Electric Vehicles: Prospects and Challenges looks at recent design methodologies and technological advancements in electric vehicles and the integration of electric vehicles in the smart grid environment, comprehensively covering the fundamentals, theory and design, recent developments and technical issues involved with electric vehicles. Considering the prospects, challenges and policy status of specific regions and vehicle deployment, the global case study references make this book usefu...

Although the idea of an electric car is almost 180 years, old it is only now that we are learning to embrace the thought that our petrol cars won't last forever.There might be several reasons why you're holding this book in your hand. Concern about the environment, determination to cut your fuel bill, or simply curiosity. Whatever the reason, the answer is within. This consumer guide is for housewives, petrol-heads, pedestrians, green activists, everyone - but most importantly, it's...

This comprehensive handbook has become recognized as the definitive stand-alone energy manager's desk reference, used by thousands of professionals throughout the industry. Newly revised and edited, this eighth edition includes significant updates to energy management controls systems, commissioning, measurement and verification, and high performance green buildings. Also updated are chapters on motors and drives, HVAC systems, lighting, alternative energy systems, building envelope, perfo...

Passivhaus is the fastest growing energy performance standard in the world, with almost 50,000 buildings realised to date. Applicable to both domestic and non-domestic building types, the strength of Passivhaus lies in the simplicity of the concept. As European and global energy directives move ever closer towards Zero (fossil) Energy standards, Passivhaus provides a robust ‘fabric first’ approach from which to make the next step.The Passivhaus Designers Manual is the most...

The Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROI or EROEI) is the amount of energy acquired from a particular energy source divided by the energy expended, or invested, in obtaining that energy. EROI is an essential and seemingly simple measure of the usable energy or “energy profit” from the exploitation of an energy source, but it is not so easy to determine all of the energy expenditures that should be included in the calculation. Because EROI values are generally low for renewable energy sou...

With rapidly declining costs and seemingly unlimited sunshine, the choice of solar in Australia seems obvious. Yet despite its many advantages, homes with solar remain completely dependent on the electricity grid for reliable supply, which in Australia implies mostly coal-fired generation. Indeed, even countries that have invested heavily in solar, such as Spain and Germany, have been unable to deflect the trajectory of fossil fuel dependence.The reasons for this apparent paradox a...

Modern electric vehicles (EVs) are well suited to most people's general transport needs. Despite this, their adoption at a large scale has been grindingly slow. What are the reasons for this?Unlike most books which focus on the technical aspects of EV performance, this guide sets out the commercial and political barriers to their increased use and lays out the ways in which these barriers can be overcome. It begins by charting the rise of the internal combustion engine, and detaili...

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the technology behind the pico-solar revolution and offers guidance on how to test and choose quality products. The book also discusses how pioneering companies and initiatives are overcoming challenges to reach scale in the marketplace, from innovative distribution strategies to reach customers in rural India and Tanzania, to product development in Cambodia, product assembly in Mozambique and the introduction of ‘pay as you go’ technology in ...

Electric transmission networks are among the largest human-made engineering systems: For example, the transmission network in the United States covers over 300,000 km of lines and is served by 500 companies (electric utilities). In sharp contrast to the very incremental developments of the last century, transmission and control technologies experienced a major breakthrough at the beginning of the 21st century. The rapid growth of new energy generation technologies (renewables), significant...

This is the first and probably the only book devoted to utility-scale solar power – perhaps the fastest-growing sector of the global energy market.Philip Wolfe’s book describes the development and operation of large-scale solar power stations, and will interest all those who want to understand how these multi-million dollar projects are designed, structured, financed, constructed and maintained. It contains case studies of the Waldpolenz Energy Park, Germany, Lopburi Solar Plant in...

This text reassesses the basic premises that have guided electricity development for more than a century in the light of new understanding, pressures and opportunities. It investigates the changes already in progress and those that may yet follow; their interactions and their implications for policy. As the world pursues sustainable development, what might sustainable electricity mean, and how can it be achieved?

Energy risk has reappeared on the corporate and social agenda with a bang and the complexity of the issues has increased many-fold since the days of the last great wave of concern following the oil crises of the 1970s. Steven Fawkes’ Energy Efficiency is a comprehensive guide for managers and policy-makers to the fundamental questions underpinning energy-efficiency and our responses to it: ¢ what do we really mean by energy efficiency? ¢ what is the potential (in different dimensions)? ¢ w...