This open access book is compilation of selected papers from 2nd International Conference on Innovative Solutions in Hydropower Engineering and Civil Engineering (HECE 2022). The work focuses on novel techniques for topics in hydropower and sustainable development, maximizing and communicating the multiple benefits of hydro, the food-water-energy nexus approach, synergy among the renewables, making hydro more competitive (managing and mitigating risk), regional development through power trading, hydropower technology, civil engineering, materials for dams and appurtenant works, advances in design and construction techniques, recent developments in dam construction, monitoring and engineering for safe structures and sites. Hydropower offers significant potential for carbon emissions reductions. The installed capacity of hydropower by the end of 2008 contributed 16% of worldwide electricity supply, and hydropower remains the largest source of renewable energy in the electricity sector. The contents make valuable contributions to academic researchers, engineers in the industry, and regulators of hydropower and civil engineering authorities.

The Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA) is one of the most well-known techniques in the field of soft computing, an important paradigm in the science and engineering community. This volume, the proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Harmony Search Algorithm 2015 (ICHSA 2015), brings together contributions describing the latest developments in the field of soft computing with a special focus on HSA techniques. It includes coverage of new methods that have potentially immense application in various fields. Contributed articles cover aspects of the following topics related to the Harmony Search Algorithm: analytical studies; improved, hybrid and multi-objective variants; parameter tuning; and large-scale applications. The book also contains papers discussing recent advances on the following topics: genetic algorithms; evolutionary strategies; the firefly algorithm and cuckoo search; particle swarm optimization and ant colony optimization; simulated annealing; and local search techniques. This book offers a valuable snapshot of the current status of the Harmony Search Algorithm and related techniques, and will be a useful reference for practising researchers and advanced students in computer science and engineering.

This volume includes selected contributions presented during the 2nd edition of the international conference on WaterEnergyNEXUS which was held in Salerno, Italy in November 2018. This conference was organized by the Sanitary Environmental Engineering Division (SEED) of the University of Salerno (Italy) in cooperation with Advanced Institute of Water Industry at Kyungpook National University (Korea) and with The Energy and Resources Institute, TERI (India). The initiative received the patronage of UNESCO – World Water Association Programme (WWAP) and of the International Water Association (IWA) and was organized with the support of Springer (MENA Publishing Program), Arab Water Council (AWC), Korean Society of Environmental Engineering (KSEE) and Italian Society of Sanitary Environmental Engineering Professors (GITISA). With the support of international experts invited as plenary and keynote speakers, the conference aimed to give a platform for Euro-Mediterranean countries to share and discuss key topics on such water-energy issues through the presentation of nature-based solutions, advanced technologies and best practices for a more sustainable environment. This volume gives a general and brief overview on current research focusing on emerging Water-Energy-Nexus issues and challenges and its potential applications to a variety of environmental problems that are impacting the Euro-Mediterranean zone and surrounding regions. A selection of novel and alternative solutions applied worldwide are included. The volume contains over about one hundred carefully refereed contributions from 44 countries worldwide selected for the conference. Topics covered include (1) Nexus framework and governance, (2) Environmental solutions for the sustainable development of the water sector, (3) future clean energy technologies and systems under water constraints, (4) environmental engineering and management, (5) Implementation and best practices Intended for researchers in environmental engineering, environmental science, chemistry, and civil engineering. This volume is also an invaluable guide for industry professionals working in both water and energy sectors.

With increasing urbanization and development of society, advancement in geotechnical technologies is essential to the construction of infrastructures. Geotechnical Investigation is the first step of applying scientific methods and engineering principles to obtain solutions to civil engineering problems. The studies presented in this volume deal with the attempts made by scholars and engineers to address the latest development in geotechnical engineering such as characterization of geomaterials, slope stability, tunneling, mitigation of geohazards, and some other geotechnical issues that are quite relevant in today's world. This volume is based on contributions to the the GeoChina International Conference on Civil & Transportation Infrastructures: From Engineering to Smart & Green Life Cycle Solutions -- Nanchang, China, 2021.