Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. Solar and Geothermal Energies Are Sustainable; Nuclear Power Is Not 3. Renewables—The Politics and Economics Behind Them 4. The Constructal Design Applied to Renewable Energy Systems 5. Integration of Renewable Energy Technologies in Buildings and Cities 6. Next Developments in Solar Thermal Technologies 7. Advances in Solar-Assisted Air Conditioning Systems for Tropical-Humid Locations 8. Absorption Thermodynamic Cycles: Advanced Cycles Based on Ammonia/Salt 9. Hybrid Solar and Geothermal Heating and Cooling 10. Thermal Energy Storage Systems for Solar Applications 11. Solar Photocatalytic Energy 12. Novel Solar Fuels from H2O and CO2 13. Tannins as Precursors of Supercapacitor Electrodes 14. Recent Contributions in the Development of Fuel Cell Technologies 15. Towards More Sustainable Aeronautics via the Use of Biofuels 16. Solar Cooking for All 17. Sustainable Wind Energy Systems 18. Tidal Current Technologies: Brief Overview and In-Depth Coverage of the State of the Art 19. From Large Dams to Sustainable Hydropower 20. Bioenergy Principles and Applications 21. Advanced Biomethane Processes 22. Human Energy: System Integration, Efficiency, Recovery 23. Sustainable Energy for Houses

About the Author

Eduardo A. Rincón was the Chair of the Solar Energy Division (2013-2014) and Chair of the Solar Heating and Cooling of the SED Technical Committee (2009-2013) for the American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He is Member of the Board of Directors (2005- ) and was the Secretary (2008-2009) for the International Solar Energy Society (ISES). He was the President of the Mexican Solar Energy Association (2002-2004). Other positions are: International Energy Foundation, Board of Directors Member (2002- ). Member of the Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) of North America (2004-2008). In 2004 he received the Mexican Renewable Energy Award from the Ministry of Energy, Mexico. Professor Rincón works primarily in the area of Renewable Energy Technologies, with an emphasis on affordable solar technologies. His current research focus is the development of solar concentrators using non-imaging optics for applications such as solar cooking, water distillation, space heating, steam generation for industrial and residential uses, and high-flux research. Some of his latest developments include affordable small-scale wind generators, high-efficiency solar ovens and solar hotplates. He has authored over 40 articles in scientific and research journals. He has supervised over 60 graduate theses and taught Thermal Science as well as specific courses on solar energy applications, wind generators, and renewable energy systems.


Alejandro de Las Heras (Demography DEA at Paris Sorbonne, PhD in Environmental Sciences at University of East Anglia) is an independent researcher based in Spain. He has worked with grassroots movements and NGOs in Mali, France and Mexico. He has also taught in higher education in England and Mexico. He has made systematic inroads in and published on applied sustainability: mammal conservation, predictions of deforestation, contraception and population dynamics, toxicological and cancer implications of dominant technologies. His current research and practice area is domestic biomethane production using waste, as part of his longterm interest in technology sustainability. With CRC Press he has edited Sustainable Science and Technology: An Introduction, Boca Raton, 2014.

Reviews

"The authors succeeded splendidly in leading a team of recognized experts in their respective fields, producing a fascinating book that takes the reader straight to the state-of-the art, as well as outlining the course of future development. In addition, policy issues are being covered at a cusp in history when vested interests in conventional fossil and nuclear energies are using their established access to policy formulation in order to delay the inevitable transition to the global democratization of power through Sustainable Energy Technologies. Hence, policy decision makers, students and specialists will benefit from this comprehensive and highly recommended publication. "
—Dieter Holm , University of Pretoria, South Africa