference for students and researchers.
Author : Trevor Letcher
Publisher : Academic Press
Page : 542 pages
File Size : 10,61 MB
Release : 2018-05-17
Category : Science
ISBN : 0128114800
A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Energy Systems: With Special Focus on Photovoltaic Systems, the most advanced and research focused text on all aspects of solar energy engineering, is a must have edition on the present state of solar technology, integration and worldwide distribution. In addition, the book provides a high-level assessment of the growth trends in photovoltaics and how investment, planning and economic infrastructure can support those innovations. Each chapter includes a research overview with a detailed analysis and new case studies that look at how recent research developments can be applied. Written by some of the most forward-thinking professionals, this book is an invaluable reference for engineers. Contains analysis of the latest high-level research and explores real world application potential in relation to developments Uses system international (SI) units and imperial units throughout to appeal to global engineers Offers measurable data written by a world expert in the field on the latest developments in this fast moving and vital subject
Author : Kathryn Roberts
Publisher : Greenhaven Publishing LLC
Page : 202 pages
File Size : 26,4 MB
Release : 2018-12-15
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
ISBN : 1534503854
As of 2017, 69 percent of Americans were in favor of restricting carbon emissions from coal power plants out of concern for climate change and the state of the environment, but can we afford to make the change to cleaner energy sources? This volume looks at the various alternative energy sources and their economic viability, exploring the debate about which path forward makes the most sense. Readers will gain a better understanding of the crossroads facing policymakers and the energy sector and be empowered to form their own opinions about how this urgent issue should be addressed.
