What's the solution to the world's growing energy problem?PERFECT POWERElectric usage is rising. Fuel costs are rocketing. Blackouts are happening more frequently. Why? Because our electrical power system--built on a vast network of resources including nuclear energy, natural gas, water, and coal--has become woefully outdated, increasingly expensive, and dangerously fragile. We need to change the current system, and we need to do it now.Written by bu...

How solar could spark a clean-energy transition through transformative innovation—creative financing, revolutionary technologies, and flexible energy systems.Solar energy, once a niche application for a limited market, has become the cheapest and fastest-growing power source on earth. What's more, its potential is nearly limitless—every hour the sun beams down more energy than the world uses in a year. But in Taming the Sun, energy expert Varun Sivaram war...

When industry giants such as GE, Toyota, and Sharp and investment firms such as Goldman Sachs are making multibillion-dollar investments in clean technology, the message is clear. Developing clean technologies is no longer a social issue championed by environmentalists; it's a moneymaking enterprise moving solidly into the business mainstream. In fact, as the economy faces unprecedented challenges from high energy prices, resource shortages, and global environmental and security threats, c...

How the best companies prepare for and manage modern vulnerabilities—from cybersecurity risks to climate change: new tools, processes and organizations for developing corporate resilience.A catastrophic earthquake is followed by a tsunami that inundates the coastline, and around the globe manufacturing comes to a standstill. State-of-the-art passenger jets are grounded because of a malfunctioning part. A strike halts shipments through a major port. A new digital de...

How the chip industry has responded to a series of crises over the past twenty-five years, often reinventing itself and shifting the basis for global competitive advantage.For decades the semiconductor industry has been a driver of global economic growth and social change. Semiconductors, particularly the microchips essential to most electronic devices, have transformed computing, communications, entertainment, and industry. In Chips and Change, Clair Brow...

If we can carry in our pockets more computing power than the Apollo program needed to put a man on the moon, why can't we solve problems like climate change, famine, or poverty? The answer lies, in part, in the distinctive challenges of creating innovations that address today's pressing environmental and social problems. In this groundbreaking book, Andrew Hargadon shows why sustainable innovation—the development of financially viable products that support a healthy environment and communi...

A practical guide to surviving—and even thriving—in the new economy where nearly any job can be automated with artificial intelligence.Let's face it: robots are coming for your job. Regardless of your profession, degree or experience, there is no escaping the automated future. However, you can take steps today that will guarantee you not only survive, but thrive in this new economy.The Robots Are Coming provides the first actionable guide to plan for...

The sixth installment of the Fisher Investments On series is a comprehensive guide to understanding and analyzing investment opportunities within the Technology sector. Fisher Investments on Technology can help you quickly become familiar with this highly diversified sector, how the sector is segmented by industries, their respective macroeconomic drivers, and the challenges facing Technology firms.This reliable guide skillfully addresses how to determine optimal ...

This report was prepared byGareth Davies and Christian Romig, John McShane and John Perkins, AFRY Management Consulting andZHAO Yongqiang, LIU Jian and HAN Xue, Energy Research Institute of National Reform and Development CommissionLEGAL DISCLAIMERThe information and views set out in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union, or ECECP. Neither the European Union nor ECECP...

The transition to clean energy is moving far too slowly. Trapped by a century of fossil fuel investments and politicians that struggle to plan beyond the next election, the “Big Grid” that powers our modern world is outdated and in dire need of an upgrade. Freeing Energy offers a new and faster path towards a clean energy future—one that is more reliable, more equitable, and cheaper. Just like personal computers eclipsed mainframes, millions of solar rooftops and small bat...

How America can rebuild its industrial landscape to sustain an innovative economy.America is the world leader in innovation, but many of the innovative ideas that are hatched in American start-ups, labs, and companies end up going abroad to reach commercial scale. Apple, the superstar of innovation, locates its production in China (yet still reaps most of its profits in the United States). When innovation does not find the capital, skills, and expertise it needs to...

The creation of a flexible, efficient, digitized, dependable and resilient power grid may well be the best route to increasing energy efficiency & security, as well as boosting the potential of renewable & distributed power sources. This book covers smart grids from A-Z, providing a complete treatment of the topic, covering both policy and technology, explaining the most recent innovations supporting its development, and clarifying how the smart grid can support the integration of renewabl...