The kinetic energy in river streams, tidal currents, or other artificial water channels has been used as a feasible source of renewable power through different conversion systems. Thus, hydrokinetic energy conversion systems are attracting worldwide interest as another form of distributed alternative energy. Because these systems are still in early stages of development, the basic approaches need significant research. The main challenges are not only to have efficient systems, but also to convert energy more economically so that the cost-benefit analysis drives the growth of this alternative energy form. One way to view this analysis is in terms of the energy conversion efficiency per unit cost. This study presents a detailed assessment of a prototype hydrokinetic energy system along with power output costs. This experimental study was performed using commercial low-cost blades of 20 in diameter inside a tank with water flow speed up to 1.3 m/s. The work was divided into two stages: (a) a fixed-pitch blade configuration, using a radial permanent magnet generator (PMG), and (b) the same hydrokinetic turbine, with a variable-pitch blade and an axial-flux PMG. The results indicate that even though the efficiency of a simple blade configuration is not high, the power coefficient is in the range of other, more complicated designs/prototypes. Additionally, the low manufacturing and operation costs of this system offer an option for low-cost distributed power applications.

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The value of statistical life is an estimate of the monetary benefits of preventing an anonymous death. Society's willingness to pay to eliminate private health risks determines agencies' value-of-statistical-life estimates. Most estimates ignore society's willingness to pay to eliminate others' health risks. There are two possible reasons. First, altruism does not exist: Peter is not willing to pay to save Paul's life. The second possible reason is a bit more complicated. Certain economists argue that increasing benefit estimates to account for altruism involves double-counting. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate these possibilities. Accounting for altruism, it turns out, is not double-counting if altruism is paternalistic. Furthermore, I empirically demonstrate that people are willing to pay to reduce others' health risks. Thus, the two justifications for ignoring altruism are, seemingly, unfounded, which indicates that analysts should increase the value of statistical life to account for altruism.

The demand for energy is forever growing. The technology of extracting power from uranium through nuclear facilities is rather old. Core melting, nuclear bombs, uranium extraction costs and the question what to do with the wastes has hindered countries from exploiting this resource. The technology of extraction, containment and refinement has however come a far way since the beginning. There is a need of revaluing this method of generating power. What better way of doing this than making a cost and benefit analysis upon Nuclear Power. If the costs of overweight the benefits, the governments should dismount the reactors in the involved country. If it’s the other way around; benefits surpassing costs, there should be a development within this sector. In this thesis we will analyze a cost-benefit-analysis of new nuclear power generation in the UK. We will explain how a CBA is constructed, give some examples of cost and benefits of nuclear power and with this knowledge we will then critically look at the 2006 CBA of new nuclear power in UK (Kennedy) which compares costs and benefits of nuclear new build with conventional gas-fired generation and low carbon technologies.

Taiwan Coastal-Offshore Fisheries, for lack of effective fisheries conservation, which are in face of random competition and excessive exploitation of resources under vicious circle, have made resources exhausted in the sea area near Taiwan and have diminished catch of fish. CPUE (Catch per Unit of Effort) was decreased year after year because of excessive competition, so that it caused income of the fishing population to get in a crisis. The fact that we know, in order to solve effectively the operating difficult position in Coastal-Offshore Fisheries, is that the government adopt an phase-in on elimination and construction system in connection with the fishing boat and some measures of vessels reduction, for reducing amount of fishing boat and fishing effort, to promote the vitality and the competitive ability of production in Coastal-Offshore Fisheries. The basic theory of vessels reduction comes from the following backgrounds: 1. A viewpoint of economy in bio-ecology: when experts decide the whole policy according to this mode, the goal to determine fishing effort can be selected among divers fishing effort which was made by laissez-faire economy of completely free competition, Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY), and Maximum Economic Yield (MEY) . 2. A viewpoint of welfare economics: to achieve the goal of welfare economics with the thoughts of whole people, the intersection of marginal cost and average income is the most proper that we can obtain from the maximum sum of producers surplus and consumers surplus as fishing effort. 3. A viewpoint of external diseconomies: when marginal value of people is equal to marginal cost of fishing population, this point will be the most proper for fishing effort. The purpose of study in this thesis is to use a method of analysis exploring the correctness of vessels reduction program that the fishery authorities in our government execute, and to look over its effect to find out whether it has achieved the goal we expected. We have discovered the result through cost-benefit analysis of actual examples, of which the vessels reduction program to purchase the old fishing boats for lack of a complete set of other measures which based on fishing effort and fishery management in the theory of vessels reduction , will cause the measures to fail to improve remarkably these two important goals¢wto decrease the fishing pressure, and to promote the fishing gains¢win an expectable time. This study propose that the vessels reduction program could consider cutting down fishing effort with other methods for pursuing the eternal development in Coastal-Offshore Fisheries, such as to rest fishing and to carry out the measures of a complete set in a ration system, and that the effect, except the proper fishing effort made by the consideration in basic theory of vessels reduction , will be better. Furthermore, an object of vessels reduction should not only be limited to the old fishing boats over 15 years of age, but also take the ones as object which remain working at sea and have reached over 2 years of age in case of uneasy or bad operation. As before, it will be able to attain the aim of decreasing competition in fishing circles.

This study reviews the literature and updates qualitative and quantitative impacts based on new research and applies a partial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cost benefit analysis to the Three Gorges Dam Project (TGDP) in China. The results of CBA suggested a 22.305 billion dollars net present value (using Nordhaus’s 2007 optimal carbon price trajectory with assumed average social discount rate (SDR) of 4% assumptions) and a 440.324 billion dollars net present value (based on Nordhaus’s Model using Stern’s assumption with 1% SDR). This sensitivity analysis indicates that social discount rates highly affect the final results. This study extends the GHG emissions impact component by updating carbon prices and calculation methods, thereby updating the GHG component of Morimoto and Hope’s 2004 study. Although the CBA is limited to the GHG component, a review of recent literature and preliminary impact analysis provides the groundwork for a more comprehensive analysis for future study.

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Different cost effective design methods have been developed to reduce the cost of buildings, of which structural optimum design methods and cost effective designs methods using estimating data, are the most common. However, there is no record of the use of cost effective design methods in practice. Consequently, potential benefits of such methods remain untapped. This research evaluated the cost savings through cost effective design methods, identified difficulties involved in their use and examined favourable conditions for the implementation of such methods in design practice. The research aimed at investigating whether or not the opinion among practising designers, (structural engineers and architects) that "cost benefits through cost effective designs are insignificant and methods are not practical" is justified. Previous researchers have developed cost effective design methods, but very little has been done to change the opinion of building designers regarding these methods. A proper evaluation of cost effective design methods and a study of the design process are therefore necessary to gain the attention of designers in practice. The opinion among practising designers is that cost savings through optimum methods are less than 10% of elemental cost and 1% of total building cost. The analysis of cost savings of 22 historical buildings have shown that this is not the case. Optimum design methods using the computer to find the minimum cost from a set of feasible designs were developed for reinforced concrete elements; slabs, beams, columns and independent footing foundations. These optimum methods were applied to the design of 22 historical buildings. More than 10% of elemental cost savings were observed. 2.91% of total building cost can be saved using optimum methods for design of reinforced concrete elements, which is more than 45% of the total design fee of a building. The study proved that for a given building, probabilities of total building cost saving exceeding 1%, 2% and 3% are 0.96, 0.79 and 0.47 respectively. Design and build contracts provide not only a facility but also an incentive, to designers to use cost effective design methods. On the contrary, percentage fee contracts act as a disincentive. Therefore, the legal procedures in design practice, may sometimes serve as obstacles for the use of cost effective design methods. Furthermore, current design practice lacks motivating factors to designers to use cost effective design methods. Therefore building construction industry may need to pay additional fee to get benefits from cost effective design methods.