This useful, one-stop resource for understanding the most important issues in materials challenges in alternative and renewable energy. The logically organized and carefully selected articles give insight into materials challenges in alternative renewable energy and incorporate the latest developments related to materials challenges in alternative renewable energy, including hydrogen, batteries and energy storage materials, hydropower, and biomass.

The overall efficiency, effectiveness, and practicality of potential future energy sources and systems are directly related to many materials-related factors. This volume features 30 papers presented during the 2012 Materials Challenges in Alternative and Renewable Energy Conference. They cover the latest developments involving materials for alternative and renewable energy sources and systems, including batteries and energy storage, hydrogen, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and nuclear, as well as materials availability, the energy grid, and nanocomposites.

"In the 20th century, cheap and abundant energy brought previously unimaginable advances in health, wealth, and technology, and fed an explosion in population and consumption. But this growth came at an incredible cost. Climate change, peak oil, freshwater depletion, species extinction, and a host of economic and social problems now challenge us as never before. The Post Carbon Reader features articles by some of the world's most provocative thinkers on the key drivers shaping this new century, from renewable energy and urban agriculture to social justice and systems resilience. This unprecedented collection takes a hard-nosed look at the interconnected threats of our global sustainability quandary--as well as the most promising responses. The Post Carbon Reader is a valuable resource for policymakers, college classrooms, and concerned citizens."--Publisher's description.

Selected, peer reviewed papers from the 9TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION, “INTER-ACADEMIA 2010”, August 9 to August 12, 2010, in Latvia at the Riga Technical University, Riga

This useful, one-stop resource for understanding the most important issues in materials challenges in alternative and renewable energy. The logically organized and carefully selected articles give insight into materials challenges in alternative renewable energy and incorporate the latest developments related to materials challenges in alternative renewable energy, including hydrogen, batteries and energy storage materials, hydropower, and biomass.

This book reviews alternative and renewable energy resources in order to pave the way for a more sustainable production in the future. A multi-disciplinary team of authors provides a comprehensive overview of current technologies and future trends, including solar technologies, wind energy, hydropower, microbial electrochemical systems and various biomass sources for biofuel production. In addition, the book focuses on solutions for developing countries. Conventional energy sources are finite, and estimates suggest that they will be exhausted within a few decades. Finding a solution to this problem is a global challenge, and developing countries in particular are still highly dependent on fossil fuels due to their rapidly growing populations accompanied by a huge growth in primary energy consumption. Moreover, the most common conventional energy sources (coal and petroleum) are non-sustainable since their combustion exponentially increases greenhouse gas emissions. As such, there is a pressing need for clean energy based on alternative or renewable resources, not only to ensure energy supplies at an affordable price but also to protect the environment.

The United States and China are the world's top two energy consumers and, as of 2010, the two largest economies. Consequently, they have a decisive role to play in the world's clean energy future. Both countries are also motivated by related goals, namely diversified energy portfolios, job creation, energy security, and pollution reduction, making renewable energy development an important strategy with wide-ranging implications. Given the size of their energy markets, any substantial progress the two countries make in advancing use of renewable energy will provide global benefits, in terms of enhanced technological understanding, reduced costs through expanded deployment, and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to conventional generation from fossil fuels. Within this context, the U.S. National Academies, in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), reviewed renewable energy development and deployment in the two countries, to highlight prospects for collaboration across the research to deployment chain and to suggest strategies which would promote more rapid and economical attainment of renewable energy goals. Main findings and concerning renewable resource assessments, technology development, environmental impacts, market infrastructure, among others, are presented. Specific recommendations have been limited to those judged to be most likely to accelerate the pace of deployment, increase cost-competitiveness, or shape the future market for renewable energy. The recommendations presented here are also pragmatic and achievable.