Month: August 2017

Passive solar building design

Passive solar building design

Passive solar building design

08/03/17

“How can we make buildings use solar energy without using machines?”

 

One of the most commonly debated topics within the field of renewable energy is how to integrate solar power into everyday buildings. And most of the time this talk is on how we can put more solar power on buildings. However, what if we were to rethink this model? Instead of forcing more machines to be put into a building, let’s just reconfigure the building itself to use the sun more efficiently! For example, to use larger windows such that rooms receives more sunlight, or use green roofing to create more natural insulation.

Demand response

Demand response

Demand response

08/02/17

“How can we prevent a grid overload using a simple technique?”

 

We have a problem. We would like the demand usage for the electric grid to be as equalized as possible, such that the electricity drawn in at one time would look the same as the electricity drawn in at another. But this is almost never the case. Instead, the demand for the grid varies greatly throughout the day. And sometimes these demand peaks are so high that they destabilize the grid! So how can we use our engineering mindset to solve this problem? Well, what if we were to just shift electricity usage from times of peak load to times of less intensive load? This is the fundamental idea behind demand response and can be accomplished with economic incentives and through smart electricity control.

Industrial ecology

Industrial ecology

Industrial ecology

08/01/17

“What is Industrial Ecology?”

 

Things are changing on  Earth. Climate levels are rising, the human population is expanding, and industrialization is increasing, while our natural resources are going down down down. So how can we create a framework that studies how all of these complex systems interact with one another? Well, after many years of research, an entirely new scientific field has formed, industrial ecology. Industrial ecology is the study of how energy and resources flow through our modern industrial system. Industrial ecology looks at this issue through a multitude of perspectives, such as engineering, economics, natural sciences, and sociology.