Renewable Energy

This chapter presents an in-depth examination of major renewable energy technologies, including their installed capacity and energy supply in 2009 , the current state of market and technology development, their economic and financial feasibility in 2009 and in the near future, as well as major issues they may face relative to their sustainability or implementation. Renewable energy sources have been important for humankind since the beginning of civilization. For centuries, biomass has been used for heating, cooking, steam generation, and power production; solar energy has been used for heating and drying; geothermal energy has been used for hot water supplies; hydropower, for movement; and wind energy, for pumping and irrigation. For many decades renewable energy sources have also been used to produce electricity or other modern energy carriers

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

Renewable Energy

This chapter presents an in-depth examination of major renewable energy technologies, including their installed capacity and energy supply in 2009 , the current state of market and technology development, their economic and financial feasibility in 2009 and in the near future, as well as major issues they may face relative to their sustainability or implementation. Renewable energy sources have been important for humankind since the beginning of civilization. For centuries, biomass has been used for heating, cooking, steam generation, and power production; solar energy has been used for heating and drying; geothermal energy has been used for hot water supplies; hydropower, for movement; and wind energy, for pumping and irrigation. For many decades renewable energy sources have also been used to produce electricity or other modern energy carriers

Strategien fuer den Kommunalen Klimaschutz vor dem Hintergrund eines liberalisierten Energiemarktes

In times of liberalised energy markets and tight public budgets, municipalities have to develop new strategies to reach their targets for climate protection. As local utilities are bound by economic constraints more than before, their options to contribute to these targets are reduced significantly. But even within the new framework some chances for greenhouse gas reduction through utilities and energy markets still exist and they should be used. Because of these changes, municipalities are facing a stronger responsibility for climate change than before. These challenges can only be met if local authorities manage to integrate manifold local actors in a joint strategy for climate protection. Some municipalities have good experience in using instruments of co-operation and communication. From this, a new model of 'local climate action management' can be derived. Besides this, the study contains a systematic analysis of impediments for climate action on the local level and options to overcome these. This is supplemented by a description of criteria and procedures for the evaluation of economic effects of climate protection measures and an analysis of innovative financial and organisational schemes for climate action. In addition, a survey on the usage of instruments of co-operation and communication in local climate action is presented. (orig.)Angesichts der Liberalisierung des Energiemarktes, aber auch knapper kommunaler Haushalte muessen die Kommunen bei ihren Aktivitaeten zur Erreichung ihrer Klimaschutzziele neue Wege beschreiten. Da kommunale Versorgungsunternehmen ihr Handeln staerker als zuvor an betriebswirtschaftlichen Kriterien ausrichten, bestehen nur noch begrenzte Moeglichkeiten fuer ein Engagement der Stadtwerke im Klimaschutz. Innerhalb dieses Rahmens koennen jedoch weiterhin Spielraeume fuer ein klimapolitisches Engagement der Versorgungsunternehmen genutzt werden. Auf die Kommunen kommt eine staerkere Eigenverantwortung fuer den Klimaschutz zu. Diese Herausforderungen koennen die Kommunen nur meistern, wenn es ihnen gelingt, vielfaeltige Akteure auf lokaler Ebene in eine gemeinsame Klimaschutzstrategie einzubinden. Viele Kommunen haben hierfuer gute Erfahrungen beim Einsatz kommunikativer und kooperativer Instrumente gesammelt. Hieraus kann ein neues Leitbild 'kommunales Klimaschutzmanagement' entwickelt werden. Die Studie enthaelt darueber hinaus eine systematische Analyse der Hemmnisse im kommunalen Klimaschutz und moeglicher Loesungswege sowie eine Darstellung von Kriterien und Verfahren zur oekonomischen Bewertung von Klimaschutzmassnahmen. Hierauf aufbauend werden innovative Finanzierungsinstrumente und Organisationsformen fuer Klimaschutz-Aktvitaeten analysiert. Weiter wird eine Uebersicht ueber den Einsatz kommunikativer und kooperativer Instrumente im kommunalen Klimaschutz gegeben. (orig.)SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: RN 8908(2000,332) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekBundesministerium fuer Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit, Bonn (Germany)DEGerman