Accelerating the transition of new technologies into systems and products will be crucial to the Department of Defenses development of a lighter, more flexible fighting force. Current long transition times-ten years or more is now typical-are attributed to the complexity of the process. To help meet these challenges, the Department of Defense asked the National Research Council to examine lessons learned from rapid technology applications by integrated design and manufacturing groups. This report presents the results of that study, which was based on a workshop held to explore these successful cases. Three key areas emerged: creating a culture for innovation and rapid technology transition; methodologies and approaches; and enabling tools and databases.
The world is transforming its energy system from one dominated by fossil fuel combustion to one with net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary anthropogenic greenhouse gas. This energy transition is critical to mitigating climate change, protecting human health, and revitalizing the U.S. economy. To help policymakers, businesses, communities, and the public better understand what a net-zero transition would mean for the United States, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine convened a committee of experts to investigate how the U.S. could best decarbonize its transportation, electricity, buildings, and industrial sectors. This report, Accelerating Decarbonization of the United States Energy System, identifies key technological and socio-economic goals that must be achieved to put the United States on the path to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The report presents a policy blueprint outlining critical near-term actions for the first decade (2021-2030) of this 30-year effort, including ways to support communities that will be most impacted by the transition.
Accelerating sustainable energy transitions away from carbon-based fuel sources needs to be high on the agendas of developing countries. It is key in achieving their climate mitigation promises and sustainable energy development objectives. To bring about rapid transitions, simultaneous turns are imperative in hardware deployment, policy improvements, financing innovation, and institutional strengthening. These systematic turns, however, incur tensions when considering the multiple options available and the disruptions of entrenched power across pockets of transition innovations. These heterogeneous contradictions and their trade-offs, and uncertainties and risks have to be systematically recognized, understood, and weighed when making decisions. This book explores how the transitions occur in fourteen developing countries and broadly surveys their technological, policy, financing, and institutional capacities in response to the three key aspects of energy transitions: achieving universal energy access, harvesting energy efficiency, and deploying renewable energy. The book shows how fragmented these approaches are, how they occur across multiple levels of governance, and how policy, financing, and institutional turns could occur in these complex settings. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of energy and climate policy, development studies, international relations, politics, strategic studies, and geography. It is also useful to policymakers and development practitioners.
This book discusses renewable energy systems and applications, and demonstrates how an accelerated transition to 100% renewable energy can be achieved. It examines the systems from a thermodynamic perspective, focusing on the irreversible aspects of the current energy system and highlighting the solutions developed to date. Presenting global research and developments, this book is intended for those working within the field of renewable energy research and policy who are interested in learning how they can contribute to the transition from fossil fuels to renewable resources.
The book explores how digital transformation can accelerate the adoption of circular economy principles. It introduces the concept of the circular economy and its importance for sustainability. The role of digital technologies, such as IoT, big data, and blockchain, in supporting the circular economy is discussed. The book also covers circular design and product development facilitated by digital technologies, enabling easier recycling and disassembly. It explores the creation of circular supply chains and business models, such as product-as-a-service and circular leasing, that minimize waste and resource consumption while creating economic value. The book showcases the benefits of creating products that are easily disassembled and recycled, contributing to a closed-loop system. The practical insights, including case studies, provide readers with tangible examples of successful implementation. Case studies highlight successful implementation of circular economy strategies using digital technologies. The book emphasizes policy and regulatory frameworks supporting circular economy and digital transformation. This book aims to inspire business leaders, policymakers, and entrepreneurs interested in creating sustainable and circular business models. By exploring the intersection of digital transformation and the circular economy, it offers practical insights for accelerating the transition to a more sustainable future.
This book reveals key challenges to ensuring the secure and sustainable production and use of energy resources and provides corresponding solutions. This book covers the advanced technologies applied in renewable energy generation, energy storage, an alternative to petroleum fuels, waste to energy, solar energy, the impact of fossil fuel combustion on the environment, green buildings, social sustainability, etc. It goes beyond theory and describes practical challenges and solutions associated with energy and sustainability. This book is of particular interest to graduate students and academic or industrial researchers/professionals working in renewable energy, sustainability, bioenergy, and mechanical and automobile engineering. This book makes a forceful foundation for the establishment of the role of renewable energy in energy transition for a sustainable, cleaner, and greener future. This book is unique compared to other available books because it covers a wide variety of topics on a single platform.
Michael Migendt explains the role of alternative investments in supporting the growth of a sustainable economy and recognizes levers that policy makers, managers and entrepreneurs could use for further accelerating green innovation through finance. He focuses on specific examples of alternative investments into green industries, companies, projects, and infrastructure, covering the developments along the innovation chain. Especially the acceleration of green technologies and the in this context occurring interrelations between the three areas of finance, innovation, and policy are key to this work.
Accelerating the Transition to a Hydrogen Economy: Achieving Carbon Neutrality provides a guide to the transition to net zero carbon emissions through the hydrogen economy. Within the context of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, the book explores the implications of the hydrogen economy on the nexus of food-waste-energy and provides an overview of the impacts of the hydrogen economy on the energy industry. The book examines the role of the hydrogen economy in achieving net zero carbon emissions in the waste sector, methods for achieving decarbonization in different industries and parts of the economy, and the technologies that can achieve this. Each chapter provides a synopsis of the fundamental knowledge and latest developments to ensure readers of all experience levels and backgrounds can benefit from the book. Future perspectives and actionable next steps are suggested alongside case studies that provide a roadmap to decarbonization. - Evaluates the nexus of technology, society, environment, and economics for the hydrogen economy from the perspective of sustainability - Critically analyzes current and potential contributions of the hydrogen economy to net zero carbon emission - Offers insights to government and policymakers on how to support and accelerate the hydrogen economy for decarbonization
Electrification: Accelerating the Energy Transition offers a widely applicable framework to delineate context-sensitive pathways by which this transition can be accelerated and lists the types of processes and structures that may hinder progress towards this goal. The framework draws insights from well-established literature, ranging from technological studies to socio-technical studies of energy transitions, on to strategic niche management approaches, (international) political economy approaches, and institutionalist literatures, while also adopting wider social theoretical ideas from structuration theory. Contributors discuss a multitude of case studies drawn from global examples of electrification projects. Brief case studies and text boxes help users further understand this domain and the technological, infrastructural and societal structures that may exercise significant powers. Proposes a globally applicable, inclusive framework linking together several literatures of energy transition research (ranging from the social sciences to law and engineering) Assesses the regional and national applicability of solutions, covering the societal structures and interests that shape the prospects of their implementation Extends the analysis from technological and infrastructural solutions to the policies required to accelerate transition Introduces several country level case studies, thus demonstrating how to harness niches of innovation, kick-start the adoption of a solution, and make it mainstream
A bold exploration and call-to-arms over the widening gap between AI, automation, and big data—and our ability to deal with its effects. 2021 Financial Times Best Book of the Year We are living in the first exponential age. High-tech innovations are created at dazzling speeds; technological forces we barely understand remake our homes and workplaces; centuries-old tenets of politics and economics are upturned by new technologies. It all points to a world that is getting faster at a dizzying pace. Azeem Azhar, renowned technology analyst and host of the Exponential View podcast, offers a revelatory new model for understanding how technology is evolving so fast, and why it fundamentally alters the world. He roots his analysis in the idea of an “exponential gap” in which technological developments rapidly outpace our society’s ability to catch up. Azhar shows that this divide explains many problems of our time—from political polarization to ballooning inequality to unchecked corporate power. With stunning clarity of vision, he delves into how the exponential gap is a near-inevitable consequence of the rise of AI, automation, and other exponential technologies, like renewable energy, 3D printing, and synthetic biology, which loom over the horizon. And he offers a set of policy solutions that can prevent the growing exponential gap from fragmenting, weakening, or even destroying our societies. The result is a wholly new way to think about technology, one that will transform our understanding of the economy, politics, and the future. “Azeem is a master at interpreting a dazzling array of trends and illuminating the future. Exponential is a must read to understand the problems, promise, and paths forward on the exponential journey ahead for us as individuals, businesses, and society.” —Paul Daugherty, Group Chief Executive Officer, Technology, Accenture “With his experience as a startup entrepreneur, tech investor, innovation executive at big companies and journalist, Mr. Azhar is well-placed to decrypt these digital trends. He has a knack for interrogating and inverting conventional thinking.” —The Economist
