Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Energy

The internal heat of the planet Earth represents an inexhaustible reservoir of thermal energy. This form of energy, known as geothermal energy has been utilized throughout human history in the form of hot water from hot springs. Modern utilization of geothermal energy includes direct use of the heat and its conversion to other forms of energy, mainly electricity. Geothermal energy is a form of renewable energy and its use is associated with very little or no CO2-emissions and its importance as an energy source has greatly increased as the effects of climate change become more prominent. Because of its inexhaustibility it is obvious that utilization of geothermal energy will become a cornerstone of future energy supplies. The exploration of geothermal resources has become an important topic of study as geology and earth science students prepare to meet the demands of a rapidly growing industry, which involves an increasing number professionals and public institutions participating in geothermal energy related projects. This book meets the demands of both groups of readers, students and professionals. Geothermal Energy and its utilization is systematically presented and contains the necessary technical information needed for developing and understanding geothermal energy projects. It presents basic knowledge on the Earths thermal regime and its geothermal energy resources, the types of geothermal energy used as well as its future potential and the perspectives of the industry. Specific chapters of the book deal with borehole heat exchangers and with the direct use of groundwater and thermal water in hydrogeothermal systems. A central topic are Enhanced Geothermal Systems (hot-dry-rock systems), a key technology for energy supply in the near future. Pre-drilling site investigations, drilling technology, well logging and hydraulic test programs are important subjects related to the exploration phase of developing Geothermal Energy sites. The chemical composition of the natural waters used as a heat transport medium in geothermal systems can be used as an exploration tool, but chemistry is also important during operation of a geothermal power plant because of potential scale formation and corrosion of pipes and installations, which needs to be prevented. Graduate students and professionals will find in depth information on Geothermal Energy, its exploration and utilization.

Geothermal Energy

Differential Evolution

Differential Evolution

Differential evolution is a very simple but very powerful stochastic optimizer. Since its inception, it has proved very efficient and robust in function optimization and has been applied to solve problems in many scientific and engineering fields. In Differential Evolution , Dr. Qing begins with an overview of optimization, followed by a state-of-the-art review of differential evolution, including its fundamentals and up-to-date advances. He goes on to explore the relationship between differential evolution strategies, intrinsic control parameters, non-intrinsic control parameters, and problem features through a parametric study. Findings and recommendations on the selection of strategies and intrinsic control parameter values are presented. Lastly, after an introductory review of reported applications in electrical and electronic engineering fields, different research groups demonstrate how the methods can be applied to such areas as: multicast routing, multisite mapping in grid environments, antenna arrays, analog electric circuit sizing, electricity markets, stochastic tracking in video sequences, and color quantization.

Differential Evolution

Making Competition Work in Electricity

Making Competition Work in Electricity

An expert’s perspective on how competition can make this industry work. There has never been a coherent plan to restructure the electricity industry in the US???until now. Power expert Sally Hunt gets down to the critical lessons learned from the California power crisis and other deregulated markets, in which competition has been introduced properly and successfully.

Making Competition Work in Electricity

The Nuclear Environmentalist

The Nuclear Environmentalist

This book explains how society will face an energy crisis in the coming decades owing to increasing scarcity of fossil fuels and climate change impacts. It carefully explores this coming crisis and concisely examines all of the major technologies related to energy production (fossil fuels, renewables, and nuclear) and their impacts on our society and environment. The author argues that it is wrong to pit alternatives to fossil fuels against each other and proposes that nuclear energy, although by no means free of problems, can be a viable source of reliable and carbon-free electricity. He concludes by calling for a diversified and rational mix of electricity generation in order to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis. Throughout, the book is spiced with science, history, and anecdotes in a way that ensures rewarding reading without loss of rigor.

The Nuclear Environmentalist