With the challenges our society faces concerning energy and the environment, it is particularly vital to develop a more rational use of our resources, both renewable and non-renewable. A sustainable use of the available resources is only possible if engineers can rely on coherent indicators, among which the exergy efficiency is bound to play a major role.

Few technologies have had as much impact on society as fiber optics. These tiny hair-sized glass wires have deeply transformed the way we access information, our modes of communication and even the behavior of consumers.