Advanced Energy Perspectives

This post is one in a series of feature stories on trends shaping advanced energy markets in the U.S. and around the world, drawn from Advanced Energy Now 2015 Market Report, which was prepared for AEE by Navigant Research. 

While one of the key indicators of a society’s advance is the degree to which it can distance itself from its trash, waste is increasingly viewed as a strategic resource. Recently surpassing 7 billion people, the world’s population is not only growing in number, but its propensity to consume is also accelerating. In 2014, an estimated 1.5 billion tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) was generated globally. This total is expected to surpass 2 billion tons annually within the next 10 years. According to the World Bank’s 2012 report “What a Waste,” the amount of MSW generated worldwide is growing faster than the rate of urbanization. With waste generation rates set to more than double over the next 20 years in low- and middle-income countries, the costs of managing waste disposal are expected to see a steep rise – but so are opportunities to leverage advanced technologies across the waste value chain.

This post is one in a series of feature stories on trends shaping advanced energy markets in the U.S. and around the world, drawn from Advanced Energy Now 2015 Market Report, which was prepared for AEE by Navigant Research. 

Combined heat and power (CHP), also known as cogeneration, simultaneously generates electricity and useful heat in an integrated system. This application of technology achieves greater levels of overall efficiency than separate heat and power systems because heat that is wasted in conventional electric generating systems is recovered and put to use. CHP systems can reach thermal efficiencies up to 85%. CHP provides highly efficient electricity and process heat to many industries in the United States; 83 GW of CHP capacity are installed in the United States, which is approximately 8 percent of the national electricity generation capacity and 12 percent of annual power generation. Navigant Research estimates the vast majority of CHP is used for industrial applications, 80% to 90% of the total.

This post is one in a series of feature stories on trends shaping advanced energy markets in the U.S. and around the world, drawn from Advanced Energy Now 2015 Market Report, which was prepared for AEE by Navigant Research. 

Industrial companies that have high energy consumption rates can benefit immensely from understanding and managing energy consumption within their facilities and throughout the entire enterprise.  The implementation of an industrial energy management system (IEMS) has become critical to this understanding. An IEMS provides the capability to bring information and knowledge of all aspects of energy-related matters into the present, where cost-effective tactics can be employed to reduce inefficiencies and avoid high demand charges. 

This post is one in a series of feature stories on trends shaping advanced energy markets in the U.S. and around the world, drawn from Advanced Energy Now 2015 Market Report, which was prepared for AEE by Navigant Research. 

The biofuels industry has made great strides in the past decade, with ethanol and biodiesel becoming established commodities traded on all continents and more than 32 billion gallons produced in 2014. But future growth is less certain, especially in terms of biofuel as an alternative fuel for ground transportation in developed countries. Still, there are significant opportunities in niche fuel markets, as well as new potential in emerging markets where bioenergy could play a greater role.