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This training package on “Sustainable Energy Regulation and Policymaking for Africa” provides an introduction to the key issues relating to the energy market and energy regulation, as they affect sustainable energy (energy efficiency, cogeneration and renewable energy).

growth is being slowed by insufficient electricity grid infrastructure, hesitant investors, and rising raw material costs, notably for copper and steel

People power

A lack of trained technicians and engineers also weighs heavily on the minds of the industry. Finding enough skilled workers "is an enormous challenge in Europe," according to Kjaer, who cited examples of companies that are simply unable to fill dozens of vacancies for qualified engineers technical staff.

Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan said late Friday that it made the investment because of Railpower's "market potential" and what it sees as increasingly stringent environmental regulations targeted at the rail sector.

EnerDel’s Li ion solution for the Electric Vehicle drive train is designed to have higher energy density than HEV cells and to enable vehicles to last up to a goal of 100 miles (160 kilometers) without recharging.

Ultracapacitors' Rapid Charge/Discharge Capabilities Boost Acceleration and Increase Braking Energy Recuperation Efficiency, Reducing Fuel Consumption and Emissions

The true potential for saving energy involves a much bigger story, one that requires taking into account the entire power train. That’s because an energy efficient motor can reduce energy use by only 10%, even under optimum operating conditions. Far more important in saving significant amounts of energy are the use of electronic speed controls, which can reduce energy use by 30%, and optimizing mechanical systems, which can reduce energy use 60%.

The paper discusses the use of a dual energy storage system based on batteries and supercapacitors in hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). The battery has a large energy density, enabling an all-electric driving range of 100 km, while the supercapacitor has a large power density and provides peak power during acceleration and regenerative breaking. The paper discusses the benefits and drawbacks of both storage systems and the specific requirements imposed by the hybrid drive train. Coupling such a HEV to the grid allows interaction between grid and HEV, providing the grid with a controllable load. Depending on the communication between the hybrid fleet and the grid, this load can be controlled by adjusting the electricity price in order to allow a higher penetration of intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind parks in the grid and if the communication allows the transmission system operator to reduce the load imposed on the grid by the hybrid fleet, the hybrid fleet can become part of the secondary frequency control reserve. In case of sudden demand or supply fluctuations, the hybrid fleet can assist in primary control of the grid. Due to the dual energy storage system the HEVs can also provide fast load tracking to keep the voltage in microgrids at the desired set point. An experimental setup with a battery, grid coupling and induction machine proves the feasibility of the concept.

Lithium-ion cells are poised to take an increasing share of the auto battery market, just as electric drive seems set to begin a long, slow climb to become, at last, a serious power-train option. But what’s rarely understood is how much that second revolution depends on the first.

This question is generated by an advertising campaign by the railroad industry, which is arguing that a good way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to move more freight by rail rather than by truck. An example of the industry's ads can be seen on the Web site www.freightrailworks.org.