Up to around 1980, hydropower research and development (R&D) efforts focused mainly on improving turbine efficiency, reducing cavitations, and increasing generation. Whereas older units had efficiency ratings as low as 60%, the new units have efficiency ratings of approximately 90%. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) also looked at new technologies for developing low-head, ultra low-head, and small hydropower projects. These technologies included the following: (more…)
Hydropower, also known as hydroelectric power, is the use of water to produce power. Harnessing water to perform work has been ...
The World Commission on Dams (WCD) was formed in 1998 by a joint initiative of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Worl ...
The winners in hydropower and other large dam projects are those who gain electricity, domestic water supplies, sanitation, dro ...
The water levels of most of the world’s rivers fluctuate with seasonal rains, melting snows, or droughts, and in the arid zones ...
Hydraulic turbines have two main classifications: impulse and reaction. The impulse turbine generally uses the velocity of the wate ...
Following the recent completion of three nuclear power plants, there is now some 9.6 GW of nuclear capacity in the United Kingdom. The nuclear share of electrical output, which has stood at around 13% for many years, should rise to around 20% when this capacity is in full operation. A further two reactors are currently under construction which will increase the British nuclear capacity to more than 12 GW by the late 1980s, which could bring the nuclear share of electrical output to around 25%. (more…)
Geographers researching the development of nuclear power have shifted emphasis from commercialization, cost, risk, public acceptanc ...
The long-term prospects for the U.K. economy are inevitably uncertain, and the most recent Department of Energy long-term proje ...
Nuclear fission and fusion Research and Development continues to account for nearly half of the total spending by IEA countries, al ...
Sir Arthur Eddington’s general address on subatomic energy at the 1930 World Power Conference in Berlin stirred the imagination of ...
For years it was out of desperation that observers have advised and viewed of American energy policy and geopolitical risks regardi ...
Energy labeling is a policy tool that informs consumers about the energy performance of appliances and thereby encourages them to purchase appliances that provide the services they need with less energy consumption. In providing information to consumers about equipment energy consumption and operating costs that would otherwise be invisible or unavailable, energy labeling enables consumers to make more balanced and rational purchasing decisions. Energy labels can also help consumers to identify the most efficient products on the market. In effect, energy labeling attempts to provide a market ‘‘pull’’ for more energy-efficient products while simultaneously presenting information that might discourage the purchase of less efficient products. (more…)
It is important to remember that labeling and MEPS programs aim to influence the selection of products by consumers at the poin ...
Endorsement labels indicate that the products carrying the labels belong to the ‘‘most energy-efficient’’ class of products or ...
There are only a few compulsory energy efficiency programs aimed at industrial facilities. It is only recently that the EU introduc ...
As the need for energy efficiency becomes more pronounced, the drive toward efficiency in the commercial sector will be impeded by ...
As energy prices increase, industries are more and more aware that energy is an expensive commodity that has to be used effic ...
There are various and somewhat complementary reasons to foster the growth of renewable energy sources in Europe. A major incentive for renewable energy sources policies in the past two decades has been to reduce the environmental impact of energy use both locally (e.g., pollutant emission reduction) and globally (e.g., greenhouse gas and carbon emissions reduction). In some countries, concerns about the safety of nuclear power generation have motivated the search for renewable energy sources. Another motivation for replacing foreign fossil and nuclear fuels with domestic renewable energy sources relates to security issues and Europe’s growing dependency on foreign energy sources. (more…)
In Europe, modern renewable energy sources technologies were explored thoroughly for the first time after the oil embargo/ price cr ...
Renewable energy sources cannot run out and causes so little damage to the environment that its use does not need to be restric ...
The development of the ‘‘new’’ wind and solar technologies is of great importance for the future contribution of RESs to energy sup ...
World energy use has increased steadily over the past several decades. Much of the growth in world energy consumption has been ...
Over the last decade, the number of countries researching the potential of biomass and bioenergy for energy services rose rapid ...
The energy that people use every day comes from many different sources. The resources are divided into two main groups: renewable energy and nonrenewable energy. Renewable energy sources are those that can be used again and again. Renewable energy resources have unlimited supply. (more…)
In Europe, modern renewable energy sources technologies were explored thoroughly for the first time after the oil embargo/ price cr ...
During the US Presidential Election 2008 Campaign, the renewable portfolio standard was one of the main agendas for Presidentia ...
The broad range of home solar energy systems are mostly known as Photovoltaic Systems (PV) or Thin Film Solar Technology. The s ...
The hydrogen can come from various sources including fossil fuels, wind, solar, biomass, nuclear, solar thermo-chemical reactio ...
Renewable energy sources cannot run out and causes so little damage to the environment that its use does not need to be restric ...
It is a rare company prospectus that begins with a quotation from Goethe: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” But Lovins is not a normal entrepreneur, as anyone who has met this eccentric and disheveled but unmistakably visionary thinker knows. The founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a leading green think tank based in Old Snowmass, Colorado, thinks the car industry’s incremental approach to cutting emissions and improving fuel efficiency will never amount to much. He wants a complete redesign of the automobile, from the bottom up, and intends to show the big boys how it should be done. (more…)
The leading automotive brands are being focused to produce electric vehicles because they believe they represent a harmony to the e ...
Mercedes-Benz presented at Geneva Style F800 Concept (the F stands for Mercedes: technology, design and art), a prototype that ...
Under both former President Bush and new President Obama, the U.S. government has vowed to reduce reliance on imported oil. The ...
This latter form of new car taxes can actually serve as an impediment to higher fuel economy to the extent that increased energ ...
There are different types of vehicle propulsion systems and the transportation fuels that have been studied for their potential ...
The age of industrialization came into full force through the modern exploration and use of fossil fuels. As one of its most striking phenomena, the rapid expansion of cities throughout the late 19th and the 20th centuries was a direct outcome of the fossil fuel energy economy as well. (more…)
The aim is to work with cities in advancing renewable energy technologies and systems and to help promote the renewable energy indu ...
The Solar City approach originally emerged from a new generation of International Energy Agency (IEA) energy research and developme ...
In the absence of useful and established patterns of practice, a search is under way for new means of reconciling local government’ ...
As a reaction to these historical perspectives, the building industry has witnessed a certain rise in design responses to regio ...
Climate change caused by the enhanced greenhouse effect is one of the most significant global environmental issues. Increased emiss ...
Under both former President Bush and new President Obama, the U.S. government has vowed to reduce reliance on imported oil. The nation is encouraging development of a transportation fleet that uses biofuels, fuel cell vehicles and hybrid electric technologies.
Us Government Program To Reduce Reliance On Imported Oil
To that end, the federal government, in late 2008, put in place new incentives – and extended others – designed to create a strong up-tick in sales of unconventional vehicles. As a result, the U.S. Energy Information Administration anticipates that hybrid cars will grow from 2% of new light-duty vehicles sold in 2007 to 38% by 2030. (more…)
This latter form of new car taxes can actually serve as an impediment to higher fuel economy to the extent that increased energ ...
A number of countries have vehicle tax incentives programs designed to reward purchasers and owners of alternative fuel-efficient v ...
We know of no studies that have examined vehicle taxation incentives programs elsewhere in the world, but it seems likely that ...
Both state and federal funding is available for research and development of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEVs) and other alter ...
Economists have overwhelmingly favored fuel taxes over fuel economy standards as a means to reduce fuel or gasoline consumption ...
Geopolitical risk refers almost always to primary energy carriers (oil, gas, coal, uranium or renewable energy) since their location depends on the vagaries of geology and climate. Production and energy consumption are thus often physically far apart and take place in countries and regions with different histories, cultures and values. Apart from oil & gas exploration and production, all other steps of the energy chain such as refinement or enrichment, energy conversion and distribution can be moved physically closer to the final customer or are, like consumption, directly under the latter’s control. (more…)
Nuclear energy has some distinct advantages in strengthening the external dimension of energy supply security. These include: ...
The continuous availability and affordability of energy and, in particular, electricity supply is an indispensable condition fo ...
For years it was out of desperation that observers have advised and viewed of American energy policy and geopolitical risks regardi ...
The entire concept of energy independence revolves around using the resources within a country. Simply put, it's "Stay within ...
Following the recent completion of three nuclear power plants, there is now some 9.6 GW of nuclear capacity in the United Kingd ...
Energy performance ratings tell what the energy performance of a building is, but if the energy performance of a building is to be improved, the causes of lower than desired performance must be understood, and methods of achieving improved performance must be determined. Causes of variation in energy performance among commercial buildings are understood to a degree, but much remains to be learned. (more…)
Current forecasts call for solid growth in world energy use over the next 20 years, potentially increasing 60% above current energy ...
Interest in rating the real-life energy performance of buildings has increased in recent years, and the real life efficiency perfor ...
As the need for energy efficiency becomes more pronounced, the drive toward efficiency in the commercial sector will be impeded by ...
The amount of energy consumed in the commercial sector often must be estimated as a fraction of energy use in the combined resident ...
The outlook for reductions in future energy use is necessarily based on the potential for increased technological and operati ...