Energy Consumption

The First and Second Industrial Revolutions were about energy: steam power revolutionized 19th-century Great Britain and electric power revolutionized 20th-century America. Yet political economy, the science of wealth born of the First Industrial Revolution, is devoid of energy, focusing instead on machinery or capital. According to basic mechanics, tools per se are not productive, as they are not source of energy. This book uses basic mechanics and thermodynamics to reexamine the rise of political economy as the science of wealth in the 19th and 20th centuries. The study shows that the failure of generations of political economists to incorporate energy into their models of production and distribution has led to the unfortunate state in which economics currently finds itself. With the inclusion of energy, important insights result. For instance, the Solow Residual in both 19th-century Great Britain and 20th-century America disappears.

This book examines the history and prospects of the European energy sector for the last twenty-five and the next twenty-five years. The energy sector in Europe is faced with two challenges. On the one hand, economic integration and internationalization of markets, on the other the risks posed by climate change and the likelihood of further demands by consumers and governments to restructure the sector in line with a more environmentalist agenda. The authors' analysis is rooted in a careful examination of the factors that have shaped energy in Europa over the last twenty-five years, its regulatory systems, its corporate structure, and the role of energy and environmental policies. The book then examines how these might or might not be transformed in the light of intensified and accelerated economic and political integration in Europe or if the sector is faced with sustained pressure to restructure from the environmental lobby. The authors conclude that whatever major changes may be in the offing in the early twenty-first century, they will have to work through the structures of the twentieth century which are not going to yield easily either to economic internationalization or political environmentalism.

This book documents and analyzes the existence of a strong, and growing, synergy between technological progress and the use of electrified production techniques in the United States during the twentieth century. The authors use two types of information in their work: case studies of the ways in which technological progress in particular industries and economic sectors has depended upon the adoption of electrified methods of production and aggregative long-term national economic statistics that measure the changing relationship over time between increases in the use of electricity and other factor inputs and the growth in industrial productivity. Eleven of the book's thirteen chapters cover the case studies, while the remaining two chapters and the statistical appendix contain the broad quantitative findings and supporting data.

China has reduced the energy intensity of its economy dramatically. This book explores how this reduction was achieved and determines the major sources of energy savings. Using extensive data, the author examines the impacts of technological and structural changes on energy consumption and identifies the factors that were primarily responsible for the energy-efficiency improvements. It is an interesting work that will be useful for policy makers in assessing the energy consequences of development strategies and for economists in analyzing the relationship between energy use and economic growth.

What has happened in Latin America's energy sector since the early 1990s is a revolution. Roles of state energy companies, private investment, and foreign capital are rapidly changing. This comprehensive study from the East-West Center presents an in-depth analysis and realistic forecast of Latin America's energy growth and consumption of primary energy and petroleum products. It also explores relationships between Latin American producers and U.S. and international energy markets. Here is invaluable information for energy economists, policy makers, government regulatory officials, oil company executives, and those interested in gaining an insight into the Latin American energy sector and its future.

Energy planning is integral to industrial and business management. This book explores the options for policy decisions that are sure to impact the next century. These decisions will affect reduced fossil fuel use, energy efficiency, carbon taxes, development of renewable energy sources and modern transport systems.

Includes the proceedings of the May 2002 e-Vision 2002 Conference, a gathering of the nation's leading energy experts to discuss ways to reduce U.S. economic energy intensity.