Energy efficiency Books

Book SynopsisIs it okay to use potting compost? Which plants are best for absorbing pollution? What''s the alternative to carbon-packed fertilisers? How can I cut out single-use plastics?Aspects of gardening can actually be bad for the environment. But make a few changes and you can significantly reduce the carbon imprint of your outdoor space, and even use it to lessen the impact of your other activities.This green gardening book will make growing your own garden easy, enjoyable, and eco-friendly. It includes sections on:- How to grow plants that reduce your carbon footprint- Creating a garden that considers the local wildlife- Tips on setting up your garden, low-impact plants, and best fertilisers to use Turn your outdoor space into a low-impact, carbon-absorbing sink. This book is packed with ideas to grow a climate-friendly garden that will help protect the planet. Keen on starting your own garden but unsure about your

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Book SynopsisWithin the modern built environment, advanced engineering systems allow us to go about our daily lives in a relative degree of safety, comfort and security. Often, we do not give too much thought about what is happening behind the scenes. Every engineering system needs an energy source and control input to provide the service it is designed for. Without some degree of management, those engineering systems may not perform quite as intended. It is often unreliable to depend solely on building occupiers to satisfactorily control these engineering systems purely by manual means, and hence make the best use of the engineering systems for the benefit of all. The aim of this Code of Practice is to provide knowledge, understanding and good practice guidance on the design, evaluation, implementation and improvements on the use of automated controls used in mechanical and electrical engineering systems within the built environment. The Code of Practice also aims to provide clear and concise information on building automation and control systems that can be developed and applied to several different installations. There is often no single solution and therefore building controls must be specifically tailored to meet specific user needs, local technical requirements and the constraints of budget and resources.Table of Contents Section 1: Introduction Section 2: Building automation and control systems Section 3: BACS specification criteria Section 4: BACS operations criteria Appendix A: Design and operational assessment tool Appendix B: Energy management assessment tool Appendix C: Links to energy management and energy efficiency Appendix D: BACS evaluation and self-assessment checklists Appendix E: Worked examples Appendix F: Competency and training Appendix G: Standards and references

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Book SynopsisIf you want to introduce alternative power supplies around the home and garden or even live totally off-grid in your boat, caravan or yurt and need a practical introduction to solar power and 12 volt supplies, here is an essential guide to the subject. Not only will it save you money, it will show you how to run your lights, laptop, DVDs and music, and even your tools and household products, from a simple 12 volt system. Be in control of more of your home's own energy supply, develop a low impact way of living and be prepared for power cuts and for power down situations in the future! Do It Yourself 12 Volt Solar Power begins with a lesson in how electricity works and the main components of a DIY solar system. The author uses clear diagrams and terms. There is, of course, more technical information as the book progresses, but don't worry, this no-nonsense guide provides a useful, back-to-basics approach for the layperson. This is a reference book that will help you trouble-shoot and get the best value for money from what you can find hidden in the back of the garage. Quirky and humorous, it also shows you how to make a sun following system using just a bicycle wheel, a pallet and the motor from a CD player!Trade ReviewThis book is unique. As far as I know no-one else has collected together a full range of the techniques you can use to live happily off the grid with solar electricity. At present it's mostly relevant to travellers and people living beyond the reach of the mains, but the day when it becomes important for all of us may be nearer than we think. Patrick Whitefield, author of the Earth Care Manual

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Book SynopsisBuilding-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is an innovative technology offering a variety of building envelope solutions, materials, and colours for virtually any building surface. These BIPV products generate on-site renewable electricity, turning buildings from energy consumers to producers. BIPV is expected to play an indispensable role in the transition towards decarbonisation and energy resilience of cities, effectively reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Lack of knowledge and guidance on designing BIPV systems has hindered this technology''s widespread adoption and creative applications. As a remedy, this guidebook presents best practices and decision-making processes for efficient and resilient architecture. Featuring more than 50 annotated reference drawingsroofs, solar shadings, rainscreen façades, curtain walls and double skin façadesand 24 international BIPV case studies, the guidebook provides building professionals with the technical knowledge and in

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Book SynopsisDeveloped from the authors' classroom-tested material, Semiconductor Laser Theory takes a semiclassical approach to teaching the principles, structure, and applications of semiconductor lasers. Designed for graduate students in physics, electrical engineering, and materials science, the text covers many recent developments, including diode lasers using quantum wells, quantum dots, quantum cascade lasers, nitride lasers, group IV lasers, and transistor lasers.The first half of the book presents basic concepts, such as the semiconductor physics needed to understand the operation of lasers, p-n junction theory, alloys, heterostructures, quantum nanostructures, k.p theory, waveguides, resonators, filters, and optical processes. The remainder of the book describes various lasers, including double heterostructure, quantum wire, quantum dot, quantum cascade, vertical-cavity surface-emitting, single-mode and tunable, nitride, group IV, and transistor laTrade Review"This textbook offers a thorough treatment of basic principles and also manages to capture current trends in semiconductor laser research. … topics are supplemented with problem sets for testing the reader’s understanding, and some references to the literature. The authors’ clear presentation of the material in this volume makes it eminently digestible."—Optics & Photonics News, December 2015Table of ContentsIntroduction to Semiconductor Lasers. Basic Theory. Heterojunctions and Quantum Structures. Band Structures. Waveguides and Resonators. Optical Processes. Models for DH Lasers. Quantum Well Lasers. Quantum Dots. Quantum Cascade Lasers. Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser. Single-Mode and Tunable Lasers. Nitride Lasers. Group IV Lasers. Transistor Lasers. Appendices.

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Book SynopsisUsing full-color visualizations of key concepts and data, Mara Prentiss interprets government reports, technology, and basic physical laws to advance a bold claim: wind and solar power alone could generate 100% of the U.S. average energy demand, without lifestyle sacrifices. And meeting the actual U.S. energy demand with renewables is within reach.Trade ReviewIn this crisp, evidence-based treatise, physicist Mara Prentiss makes a remarkable assertion: that solar and wind power could supply 100% of average U.S. energy needs for the next 50 years. Prentiss argues that a transition to renewables is probable, given that energy revolutions are a historical norm. She stacks up reams of salient data, such as the fact that U.S. energy use per capita has remained steady since 1965, thanks to increasing fuel efficiency. Although optimistic, her analyses of energy sources, combinations, conservation and storage compel. -- Barbara Kiser * Nature *A surprisingly optimistic analysis of the world’s unsustainable, wasteful energy consumption… In a genre rife with forecasts of doom and exhortations in favor of frugal living, Prentiss provides impressive evidence that things may work out just fine. * Kirkus Reviews *[Prentiss] steers a steady course between the wishful thinking and despair that so often colors discussions of energy. Carefully optimistic, the author thinks a combination of renewable power sources could meet 100 percent of the U.S. average total energy demand for the foreseeable future, even without waste reduction… Delightful, deadpan flashes of wit enliven the text throughout… Readers looking for answers on the feasibility of renewables will find the straight talk refreshing. -- Robert Eagan * Library Journal *In this important book, Mara Prentiss brings basic physics to bear on the critical issue of how we produce and consume energy. Using extensive and illuminating graphics to augment her clear writing, she provides a reason for optimism about the role of renewables in our energy future. -- Kenneth W. Ford, author of 101 Quantum QuestionsWith all the justified excitement around the fracking revolution it’s crucial not to lose sight of the ultimate importance of renewables and energy efficiency. Mara Prentiss has written a highly valuable, scientifically grounded guide to the great things that are possible in both these spheres. -- Lawrence H. Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor and President Emeritus, Harvard University

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Book SynopsisThis book aims to present a systemic perspective to energetic transition to a discarbonated society implying an increase of energetic efficiency of current production process, new way of energy production - integration of renewable energies, re-use of wastes. Main societal functions are analyzed in order to highlight the ongoing process of technological and non-technological innovations: transport and mobility, food, building. The purpose of this book is to analyze from a global perspective the energetic innovative system on building and to understand the limits of its development and potential new actions.Table of ContentsPreface vii Introduction ix Chapter 1. A Necessary Transition? 1 1.1. Socio-technical systems facing their limits 2 1.1.1. Meeting global demographic pressures 3 1.1.2. Limiting the depletion of natural resources 4 1.1.3. Restrain environmental degradation 5 1.2. An analytical framework under construction: the Transition Studies 7 1.2.1. The emergence of “Transition Studies” 7 1.2.2. The transition as a process of socio-technical systems transformation 8 1.2.3. A transition supported by a systemic vision of innovation 11 1.3. Eco-innovations: facilitators of the transition? 19 1.3.1. Innovation for the environment 19 1.3.2. New management and innovation practices 22 Chapter 2. Energy Transitions 27 2.1. A socially structuring energy model 29 2.2. Fundamentals and characterization of the current energy system 31 2.2.1. Energy and the energy system 31 2.2.2. From primary energy to final energy 32 2.3. The limits of the current energy system 34 2.3.1. An evolution of the world’s energy consumption… 35 2.3.2. …which shrinks fossil energy reserves… 36 2.3.3. …and generates local and global environmental damage 38 2.4. Innovation in the energy transition 40 2.4.1. Improving the current system of energy production and adapting existing technologies to new constraints 41 2.4.2. Producing energy differently from non-carbon resources 43 2.4.3. Using energy differently: electromobility 47 2.4.4. Transition to a radically new energy system: the hydrogen economy 50 2.5. Barriers of the energy transition 55 2.5.1. Market failures 55 2.5.2. Systemic failures 56 Chapter 3. Agro-ecological Transitions 59 3.1. The notion of agro-ecology 60 3.1.1. Towards an ecologically intensive agriculture… 60 3.1.2. … and a sustainable food regime 61 3.2. The implementation of the agro-ecological transition 61 3.2.1. Changing agricultural production systems 62 3.2.2. Eco-innovations in agribusiness companies: a recent and moderate development 63 3.2.3. Consumers committed to the environment 65 3.3. Obstacles and levers for the agro-ecological transition 69 3.3.1. Process of locking and unlocking 69 3.3.2. Obstacles to the development of new agricultural practices 71 3.3.3. Blockages on the side of the agri-food sector 77 3.4. The levers for agro-ecological transition: the role of public policies 79 Conclusion 87 Bibliography 91 Index 115

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Book SynopsisOffers insights in energy efficient building from the world over, providing a multi-faceted overview of the energy efficient architecture. This title covers issues as daylighting, LED lighting, integrating renewables such as solar thermal and cooling, LEED and similar certification efforts, net-zero and close-zero structures, and more.Trade Review"Paying particular attention to the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East, architects and related professionals provide a reference to environmentally sustainable buildings for student and practicing architects. The topics include five case studies of low energy approaches to design-led schemes, residential deep energy retrofits in cold climates, new and existing case studies in Dubai, minimum energy housing in Cuba, daylighting..." --Reference & Research Book News, December 2013Table of ContentsPART I- METHODS & MATERIALS Sustainable Energy & Architecture Key Performance Characteristics of Sustainable Buildings Building Materials and Their Lifecycles Experiential Sustainability in the Corporate Environment Low Energy Approaches to Design-Led Schemes Deep Energy Retrofits for Existing Houses Daylighting The LED Lighting Revolution PART II- INT’L CASE STUDIES Dutch Efforts Toward Sustainable Built Environment Energy Efficiency Building Measures in Sweden Energy Efficient Buildings for the Sustainable Built Environment in Dubai Minimum Energy Housing in Cuba Sustainable Mediterranean Architecture PART III- ENERGY SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS IN CONTEXT ECOArchitects Sustainable Architecture in Cultural Context Learning from the Energy Efficient Past to Shape the Future Energy Efficient Buildings for the Sustainable Built Environment in Dubai Minimum Energy Housing in Cuba Sustainable Mediterranean Architecture PART III- ENERGY SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS IN CONTEXT ECOArchitects Sustainable Architecture in Cultural Context Learning from the Energy Efficient Past to Shape the Future

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Book SynopsisThis Third Edition of Sustainable Process Integration and Intensification extends the presentation of fundamentals of Energy Integration, Water Integration and CO2 management into Process Integration for waste valorisation and advanced Water Integration involving water mains and considering multiple contaminants. This edition is thoroughly updated and extended to include the latest developments and illustrated working sessions to assist readers in gaining a deeper understanding of the materials. The book is a suitable reference for graduate students as well as professionals seeking to apply Process Integration solutions in plant design and operation.

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