Heliotactic Press

Interdisciplinary exploration of solar energy conversion, photovoltaics, and integrative design, and scientific philosophy.

Sustainability and Technology in the Habitable Environment 2010/01/02

Filed under: education,Environmental Technology,sustainability — nanomech @ 14:31
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In the USA, we  divide energy demand into four economic sectors: Industry, Transportation, Commercial Buildings, and Residential Buildings. By combining the Commercial and Residential sectors, we observe that 41% of our energy demand is derived from building environments (the habitable environment), and about 40% of our carbon emissions are derived from buildings. Additionally, Americans have been observed to spend 90% of their time indoors. This is a big chunk of power that we can work to make more sustainable! So what is sustainable energy technology, and why should we even use it?

Energy Flows (supply and demand) USA 2008

As seen in the figure, the majority of our energy supply has been from unsustainable sources (with the loose exception of hydropower). At some point I would like to provide a similarly enhanced figure that demonstrates the energy losses associated with supply and demand (for the curious: see here).

In terms of energy technology development and entrepreneurship, we may establish four generic divisions: energy supply, demand, storage/capacity, and usage. But energy technology development has a historical balance to be made with design, planning, policy and regulation. So why should we pursue sustainable energy solutions at all, or what is our sustainability ethic? Sustainability in planning and international policy can be addressed using the 1987 UN document Our Common Future (derived from the 1987 Brundtland Commission). It’s not the end-all document, but I would call it a good start for discussion and a must read for those learning about the history of modern sustainable energy solutions. The following list of general principals, rights and responsibiliteis comes directly from the Brundtland Commission report, Annexe 1:

Fundamental Human Right

1. All human beings have the fundamental right to an environment adequate for their health and well being.

Inter-Generational Equity

2. States shall conserve and use the environment and natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations.

Conservation and Sustainable Use

3. States shall maintain ecosystems and ecological processes essential for the functioning of the biosphere, shall preserve biological diversity, and shall observe the principle of optimum sustainable yield in the use of living natural resources and ecosystems.

Environmental Standards and Monitoring

4. States shall establish adequate environmental protection standards and monitor changes in and publish relevant data on environmental quality and resource use.

Prior Environmental Assessments

5. States shall make or require prior environmental assessments of proposed activities which may significantly affect the environment or use of a natural resource.

Prior Notification, Access, and Due Process

6. States shall inform in a timely manner all persons likely to be significantly affected by a planned activity and to grant them equal access and due process in administrative and judicial proceedings.

Sustainable Development and Assistance

7. States shall ensure that conservation is treated as an integral part of the planning and implementation of development activities and provide assistance to other States, especially to countries of the global South, in support of environmental protection and sustainable development.

General Obligation to Cooperate

8. States shall cooperate in good faith with other States in implementing the preceding rights and obligations.

Looking over this entire document, I find interesting underpinnings driving sustainable planning and design of energy flows. It is interesting that the argument here is much more than just a caution against climate change and loss of habitable space. Wow: inter-generational equity and ecosystem maintainence–heavy topics to consider. Additionally, the concept of Managing the Commons in Ch. 10 suggests an international valuation of common human resources that fall outside of national jurisdictions, but have critical importance due to ecological and economic interdependence.

And back to the technologies for the habitable environment:

For sustainable energy applications, an energy supply technology might take the form of algae-based biodisel production, wind power, or solar hot water (we typically call this division renewable energy). An energy demand technology addresses the management of the demand side of energy use (we typically term this division energy efficiency), specifically including efficiency in appliances and HVAC systems, weatherization of homes, and new lighting designs. Energy storage and capacity technologies are often lumped with other divisions, but they do include a significant share of tech: water tanks, phase change materials embedded in the walls, green roofs, batteries and ultracapacitors, and even the electrical power grid (to a certain extent). Finally, energy usage technologies are some of the more interesting developments of late, as they take advantage of modifying human behavior, just like the “Prius (or Honda Civic) effect”. Humans work well when given feedback (it’s like a game!), and much of our energy Demand (in the generic sense of the figure above) can be dramatically shifted toward reduction due to smart systems that inform you instantaneously as you consume energy. We used an amazing system for live monitoring by the company Noveda for the Natural Fusion home in the 2009 Solar Decathlon–very very cool technology.

We often hear the popular media discussion on buzz terms of “renewables” and “energy efficiency”. I have found that the innovation in the field of sustainable energy for the habitable environment is developing sufficiently to merit this new subdivision of scope. Perhaps this will even develop new discussions to refine the divisions for useful application in industry and transportation sectors.

 

Solar Jobs = Green Collar Jobs! 2008/12/28

Filed under: industry,photovoltaics,solar power,sustainability — nanomech @ 10:13
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As a researcher and instructor dealing with solar energy conversion, I am acutely aware of the immediate need (or ASAP) for a smart, flexible labor force–capable and trained to install and maintain our new solar technologies. Solar energy will be the heart of the new green collar job sector, as we will need to deploy PV and solar hot water technologies to residential and commercial buildings for a carbon-constrained future.

Analogy:
I want to use the familiar example of technologies for indoor air quality and thermal comfort: HVAC systems (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning). Think about how many air conditioning units are now an integral part of buildings in the country. Consider the labor force that is required for AC/heating installation, duct installation, monitoring and control systems (e.g. thermostats), and maintenance or repairs (hint: it is a huge industry). Now think about how little you think about these systems (because they just work). There is similar (perhaps even greater) potential for green collar jobs–earning a paycheck and helping society and the environment!

The Very Near Future:
Green collar jobs for solar technologies are here! Training is in full gear in states like California, New Jersey, and Florida, and is ramping up in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. At Penn State, we are already working on a training course for PV installation, as well as an upper level college course in solar energy technology design.

Additional reading: NYT article on PV installers as the new wave of green collar jobs.

 

Solar technologies are really quite diverse 2008/12/25

Filed under: education,energy,interdisciplinary research,photovoltaics,solar,sustainability — nanomech @ 10:38
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In preparing for my annual Spring course “Design of Solar Energy Conversion Systems”, I am reminded of just how many diverse technologies can be derived from our nearest large-scale fusion reactor. I will make exceptions to the obvious: horticulture and wind energy are derived from the sun too.

Here are some ideas beyond PV and concentrating PV (CPV):

  1. Passive/Active Solar Water Heating Systems (in your showers, dishwashers, heating your floors)
  2. Commercial/Distributed Space Heating Systems (using Solar Walls, Phase Change materials, Pebble-bed hot air storage).
  3. Solar Cooling (Yes! you can cool with the sun and heat pumps, dessicants, refrigeration cycles).
  4. Solar Industrial Process Heat and Solar Ponds (Do you own a mine or a refinery? Look into ways that you could dramatically reduce your energy bills!)
  5. Solar Thermal Power Systems (Also called Concentrating Solar Power–CSP–this is the technology with the best odds at being the next wave of electric power from the sun).
  6. Don’t forget solar chemistry (not just growing plants) to make hydrogen and other fuels!

Solar is very close to breaking out. Why not invest in solar tech?

 

Solar Decathlon…ho! 2007/12/11

Filed under: Morning Star,NREL,Penn State,photovoltaics,Solar Decathlon,sustainability — nanomech @ 16:44

The Solar Decathlon is a progressive competition, offered to selected universities across the nation and outside of the USA every other year, in which students from multiple disciplines design and build a home completely powered by the sun. The focus of the competition is to combine BIPV (Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics) with new energy efficient architecture and its engineering systems. The competition was initiated in 2002 by NREL/DOE in conjunction with major sponsorship by British Petroleum, and the official two-year cycle was continued as of 2005 (SD2005).

The Decathlon operates within the general goals of the Solar America Initiative of the DOE, to make photovoltaic solar energy cost-competitive with conventional energy forms by 2015 (levelized costs of $0.10/kWh for PV). A major focus is to encourage relations between Academia and Industry for integrated design of photovoltaics within standard building practices. However, it includes the incorporation of the project into the curriculum of the students, as well as their involvement with industry. The Decathlon is projected to continue until 2015.

The winner of SD2007 was: Technische Universität Darmstadt. That’s correct; Germany won the USA solar home competition on their first try (why shouldn’t the biggest PV player in Europe be a strong competitor?). Perhaps this was an appropriate challenge to wake up integrated PV education in the states.

My own new home, Penn State University, took 4th place on their first attempt, Morningstar Pennsylvania. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to return and improve upon that standing in SD2009. It’s a great opportunity for students and faculty alike, and all products displayed in the Solar Decathlon homes are commercially available, which will make the project pretty interesting as the competitions progress to 2015.

 

The Nature of David Suzuki 2007/03/31

Filed under: David Suzuki,ecology,sustainability,The Nature of Things — nanomech @ 11:20

Last week I had the privilege of listening to a special lecture by Professor D. Suzuki for the Distinguished Lecturer series from the University of Wisconsin. Prof. Suzuki is a geneticist and ecologist from the University of British Columbia, and is very well know for his hosting of the television science show The Nature of Things, on the Candian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) since the late-1970s. He is also renowned for his strong support of the environmental movement and his activism toward influencing governmental policy regarding the environment. I can still remember watching his show in the 80s while living in North Dakota (as we received the CBC in our television line-up). He really did inspire a love for nature and science for me.

That evening, he did not disappoint (a few summary points that stuck with me):

ECO is derived from the Greek oikos, meaning “home”

Hence:
ecology is the study of the home

and

economy is the management of the home

“It’s time to put the ‘eco-’ back in economics.“ Exponential constant growth is unsustainable, and the ecology should guide the economy–not the reverse.

People used to say think globally, and act locally. But “thinking globally” is too overwhelming, and people just throw up their hands and say, ‘Well, there’s nothing I can do about it. The problem is just too big.’ Instead, we should really do as David Barry says: ‘think locally, and act locally’, because then the problem becomes more tangible, and people feel less intimidated by the prospect of bringing about change.

MY THOUGHTS: His suggestion to link the schools of economy with those of environmental studies and ecology really hit home. In that system, I believe there is a natural opportunity for linking materials science and technology into the process. In such a way, the materials produced are guided by with environmentally aware design and marketing of that product to an economy that understands the concept of a limited reservoir of energy, water, and materials on Earth’s accessible crust. In an educational sense, this means incorporating coursework in ecology and geoscience into the fields of economics and materials science. I have a strong hunch that environmental engineering will be a passing term on the way to the next generation of modern society. Very soon, ALL engineers and scientists will be required to be environmental engineers in the context of their own discipline, just out of the influence of limited reserves.

Please note: Prof. Suzuki has a foundation to address sustainability and global climate change: the David Suzuki Foundation. This site is a wonderful tool for education on issues of sustainability. The site also contains simple, easy personal changes that will help diffuse the footprint of modern human society on Earth.

* Image copyright Ronica Skarphol Brownson (2006)

 

Are you Sustainable? 2007/03/31

Filed under: American Chemical Society,environmentally aware materials science,indium,photovoltaics,solar cells,sustainability,third generation — nanomech @ 03:51

The looming question of sustainable practices in chemistry and materials was a central topic at the American Chemical Society this week in Chicago. There were several symposia related to chemical education of sustainability, sustainability in water resources, and (my particular favorite): sustainability and energy. The 2007 ACS president, Dr. Katie Hunt, has made sustainability one of her core issues, and you can hear (or read) all about her in this interview on Science and Society.

Prof. Art Nozik of Center for Basic Sciences at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) arranged a top notch session on Realizing the Full Potential of Solar Energy Conversion through Basic Research in Chemistry and Biochemistry on Tuesday (Mar. 26, 2007), with speakers Nathan Lewis, Michael Graetzel (of the dye-sensitized solar cell), A. Paul Alivisatos, and A. Nozik himself (speaking on quantum dots and multiple exciton generation from high energy photons). Prof. Nathan Lewis has presented this data to President Clinton in the past, and his talk on alternative energy was shocking, alarming, and invigorating all at once. In short, the only source of power that we have enough supply for is : solar. We don’t have enough wind, wave, geothermal, nuclear, biomass, etc. in our resources to cut our CO2 levels and to create enough energy for only 2x the amount required to feed every human by 2050. You can find a link for the talk here.

Michael Graetzel’s talk was very interesting, and I’m delighted to hear progress has been made on dye stabiliy in UV, and new electrolytes have been developed using ionic liquids that remove the sealing problem encountered in acetonitrile-based electrolytes. In Graetzel’s words, dye-sensitized cells can be made now to withstand a 20 year life cycle (estimated), and have maximum performaces at 11% efficiency. Not too bad for an inexpensive alternative!

In addition, we were treated to a wonderful movie produced by Nobel Laureate Walter Kohn (UCSB) called The Power of the Sun. The short film is narrated by John Cleese, and can be obtained for only $10 from the University of California Santa Barbara website. The package includes an educational film for students as well. This film would be appropriate for high school science classes through college or university, and could be a very useful as an educational tool. It could be combined in an educational section on energy, or solar power, and the website has additional supplemental educational materials online.

I was disappointed in most of the other talks outside of the sustainablity symposia. Often the researcher/presenter did not gear the presentation toward a more general science audience. Hence, the context of the study was lost to the outside listener, and the importance that a study may have to a peripheral research topic.

For all of the hot talk about the importance of solar energy and the importance of third generation PV technologies, almost no mention was given of studying the interface between quantum dots and the electron/hole collectors necessary for doing work as a third generation photovoltaic cell. Considering that the interface is where the electron transfer occurs (aka: “chemistry”), I was quite surprised at the vacancy in that subsection of research.

The elephants of new PV technology were also in the room: the toxic heavy metal cadmium used in new solar materials (CdSe, CdS, CdTe by A. Paul Alivisatos), and the proposed superiority of CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) PV cells, despite the very relevant indium shortages from limited supplies and competitive markets in flat panel displays. I felt these topics were not properly addressed, or maybe the main scientists are just not aware of the environmental implications of their research. We should present these materials issues to international audiences such as the ACS conference–as they are being developed–to create an environmental and ecological awareness of the most probable impact of our materials research should they be implemented on a national or global scale.

However, the meeting was indeed a recharging event for me. I left with a lot of positive momentum from the discussions on sustainability and the surrounding research that photovoltaic solar cell materials research. Most definitely PV is a strong route of scientific pursuit, and has many opportunities for new lines of research. If Prof. Nathan Lewis is correct, it will become one of the largest industries of our generation, and we should need a considerable amount of minds working toward sustainable solutions.

 

 
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