In the discussion on innovations for sustainable development, radical innovations are frequently called for in order to transform society into a system perceived as sustainable successfully. The reason for this is the greater environmental efficiency of these innovations. This hypothesis is,...

In recent years there have been several heat waves affecting the use of thermoelectric power plants, e.g. in Europe and the U.S. In this paper the linkage between hydro-climatic conditions and possible electricity generation restrictions is described. The coupling of hydrological models and a...

Decisions of electricity suppliers on investments in low-carbon energy technologies like PV (photovoltaics) and CCS (carbon capture and storage) depend on the expected profits or surpluses that can be earned. For an assessment of the profitability of investments in PV (and other renewable energy...

In highly developed countries electricity generation is one of the largest water users. Water is mainly used in the cooling processes of thermal power plants. In as yet less developed countries, electricity requirements are also increasing in step with increasing production and standard of...

Climate change tends to negatively affect the power sector, inter alia, by causing cooling problems in power plants and impairing the water supply required for hydropower generation. In the future, when global warming is expected to increase, autonomous adaptation to climate change via...

In the course of European efforts to mitigate global warming, the application of carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technologies is discussed as a potential option. Some political opposition was raised – inter alia – by uncertainties about the effective cost of such technologies....