Researchers, politicians and lay persons around the world agree that renewable energy technologies will play an increasingly important role in strengthening national economies in the future. The renewable energy industry has the potential to significantly increase power capacity of several countries and subsequently create many jobs. This book examines recent advances in specific renewable energy systems. Readers will learn about theoretical and applied perspectives which are key to addressing the major issues associated with such systems. Chapters cover solar energy systems, thermal energy storage, bioenergy, hydrogen production, geothermal energy and measurement techniques for these energy systems. Students in engineering programs, and engineers working in academia and the renewable energy sector will be able to broaden their understanding of complex renewable energy projects through the comprehensive overview of both the fundamental concepts and the technical issues covered in the text.

In this ready reference, top academic researchers, industry players and government officers join forces to develop commercial concepts for the transition from current nuclear or fossil fuel-based energy to renewable energy systems within a limited time span. They take into account the latest science and technology, including an analysis of the feasibility and impact on the environment, economy and society. In so doing, they discuss such complex topics as electrical and gas grids, fossil power plants and energy storage technologies. The contributions also include robust, conceivable and breakthrough technologies that will be viable and implementable by 2020.

This second volume of Energy Resources and Systems is focused on renewable energy resources. Renewable energy mainly comes from wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, ocean, bioenergy, ethanol and hydrogen. Each of these energy resources is important and growing. For example, high-head hydroelectric energy is a well established energy resource and already contributes about 20% of the world’s electricity. Some countries have significant high-head resources and produce the bulk of their electrical power by this method. However, the bulk of the world’s high-head hydroelectric resources have not been exploited, particularly by the underdeveloped countries. Low-head hydroelectric is unexploited and has the potential to be a growth area. Wind energy is the fastest growing of the renewable energy resources for the electricity generation. Solar energy is a popular renewable energy resource. Geothermal energy is viable near volcanic areas. Bioenergy and ethanol have grown in recent years primarily due to changes in public policy meant to encourage its usage. Energy policies stimulated the growth of ethanol, for example, with the unintended side effect of rise in food prices. Hydrogen has been pushed as a transportation fuel. The authors want to provide a comprehensive series of texts on the interlinking of the nature of energy resources, the systems that utilize them, the environmental effects, the socioeconomic impact, the political aspects and governing policies. Volume 1 on Fundamentals and Non Renewable Resources was published in 2009. It blends fundamental concepts with an understanding of the non-renewable resources that dominate today’s society. The authors are now working on Volume 3, on nuclear advanced energy resources and nuclear batteries, consists of fusion, space power systems, nuclear energy conversion, nuclear batteries and advanced power, fuel cells and energy storage. Volume 4 will cover environmental effects, remediation and policy. Solutions to providing long term, stable and economical energy is a complex problem, which links social, economical, technical and environmental issues. It is the goal of the four volume Energy Resources and Systems series to tell the whole story and provide the background required by students of energy to understand the complex nature of the problem and the importance of linking social, economical, technical and environmental issues.

Comprehensive Renewable Energy, Eight Volume Set, winner of a 2012 PROSE Award for Best Multi-volume Reference in Science from the Association of American Publishers, is the only work of its type at a time when renewable energy sources are seen increasingly as realistic alternatives to fossil fuels. As the majority of information published for the target audience is currently available via a wide range of journals, seeking relevant information (be that experimental, theoretical, and computational aspects of either a fundamental or applied nature) can be a time-consuming and complicated process. Comprehensive Renewable Energy, Eight Volume Set, is arranged according to the most important themes in the field (photovoltaic technology; wind energy technology; fuel cells and hydrogen technology; biomass and biofuels production; hydropower applications; solar thermal systems: components and applications; geothermal energy; ocean energy), and as such users can feel confident that they will find all the relevant information in one place, with helpful cross-referencing between and within all the subject areas, to broaden their understanding and deepen their knowledge. It is an invaluable resource for teaching as well as in research. Available online via SciVerse ScienceDirect and in print. Editor-in Chief, Professor Ali Sayigh (Director General of WREN (World Renewable Energy Network) and Congress Chairman of WREC (World Renewable Energy Congress, UK) has assembled an impressive, world-class team of Volume Editors and Contributing Authors. Each chapter has been painstakingly reviewed and checked for consistent high quality. The result is an authoritative overview which ties the literature together and provides the user with a reliable background information and citation resource. The field of renewable energy counts several journals that are directly and indirectly concerned with the field. There is no reference work that encompasses the entire field and unites the different areas of research through deep foundational reviews. Comprehensive Renewable Energy fills this vacuum, and can be considered the definitive work for this subject area. It will help users apply context to the diverse journal literature offering and aid them in identifying areas for further research. Research into renewable energy is spread across a number of different disciplines and subject areas. These areas do not always share a unique identifying factor or subject themselves to clear and concise definitions. This work unites the different areas of research and allows users, regardless of their background, to navigate through the most essential concepts with ease, saving them time and vastly improving their understanding. There are more than 1000 references from books, journals and the internet within the eight volumes. It is full of color charts, illustrations and photographs of real projects and research results from around the world. The only reference work available that encompasses the entire field of renewable energy and unites the different areas of research through deep foundational reviews. Allows readers, regardless of their background, to navigate through the most essential concepts with ease, saving them time and vastly improving their understanding

The limitation of fossil fuels has challenged scientists and engineers to search for alternative energy resources that can meet future energy demand. Renewable Energy System Design is a valuable reference focusing on engineering, design, and operating principles that engineers can follow in order to successfully design more robust and efficient renewable energy systems. Written by Dr. Ziyad Salameh, an expert with over thirty years of teaching, research, and design experience, Renewable Energy System Design provides readers with the "nuts and bolts" of photovoltaic, wind energy, and hybrid wind/PV systems. It explores renewable energy storage devices with an emphasis on batteries and fuel cells and emerging sustainable technologies like biomass, geothermal power, ocean thermal energy conversion, solar thermal, and satellite power. Renewable Energy System Design is a must-have resource that provides engineers and students with a comprehensive yet practical guide to the characteristics, principles of operation, and power potential of the most prevalent renewable energy systems. Explains and demonstrates design and operating principles for solar, wind, hybrid and emerging systems with diagrams and examples Utilizes case studies to help engineers anticipate and overcome common design challenges Explores renewable energy storage methods particularly batteries and fuel cells and emerging renewable technologies

Recent Advances in Renewable Energy Technologies is a comprehensive reference covering critical research, laboratory and industry developments on renewable energy technological, production, conversion, storage, and management, including solar energy systems (thermal and photovoltaic), wind energy, hydropower, geothermal energy, bioenergy and hydrogen production, and large-scale development of renewable energy technologies and their impact on the global economy and power capacity. Technological advancements include resources assessment and deployment, materials performance improvement, system optimization and sizing, instrumentation and control, modeling and simulation, regulations, and policies. Each modular chapter examines recent advances in specific renewable energy systems, providing theoretical and applied aspects of system optimization, control and management and supports them with global case studies demonstrating practical applications and economical and environmental aspects through life cycle analysis. The book is of interest to engineering graduates, researchers, professors and industry professionals involved in the renewable energy sector and advanced engineering courses dealing with renewable energy, sources, thermal and electrical energy production and sustainability. Focuses on the progress and research trends in solar, wind, biomass, and hydropower and geothermal energy production and conversion Includes advanced techniques for the distribution, management, optimization, and storage of heat and energy using case studies

Introduction to Energy Systems An in-depth introduction to applications and analysis of energy systems, covering both renewable and traditional types of energy systems In Introduction to Energy Systems, the content is uniquely designed to cover comprehensive descriptions and assessments of all the key types of energy sources, including fossil fuels-based, nuclear, and renewable energy systems, with a special focus on their design, analysis and assessment, technical and operational aspects, and applications. As a comprehensive resource, the work also introduces many topics not typically covered in other energy system textbooks, such as system design and assessment through exergy, environmental impact assessment of energy systems, and life cycle assessment. From a theory standpoint, the book provides context on the importance of energy and the issues related to energy we face in our world today, with close attention paid to key environmental and sustainability issues. Furthermore, the book includes illustrative examples and problems, and case studies. To aid in seamless reader comprehension, helpful questions and problems are included at the end of each chapter. Sample topics covered in Introduction to Energy Systems include: Fundamental concepts and thermodynamic principles, traditional and innovative systems, and detailed applications in renewable energy systems, including solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydro, and marine energies Different types of fuels used in energy systems today, discussions of their combustion characteristics with a clear analysis of each one, and analyses and assessments through energy and exergy approaches Industrial ecology and life cycle assessment, with the intention of clearly assessing the environmental impacts of energy systems How to write balance equations for mass, energy, entropy and exergy, calculate the required capacities, and find the energy and exergy efficiencies and/or energetic and exegetics coefficient of performance values Introduction to Energy Systems serves as a valuable learning resource for both undergraduate and graduate students studying courses, such as Introduction to Energy Systems, Energy System Design, Renewable Energy, Energy & Sustainability, and Fundamentals of Renewable Energy.