Sustainable Energy And Fuels

Systems that produce, deliver, and consume energy all around us are under- going a transition. This is a textbook that I hope reaches people interested in learning about the socio-ecological dimensions of energy system transi- tions from multiple disciplinary perspectives, including ideas and concepts from engineering, economics, and life-cycle assessment to sociology, polit- ical science, anthropology, policy studies, the humanities, arts, and some interdisciplinary thinkers that defy categories. One prominent voice in cur- rent debates about energy transitions are argue to act on decarbonizing energy systems to mitigate climate impacts from carbon pollution from energy supplies. But other socio-ecological systems will be transformed and may benefit from shifts in energy use and production patterns.

Systems that produce, deliver, and consume energy all around us are under- going a transition. This is a textbook that I hope reaches people interested in learning about the socio-ecological dimensions of energy system transi- tions from multiple disciplinary perspectives, including ideas and concepts from engineering, economics, and life-cycle assessment to sociology, polit- ical science, anthropology, policy studies, the humanities, arts, and some interdisciplinary thinkers that defy categories. One prominent voice in cur- rent debates about energy transitions are argue to act on decarbonizing energy systems to mitigate climate impacts from carbon pollution from energy supplies. But other socio-ecological systems will be transformed and may benefit from shifts in energy use and production patterns. In 2020, 80% of global energy is still supplied from fossil fuels. Many places have taken great strides toward decarbonizing some aspects of life in 2020, but there are many miles to go to make a sustainable future.

As India progresses fast in the 21st century, we also face daunting challenges of energy security and climate change. Tremendous development in various sectors like industry, agriculture, transport has resulted in huge rise in demand for energy. Fulfilling these demands through conventional fossil fuel based energy generation has given rise to significant emissions (both gaseous and liquids) that have caused pollution to atmosphere and aquatic eco-systems. Use of sustainable and green (or renewable) resources and technologies offers a viable and promising solutions to these issues. Last two decades have witnessed intense research activities in Indian academic institutions on renewable energy resources. These include biofuels (both liquid and gaseous) through thermochemical and biochemical conversion of biomass, solar energy through thermal and photo-voltaic routes, wind energy and hydroelectric energy. North-East Research Conclave (NERC) – 2022 was organized by Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati with aim of bringing together researchers in diverse fields of science and technology and provide a knowledge-sharing platform to achieve sustainable development goals.