Counter-Rotating Type Power Technologies to Exploit Offshore Energies

For the next leap in power-generating technologies, the world is obligated to not only cope with the warming global environment but also to conserve the natural ecosystem. This chapter discusses the advances in technology designed to successfully exploit offshore marine and wind resources. (1) The Counter-Rotating Type Hydro/Tide Power Unit, which is composed of the tandem runners and the peculiar generator with double rotational armatures, is applicable to both rising and falling tides at the power station with the embankment, in place of the traditional bulb type turbines. (2) The Floating Type Ocean Wave Power Station, where a pair of floats lines up at the wavelength spacing, can get the superabundant velocity energy. (3) The Intelligent Wind/Tide Power Unit, which is composed of the tandem wind/tide rotors and the double rotational armatures, is suitable for offshore wind and the tidal stream.

Stability Analysis of Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Systems

This chapter presents an overview Photovoltaic (PV) power generation and integration of PV systems with power grid. This chapter also presents a Feedback Linearizing Current Controller (FBLCC) to synchronize the PV system with the grid. This controller is designed based on the feedback linearization technique. The reference current for the controller is generated from the Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT). The stability of a single-phase grid connected PV system is analyzed through the Lyapunov function. To do these things, a suitable mathematical model of grid-connected PV system is also presented in this chapter. The performance of the designed controller is tested on a single-phase grid-connected PV system.

Genomics Perspectives of Bioethanol Producing Zymomonas Mobilis

In recent years, there has been continuous increase in demand for fossil fuels that has led to the need for new potential fuel sources. Biofuels, in particular ethanol, are of high interest because of dwindling fossil fuels. Among the ethanol producers, Zymomonas mobilis has acquired greater interest because it is a renewable source of bioethanol. Zymomonas mobilis is an aerotolerant, gram-negative, ethanol producing bacterium that shows high ethanol yield, tolerance, and greater productivity. This chapter focuses on recent efforts made to engineer Z. mobilis, transcriptomic, genome-based metabolomic studies, and bioinformatics exploitation of the available genomic data for the production of bioethanol. Recently, several bioinformatics tools have been used to predict the functional properties of the carbohydrate active ethanologenic enzymes in Z. mobilis. A number of processes were used to study the functional properties of the ethanologenic enzymes of Z. mobilis. Thus, functional genomics seeks to apply technologies that would help to improve the production of bioethanol by Z. mobilis.

Energy Management System Concepts

World energy is rapidly approaching a point of transition where the traditional types of generation will be replaced with distributed generation. This will put an enormous strain on existing power grids and, if not properly managed, may lead to brownouts, blackouts, and enormous expenditures to upgrade the grids. Energy management technologies provide a means of smoothing the transition to these new technologies by manipulating generation and storage technologies and managing demands. Energy management coupled with energy storage is particularly important because it can deliver improved efficiency and reduce power spiking, reducing the strain on the grid. Improving the operation of the grid will be key to future developments in developed nations; however, the lessons learned could help to advance the structure of developing nation’s power grids to accelerate the introduction of clean energy worldwide.

Sustainability Assessment Approaches

The beginnings and progress in implementing sustainable development in different areas with large impacts on the environment, society, and economy in the last decade is summarized. Thus, the different existing approaches and possible future developments for applying the sustainability concept are analyzed, starting with municipalities and urban planning but also including the applications to engineering projects and companies in the recent search for global sustainable development. An analysis is developed of the weaknesses and strengths in existing proposals for assessing sustainability and the consideration of the basis for sustainable development in all sustainability assessment applications is proposed. Through this approach, from the lessons learned in previous experiences, a framework to manage and to create sustainability assessment models is proposed, including standard procedures, allowing trend settings to designers, the government, developers, and decision-making centers. Key performance indicators are being widely used in such applications, becoming the sustainability assessment tool of any project or activity. The ultimate aim of this chapter is to enhance the awareness of all stakeholders in the need for a more sustainable global development, considering actions not only in the immediate environment but also in indirect environments in space and time.

Approaches for Measuring Sustainability

The environment provides the economy with resources (e.g., water, air, fuels, food, metals, minerals, and drugs), services (e.g., the cycles of H2O, C, CO2, N, O2; photosynthesis, and soil formation), and mechanisms to absorb waste. Economic growth is based on these three services, and since the global ecosystem does not grow, economic growth cannot continue indefinitely. The concepts of sustainability and sustainable development have received much attention among policy-makers and scientists as a result of the existence of limits to growth and the dramatic environmental changes of the last decades. Sustainability integrates environmental, economic, and societal aspects. It also covers different geographical scales: ecosystems, regions, countries, and the globe. In this chapter, the authors review various models of sustainability assessment. Since there is no universally accepted definition and measuring technique of sustainability, these different models lead to different assessments. They also present a discussion of the sustainability indicators, aggregation tools, and data imputation techniques used in each approach.

Renewable Energy Scenario of Pakistan for Sustainable Development

In Pakistan, sustainable development through Renewable Energy (RE) is considered an unrealistic idea. This chapter sheds light on this scenario by finding the root causes responsible for creating such assumptions. Therefore, in order to identify the root causes, the emphasis has been given to analyzing Pakistan’s current status of sustainable development through RE on theoretical as well as on practical grounds. For achieving the said task, a framework was developed in which the theoretical background covered on the basis of policy documents was integrated with the real life scenario responsible for the diffusion of Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) in Pakistan. This integration was performed on the basis of a pilot field study conducted in a local community. Further, a survey has been performed to identify the major groups of stakeholders and their corresponding awareness level towards simple RETs. Throughout this chapter, attempts have been made to provide a mirror view for Pakistan in achieving sustainable development through RE.

Review of Energy Efficiency Adoption Literature from a Demand Side Management Perspective

It has been observed that some of the energy efficiency terms may cause misinterpretation if one does not grasp research perspectives in the energy efficiency literature. The importance of understanding these terms and perspectives emerges from the fact that varying perspectives propose different levels of energy efficiency potential, which have significant implications on determination of market barriers and the extent of market interventions. This study places a special focus on taxonomy studies in the literature, and articulates the terms and perspectives along with their implications on energy efficiency program design. Furthermore, this study also approaches the energy efficiency literature from an academic perspective, providing further research suggestions and taxonomy of earlier studies with respect to data collection and research methods, technologies, and end users studied. It is expected that the outcome of this research is going to help practitioners establish clear links between energy efficiency program design specifications and market diffusion related issues, as well as guide the next wave of academic research initiatives.

Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE) for Economic Development in Developing Countries

There has been an increase in the deployments of renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass energy due to the concerns regarding global warming. This growth in renewable energy projects along with the technological innovations is leading to lowering costs, which is making available an array of renewable energy options to developing nations to address the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Although Africa’s main discussions on renewable energy have been focused on large scale grid-connected power systems, this chapter presents the arguments that several renewable energy technologies are well-suited to providing modern energy services for low-income people. The article presents a comprehensive framework that highlights how to scale up a broad portfolio of micro-renewable energy solutions that can make a major contribution to achieving the MDGs.

Encouraging the Development of Renewable Energy

The development of Renewable Energy (RE) has become a major societal challenge. Even though RE technology is improving fast, the general public has been slow to adopt it. Meanwhile many RE cooperatives have been created; they act as social entrepreneurs in utilizing the social capital of a community to engage the public. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to consider how they can contribute to the adoption of RE. The author uses an exploratory research design with a multiple case approach drawing on nine RE cooperatives. The chapter discusses a number of actions implemented by cooperatives in order to develop the adoption of RE. These are related to the diminishing of the RE costs, the use of educational campaigns, and the setting of RE projects at local level; the specific status of cooperatives is another facilitating factor. The author concludes by drawing future directions for research and stressing the cultural challenges for the RE cooperative model.