Despite global concerns over dwindling resources, climate change and carbon dioxide emissions, fossil fuels still account for more than 80% of the world’s energy demands. As resources diminish and demand increases from rapidly developing nations such as China and India, the threat to both our environment and the security of our energy...

This book explores the technological challenges and applications of providing fast, 'always on' internet connections to the home. Current delivery mechanisms of broadband into and around the home are explored in depth, as well as the current and emerging applications of the technology. The authors discuss what drives people to adopt...

Power electronics, which is a rapidly growing area in terms of research and applications, uses modern electronics technology to convert electric power from one form to another, such as ac-dc, dc-dc, dc-ac, and ac-ac with a variable output magnitude and frequency. Power electronics has many applications in our every day life such as...

A Smart Grid delivers renewable energy as a main source of electricity from producers to consumers using two-way monitoring through Smart Meter technology that can remotely control consumer electricity use. This can help to storage excess energy; reduce costs, increase reliability and transparency, and make processes more efficiently....

• a brief history of wind energy
• the...

Despite efforts to increase renewables, the global energy mix is still likely to be dominated by fossil-fuels in the foreseeable future, particularly gas for electricity and oil for land, air and sea transport. The reliance on depleting conventional oil and natural gas resources  and the geographic distribution of these reserves can have...

A country's vision for developing renewable and sustainable energy resources is typically propelled by three important drivers – security, cost, and environmental impact. The U.S. currently accounts for a quarter of the world’s total oil consumption, with domestic demands necessitating – at an ever growing cost – a...