Month: October 2018

Why Increasing Battery Supply for Night Time Energy Supply Can Result in Massive Decarbonization

Why Increasing Battery Supply for Night Time Energy Supply Can Result in Massive Decarbonization

10/13/18

“What will be one of the biggest drivers of energy sustainability with batteries?”

Battery supplies are increasing at an exponential rate. But one of their greatest applications will be in night-time energy storage. By being able to integrate with solar and wind, people will be able to reduce their reliance on pollutive peaker plants for energy generation during night time. This is Why Increasing Battery Supply for Night Time Energy Supply Can Result in Massive Decarbonization.

Image credit thenightskyinfocus.files.wordpress.com

The Port of Long Beach is Getting a Microgrid

The Port of Long Beach is Getting a Microgrid

10/12/18

“How is the port of Long Beach becoming more sustainable?”

Big news everyone! The Port of Long Beach, one of the largest in the United States and right by my hometown of Los Angeles, is receiving a big upgrade. Specifically, it will soon be receiving a brand new microgrid designed by the world famous Schneider Electric! This project, consisting of a 300-kW solar array, a 250-kW microgrid-extending mobile battery energy, A 500-kW diesel generator, and a plethora of power monitoring and control technologies, which go towards making the port resilient in the face of a power outage and achieving its goal of becoming a net-zero green port. All I can say is that I am super stoked that The Port of Long Beach is Getting a Microgrid.

Image credit http://pacifictycoon.info

Grid Capacity Expansion

Grid Capacity Expansion

10/11/18

“How can we expand the capacity of the gird?”

Like everything in the universe, the demand for electricity changes with the flow of time. And when demand exceeds supply, more generation needs to take place. This occurs in the form of Grid Capacity Expansion, increasing the energy potential of the grid.

Photo credit Windpower Monthly

Amplifiers

Amplifiers

10/10/18

“How can we amplify an electronic signal?”

Signals are the fundamental driver behind all electronics. However, sometimes the output of one component is too low to be read by other components. So how can we use our engineering mindset to solve this problem? Well, why don’t we simply amplify the incoming signal with another component? This is known as an amplifier and is used for all sorts of electronic devices.

Plate Heat Exchangers

Plate Heat Exchangers

10/09/18

“What is a more efficient heat exchanger design?”

Heat exchangers come in all shapes and sizes. But how could we make a more efficient design? Well, what if we were to have a series of long metal plates with holes on their four corners, with one pipe carrying a hot fluid moving through one and another one carrying cold fluid moving through the other. Let’s allow for the heat to transfer between these two plates also. By allowing this to occur, we can warm up one fluid while cooling the other one very efficiently. These are known as Plate Heat Exchangers and are commonly applied in building HVAC.

Image credit youtube.

How Microgrids will Help Rural and Remote Communities

How Microgrids will Help Rural and Remote Communities

10/08/18

“How will Microgrids be useful for rural and isolated communities?”

Traditional power transmission infrastructure is not beneficial for rural and remote communities. Long power lines from centralized generation sources are prone to failure and are expensive to maintain. Plus, due to their limited lifespan, they will have to be replaced which can greatly drive up costs!

To solve this, we need to completely rethink how we transmit electricity. One possible solution is to implement microgrids with distributed energy resources. This will take away the need for complicated transmission, and can enable grid independence. This is How Microgrids will Help Rural and Remote Communities.

Image credit: smedia2.intoday.in

Stormwater Infrastructure

Stormwater Infrastructure

10/07/18

“How can we deal with stormwater runoff using our infrastructure?”

Stormwater runoff poses a massive problem for communities all around the world. To solve this, these same groups can build Stormwater Infrastructure to equip them with the necessary resilience to deal with it. This can include rainwater collection, green roofs, and vegetation-rich areas.

Photo credit Phillywatersheds

Why Stormwater Infrastructure in the US Needs to be Upgraded for Resiliency

Why Stormwater Infrastructure in the US Needs to be Upgraded for Resiliency

10/06/18

“Why does the US need to upgrade its stormwater infrastructure?”

US stormwater infrastructure is in a state of trouble. Many of the systems in place were designed a hundred years ago, long before the greenhouse effect was even an idea. As a result, with the warming climate, air now can hold more water on average, leading to heavier rainfall that can overwhelm stormwater infrastructure. Since the much of the current infrastructure does not hold up, Stormwater Infrastructure in the US Needs to be Upgraded for Resiliency.

Image credit toccoainc.com

Why Solar Energy Makes Sense for Manufacturing

Why Solar Energy Makes Sense for Manufacturing

10/05/18

“Why does solar energy make sense for manufacturing?”

In honor of National Manufacturing Day here in the US, we here at Isaac’s Science Blog have decided to make a special report on how solar PV can be used in manufacturing.

Factories and manufacturing processes use most of their energy during the daytime. The energy costs and carbon emissions of this can be offset by using solar pv systems on roofs and on nearby arrays. This makes the manufacturing system not only much more efficient but also affordable. An example of this can be seen in the Tesla Gigawatt Factory’s solar roof. As a result, Solar Energy Makes Sense for Manufacturing.

Image credit futurism.com

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