Age of Auto Electric by
The electric vehicle revival reflects negotiations between public policy, which promotes clean, fuel-efficient vehicles, and the auto industry, which promotes high-performance vehicles. Electric cars were once as numerous as internal combustion engine cars before all but vanishing from American roads around World War I. Now, we are in the midst of an electric vehicle revival, and the goal for a sustainable car seems to be within reach. In Age of Auto Electric, Matthew N. Eisler shows that the halting development of the electric car in the intervening decades was a consequence of tensions between environmental, energy, and economic policy imperatives that informed a protracted reappraisal of the automobile system. These factors drove the electric vehicle revival, argues Eisler, hastening automaking's transformation into a science-based industry in the process. Challenging the common assumption that the electric vehicle revival is due to the development of better batteries, Age of Auto Electricinstead focuses on changing environmental and socioeconomic conditions, energy and environmental policies, systems of energy conversion and industrial production, and innovation practices that affected the prevalence and popularity of electric vehicles in recent decades. Eisler describes a world in transition from legacy to alternative energy-conversion systems and the promises, compromises, new problems, and unintended consequences that enterprise has entailed.
Alternative Energy by
The second edition of Alternative Energy: Political, Economic, and Social Feasibility builds on the first edition, but with significant updates on dramatic changes within the renewable energy sector over the last decade. Christopher Simon discusses the basic technical aspects of major renewable energy systems and technological developments and considers the impact of politics on energy policy using contemporary theories of public policy--such as, Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), Punctuated Equilibrium (PE), Narrative Policy Framework, and Policy Diffusion--as well as discussing the evolution of the social feasibility of renewable energy. The author expands his discussion of alternative energy solutions to consider nuclear power developments and feasibility in the post-Fukushima policy environment. International commitment to renewable energy is also addressed.
Sustainable Structures and Buildings by
This open access book includes detail on various structures, buildings, and building materials from different structural and sustainability perspectives. It describes how the building industry is vital for the achievement of the sustainable development goals, namely, economic growth, social progress, and the effective protection of the environment. The aim of this collection is to foster the design and construction of sustainable structures and buildings to reduce the environmental load, connect with the environment, and benefit the health of occupants. Presenting the knowledge, trends, and developments from a group of contributors in the field working with different kinds of structures, structural components, buildings, and building materials, the book is ideal for practitioners working in commercial settings, as well as engineering students and researchers concerned with sustainability issues.
