Publisher's Synopsis
Energy fuels the world's economy. Diminishing resources and severe environmental effects resulting from the continuous use of fossil fuels has motivated an increasing amount of interest in renewable energy resources and the search for sustainable energy policies. Key difficulties to overcome often originate from the conversion of renewable energies (wind, solar, etc.) to useful forms (electricity, heat, fuel) at an acceptable cost, including impacts on the environment as well as in the integration of these resources into the existing infrastructure. A wide range of topics are covered by the works contained in this book. The collaboration of varied disciplines are involved in order to arrive at optimum solutions, including studies of materials, energy networks, new energy resources, storage solutions, waste to energy systems, smart grids and many others.