Emerging Indoor Air Quality Issues In Developing Countries

indoor air quality
In terms of aggregate health effects, household solid fuel use is currently the most important source of indoor air pollution in developing countries. Although relatively equitable economic and rural development has contributed to reducing the use of solid fuels in some settings (e.g., in some newly industrialized Asian countries), indoor air pollution is likely to remain an important health risk in poorer developing countries in the absence of successful intervention programs. More broadly, indoor air quality issues in developing countries are dynamic phenomena that require dynamic research and policy responses. (more…)

Global Energy Consumption & Energy Demand in Electricity and Transportation

global energy demand
Global energy consumption in the last half century has increased very rapidly and is expected to continue to grow over the next 50 years. However, we expect to see significant differences between the last 50 years and the next. The past increase was stimulated by relatively “cheap” fossil fuels and increased rates of industrialization in North America, Europe, and Japan; yet while energy consumption in these countries continues to increase, additional factors are making the picture for the next 50 years more complex. These additional complicating factors include the very rapid increase fuel economy in energy use in China and India (countries representing about a third of the world’s population); the expected depletion of oil resources in the not-too-distant future; and the effect of human activities on global climate change. (more…)

Nuclear Generating Capacity In The United Kingdom

nuclear united kingdom
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…)

Copy Machines Energy Consumption - How to use Photocopier Energy Saving Feature

Copy Machines Energy Consumption
The office copy machines (photocopier) is everywhere. Seven millions unit are in used in the United States and more than 1.5 million are sold each year. Anyone who has worked in an office has probably used at least once or perhaps spend hours making many copies. The copy machines are not cheap, not just the price. Office stencils related equipment is the fastest-growing use of electricity in commercial buildings in the U.S., according to the Department of Energy. The electricity consumed by office equipment companies will cost reaching two million dollar per year and copiers play an important role in this matter. (more…)

Income Taxation And Energy Demand

income taxation energy
Taxation of energy in the United States, the federal government does not impose an energy tax or a general sales tax that is broadly applicable to energy. However, excise taxes are imposed on certain fuels, and there are a number of income tax provisions specific to the energy sector. There are three separate categories of taxes and fees that affect energy use: (1) excise taxes/fees that primarily affect energy demand; (2) income tax provisions that primarily affect energy supply by operating on the after-tax rate of return on investment; and (3) income tax provisions that primarily affect the demand for specific energy sources. (more…)

Federal Excise Taxes to Motor Fuels: Gasoline, Diesel, Aviation Jet Fuel

Federal Excise Taxes
Federal Excise Taxes placed on specific energy sources tend to reduce energy demand for these energy sources in both the short and the long run. The federal government imposes excise taxes on almost all petroleum products (including petroleum additives) and coal (see Table 1). The federal government also imposes federal excise taxes on many transportation uses of methanol, ethanol, natural gas, and propane and imposes a fee on electricity produced from nuclear power plants and nuclear power electricity. (more…)

Energy Labels And Standards - Minimum Energy Performance Standards

Energy Labels
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…)

Fuel Cell Applications as Battery Replacement

Fuel Cell Battery
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen with oxygen to generate electricity, heat and water to produce. In many ways, the fuel cell is similar to an electrochemical cell. Instead of a regular charge, a continuous supply of oxygen and hydrogen is supplied from outside. Oxygen is produced in the control of air and hydrogen as a fuel made from a pressure instrumentation container. Alternatively, methanol, propane, butane, natural gas supply and diesel are used. (more…)

Renewable Energy Sources In Europe: Environment, Nuclear Power Safety, Imported Energy


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…)

Fuel Taxes in United States: Taxes On Gasoline and Diesel Fuel

Fuel Taxes in US
Economists have overwhelmingly favored fuel taxes over fuel economy standards as a means to reduce fuel or gasoline consumption because taxes give maximum flexibility to both vehicle manufacturers and purchasers and because they influence fuel consumption through both fuel demand and vehicle supply by making travel more expensive (thereby reducing vehicle miles traveled) and by creating an economic incentive for manufacturers to build efficient vehicles and for consumers to purchase them. (more…)

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