The Power of Change

The Power of Change

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2016-09-30

Total Pages: 341

ISBN-13: 0309371422

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Electricity, supplied reliably and affordably, is foundational to the U.S. economy and is utterly indispensable to modern society. However, emissions resulting from many forms of electricity generation create environmental risks that could have significant negative economic, security, and human health consequences. Large-scale installation of cleaner power generation has been generally hampered because greener technologies are more expensive than the technologies that currently produce most of our power. Rather than trade affordability and reliability for low emissions, is there a way to balance all three? The Power of Change: Innovation for Development and Deployment of Increasingly Clean Energy Technologies considers how to speed up innovations that would dramatically improve the performance and lower the cost of currently available technologies while also developing new advanced cleaner energy technologies. According to this report, there is an opportunity for the United States to continue to lead in the pursuit of increasingly clean, more efficient electricity through innovation in advanced technologies. The Power of Change: Innovation for Development and Deployment of Increasingly Clean Energy Technologies makes the case that America's advantagesâ€"world-class universities and national laboratories, a vibrant private sector, and innovative states, cities, and regions that are free to experiment with a variety of public policy approachesâ€"position the United States to create and lead a new clean energy revolution. This study focuses on five paths to accelerate the market adoption of increasing clean energy and efficiency technologies: (1) expanding the portfolio of cleaner energy technology options; (2) leveraging the advantages of energy efficiency; (3) facilitating the development of increasing clean technologies, including renewables, nuclear, and cleaner fossil; (4) improving the existing technologies, systems, and infrastructure; and (5) leveling the playing field for cleaner energy technologies. The Power of Change: Innovation for Development and Deployment of Increasingly Clean Energy Technologies is a call for leadership to transform the United States energy sector in order to both mitigate the risks of greenhouse gas and other pollutants and to spur future economic growth. This study's focus on science, technology, and economic policy makes it a valuable resource to guide support that produces innovation to meet energy challenges now and for the future.


Future of Utilities - Utilities of the Future

Future of Utilities - Utilities of the Future

Author: Fereidoon Sioshansi

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2016-03-15

Total Pages: 494

ISBN-13: 0128043202

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Future of Utilities - Utilities of the Future: How technological innovations in distributed generation will reshape the electric power sector relates the latest information on the electric power sector its rapid transformation, particularly on the distribution network and customer side. Trends like the rapid rise of self-generation and distributed generation, microgrids, demand response, the dissemination of electric vehicles and zero-net energy buildings that promise to turn many consumers into prosumers are discussed. The book brings together authors from industry and academic backgrounds to present their original, cutting-edge and thought-provoking ideas on the challenges currently faced by electric utilities around the globe, the opportunities they present, and what the future might hold for both traditional players and new entrants to the sector. The book's first part lays out the present scenario, with concepts such as an integrated grid, microgrids, self-generation, customer-centric service, and pricing, while the second part focuses on how innovation, policy, regulation, and pricing models may come together to form a new electrical sector, exploring the reconfiguring of the current institutions, new rates design in light of changes to retail electricity markets and energy efficiency, and the cost and benefits of integration of distributed or intermittent generation, including coupling local renewable energy generation with electric vehicle fleets. The final section projects the future function and role of existing electrical utilities and newcomers to this sector, looking at new pathways for business and pricing models, consumer relations, technology, and innovation. - Contains discussions that help readers understand the underlying causes and drivers of change in the electrical sector, and what these changes mean in financial, operational, and regulatory terms - Provides thought-provoking ideas on the challenges currently faced by electric utilities around the globe, the opportunities they present, and what the future might hold for both traditional players and new entrants to the sector - Helps readers anticipate what developments are likely to define the function and role of the utility of the future


The Power of Renewables

The Power of Renewables

Author: Chinese Academy of Engineering

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2011-01-29

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0309160006

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The United States and China are the world's top two energy consumers and, as of 2010, the two largest economies. Consequently, they have a decisive role to play in the world's clean energy future. Both countries are also motivated by related goals, namely diversified energy portfolios, job creation, energy security, and pollution reduction, making renewable energy development an important strategy with wide-ranging implications. Given the size of their energy markets, any substantial progress the two countries make in advancing use of renewable energy will provide global benefits, in terms of enhanced technological understanding, reduced costs through expanded deployment, and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to conventional generation from fossil fuels. Within this context, the U.S. National Academies, in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), reviewed renewable energy development and deployment in the two countries, to highlight prospects for collaboration across the research to deployment chain and to suggest strategies which would promote more rapid and economical attainment of renewable energy goals. Main findings and concerning renewable resource assessments, technology development, environmental impacts, market infrastructure, among others, are presented. Specific recommendations have been limited to those judged to be most likely to accelerate the pace of deployment, increase cost-competitiveness, or shape the future market for renewable energy. The recommendations presented here are also pragmatic and achievable.


ICT - Energy Concepts for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

ICT - Energy Concepts for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

Author: Giorgos Fagas

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2017-03-22

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 9535130110

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In a previous volume (ICT-Energy-Concepts Towards Zero-Power ICT; referenced below as Vol. 1), we addressed some of the fundamentals related to bridging the gap between the amount of energy required to operate portable/mobile ICT systems and the amount of energy available from ambient sources. The only viable solution appears to be to attack the gap from both sides, i.e. to reduce the amount of energy dissipated during computation and to improve the efficiency in energy-harvesting technologies. In this book, we build on those concepts and continue the discussion on energy efficiency and sustainability by addressing the minimisation of energy consumption at different levels across the ICT system stack, from hardware to software, as well as discussing energy consumption issues in high-performance computing (HPC), data centres and communication in sensor networks. This book was realised thanks to the contribution of the project ‘Coordinating Research Efforts of the ICT-Energy Community’ funded from the European Union under the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) area of the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (grant agreement n. 611004).


America's Energy Future

America's Energy Future

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2009-12-15

Total Pages: 737

ISBN-13: 0309149096

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For multi-user PDF licensing, please contact customer service. Energy touches our lives in countless ways and its costs are felt when we fill up at the gas pump, pay our home heating bills, and keep businesses both large and small running. There are long-term costs as well: to the environment, as natural resources are depleted and pollution contributes to global climate change, and to national security and independence, as many of the world's current energy sources are increasingly concentrated in geopolitically unstable regions. The country's challenge is to develop an energy portfolio that addresses these concerns while still providing sufficient, affordable energy reserves for the nation. The United States has enormous resources to put behind solutions to this energy challenge; the dilemma is to identify which solutions are the right ones. Before deciding which energy technologies to develop, and on what timeline, we need to understand them better. America's Energy Future analyzes the potential of a wide range of technologies for generation, distribution, and conservation of energy. This book considers technologies to increase energy efficiency, coal-fired power generation, nuclear power, renewable energy, oil and natural gas, and alternative transportation fuels. It offers a detailed assessment of the associated impacts and projected costs of implementing each technology and categorizes them into three time frames for implementation.


Putting Renewables to Work

Putting Renewables to Work

Author: Daniel M. Kammen

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2008-11

Total Pages: 28

ISBN-13: 1437907245

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The New Apollo Energy Project, by coordinating public and private policies and investments, provides the vision for a cleaner, domestically-based, and more secure 21st century energy system. This report provides an invaluable comparison of the many recent studies that show how a shift towards clean energy technologies will result in significant job creation. These studies confirm that supporting renewable and efficient energy systems will create more American jobs than would a comparable investment in traditional fossil fuel based systems. Moreover, an investment agenda in emerging clean energy technologies would also reduce our foreign trade deficit and reestablish the U.S. as a leader in this growing international market. Illustrations.


Fragile Paradise

Fragile Paradise

Author: Mansel G. Blackford

Publisher:

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13:

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As roads and sewers now have reached their limits and escalating property values have ousted kamaainas, the growth of the visitor industry has forced the people of Maui to make difficult choices about the future development of their island."--BOOK JACKET.


Financing Energy Efficiency

Financing Energy Efficiency

Author: Robert P. Taylor

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2008-02-08

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 0821373056

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While energy efficiency projects could partly meet new energy demand more cheaply than new supplies, weak economic institutions in developing and transitional economies impede developing and financing energy efficiency retrofits. This book analyzes these difficulties, suggests a 3-part model for projectizing and financing energy efficiency retrofits, and presents thirteen case studies to illustrate the issues and principles involved.