This book explores the complex relationship between energy and development and discusses the core issues and concepts surrounding this growing area of research and policy. In the field of energy and development, the world faces two major challenges: (1) Providing energy access to the roughly one billion people worldwide who do not have access to electricity and the nearly three billion people worldwide who do not have access to clean cooking fuels; (2) achieving socioeconomic development while limiting global atmospheric temperature increases to 2 degrees Celsius to mitigate climate change. Taking stock of progress, Frauke Urban explores the key issues surrounding these goals and addresses the policy responses aimed at ending energy poverty and achieving sustainable development. She outlines various options for delivering energy access, analyses past and prospective energy transitions and examines the social, environmental, economic and technological implications of these possibilities. Taking a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach and containing useful teaching resources, Energy and Development provides a comprehensive overview of this complex field of study. This book will be a great resource for postgraduate and undergraduate students, scholars, practitioners and policymakers working in the fields of energy studies, international development, environmental studies, industrial engineering, as well as social sciences that relate to energy and development.

Renewing Destruction examines how wind energy projects impact people and their environments. Wind energy development, in Mexico and most countries, fall into a ‘roll out’ neoliberal strategy that is justified by climate change mitigation programs that are continuing a process of land and wind resources grabbing for profit. The result has been an exaggeration of pre-existing problems in communities around land, income-inequality, local politics and, contrary to public relations stories, is devastating traditional livelihoods and socio-ecological relationships. Exacerbating pre-existing social and material problems in surrounding towns, wind energy development is placing greater stress on semi-subsistence communities, marginalizing Indigenous traditions and indirectly resulting in the displacement and migration of people into urban centers. Based on intensive fieldwork with local groups in Oaxaca, Mexico, this book provides an in-depth study, demonstrating the complications and problems that emerge with the current regime of ‘sustainable development’ and wind energy projects in Mexico, which has wider lessons to be drawn for other regions and countries. Put simply, the book reveals a tragic reality that calls into question the marketed hopes of the green economy and the current method of climate change mitigation. It shows the variegated impacts and issues associated with building wind energy parks, which extends to recognizing the destructive effects on Indigenous cultures and practices in the region. The book, however, highlights what to consider or, more importantly, what to avoid if one is working with industrial-scale wind energy systems.

The global demand for clean, renewable energy has rapidly expanded in recent years and will likely continue to escalate in the decades to come. Wind and solar energy systems often require large quantities of land and airspace, so their growing presence is generating a diverse array of new and challenging land use conflicts. Wind turbines can create noise, disrupt views or radar systems, and threaten bird populations. Solar energy projects can cause glare effects, impact pristine wilderness areas, and deplete water resources. Developers must successfully navigate through these and myriad other land use conflicts to complete any renewable energy project. Policymakers are increasingly confronted with disputes over these issues and are searching for rules to effectively govern them. Tailoring innovative policies to address the unique conflicts that arise in the context of renewable energy development is crucial to ensuring that the law facilitates rather than impedes the continued growth of this important industry. This book describes and analyses the property and land use policy questions that most commonly arise in renewable energy development. Although it focuses primarily on issues that have arisen within the United States, the book’s discussions of international policy differences and critiques of existing approaches make it a valuable resource for anyone exploring these issues in a professional setting anywhere in the world.

Energy is becoming a prominent driver of economic development. Each year, billions of dollars are invested around the world by the public and private sectors in low-emissions energy development and energy efficiency planning. Energy-based economic development (EBED) is a domain that seizes the opportunities inherent in clean energy development to drive innovation and generate economic growth. Energy-based economic development: How clean energy can drive development and stimulate economic growth delivers working definitions, common approaches, descriptions of supportive policy mechanisms, and suggested metrics for evaluation. The book offers a unified framework for EBED that is supported by examples and leaves readers better equipped to design, plan, and implement EBED initiatives. Case studies illustrate how national and subnational initiatives adopt to a locale’s energy asset base, energy and economic development needs, and the context in which the initiative operates. Descriptions of the energy projects supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act offer insights about what worked and what did not and suggest ways in which governments can be better prepared to manage EBED projects in the future. This book provides the tools necessary to work toward simultaneous energy and economic development goals and facilitates discussion for an advanced policy agenda of energy efficiency, energy diversification, innovation-led economic growth, and job creation.

Energy for Sustainable Development: Demand, Supply, Conversion and Management presents a comprehensive look at recent developments and provides guidance on energy demand, supply, analysis and forecasting of modern energy technologies for sustainable energy conversion. The book analyzes energy management techniques and the economic and environmental impact of energy usage and storage. Including modern theories and the latest technologies used in the conversion of energy for traditional fossil fuels and renewable energy sources, this book provides a valuable reference on recent innovations. Researchers, engineers and policymakers will find this book to be a comprehensive guide on modern theories and technologies for sustainable development.

First Published in 2009. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Brings together disparate conversations about wildlife conservation and renewable energy, suggesting ways these two critical fields can work hand in hand. Renewable energy is often termed simply "green energy," but its effects on wildlife and other forms of biodiversity can be quite complex. While capturing renewable resources like wind, solar, and energy from biomass can require more land than fossil fuel production, potentially displacing wildlife habitat, renewable energy infrastructure can also create habitat and promote species health when thoughtfully implemented. The authors of Renewable Energy and Wildlife Conservation argue that in order to achieve a balanced plan for addressing these two crucially important sustainability issues, our actions at the nexus of these fields must be directed by current scientific information related to the ecological effects of renewable energy production. Synthesizing an extensive, rapidly growing base of research and insights from practitioners into a single, comprehensive resource, contributors to this volume • describe processes to generate renewable energy, focusing on the Big Four renewables—wind, bioenergy, solar energy, and hydroelectric power • review the documented effects of renewable energy production on wildlife and wildlife habitats • consider current and future policy directives, suggesting ways industrial-scale renewables production can be developed to minimize harm to wildlife populations • explain recent advances in renewable power technologies • identify urgent research needs at the intersection of renewables and wildlife conservation Relevant to policy makers and industry professionals—many of whom believe renewables are the best path forward as the world seeks to meet its expanding energy needs—and wildlife conservationists—many of whom are alarmed at the rate of renewables-related habitat conversion—this detailed book culminates with a chapter underscoring emerging opportunities in renewable energy ecology. Contributors: Edward B. Arnett, Brian B. Boroski, Regan Dohm, David Drake, Sarah R. Fritts, Rachel Greene, Steven M. Grodsky, Amanda M. Hale, Cris D. Hein, Rebecca R. Hernandez, Jessica A. Homyack, Henriette I. Jager, Nicole M. Korfanta, James A. Martin, Christopher E. Moorman, Clint Otto, Christine A. Ribic, Susan P. Rupp, Jake Verschuyl, Lindsay M. Wickman, T. Bently Wigley, Victoria H. Zero