Author: Isaac Gendler

Some thoughts on how the peculiar but personal effects that Climate Change has had on me

Some thoughts on how the peculiar but personal effects that Climate Change has had on me

09/02/18

“A small little note on Climate Change”

Right now in the United States it’s Labor Day Weekend. For many people this means an extra day off to finally relax or catch up on work. But for me it has become a personal reminder of how climate change has affected my life.

Last year, I decided to celebrate by having a lot of fun hanging out at First Fridays in Oakland and cruising down Russian River in Sonoma County. But this was during the greatest heatwave the San Francisco Bay Area had experienced on record. Once the weekend was done I had to travel over 70 kilometers (45 miles) from Berkeley to San Jose on public transportation. The air conditioning (AC) systems onboard malfunctioned, leading me to becoming greatly dehydrated. This condition was only exacerbated when I had arrived at my living space with no AC. Within a few hours, my medical condition had destabilized, leading to a series of painful events that ended with me being thrust into the emergency room for the first time in my young life.

When I had returned home, I had to recover by being in a cooler environment. This meant being stranded in the only room with working air conditioning. However, the water fountain and restrooms were in a completely different room, requiring me to travel. I soon noticed how the temperature would vary widely from room to room, and how if I had left my one area of the house I would be in extreme pain.

In this dark episode, I had came to a stark conclusion. As global temperatures rise, people will become more dependent on their climate control systems. The more these processes are used, the more electricity will be used. If this electricity comes from a non-renewable source, the global temperatures will further rise, making people even more dependent on air conditioning. This creates a positive feedback cycle that will only cause further suffering.

This weekend has brought in much of the same experience. Again there are abnormal climate conditions. Again I have gone up to Berkeley to see friends. Again I am sick. Again the bad climate has exacerbated my conditions (the air pollution from the wildfires have worsened my runny nose considerably). And heck again I have even eaten too much!

Just a few personal notes on how Climate Change has affected my life.

Residential Batteries as a part of a Virtual Power Plant

Residential Batteries as a part of a Virtual Power Plant

09/01/18

“How can homeowners be apart of a virtual power plant?”

With the advent of the distributed energy future, residential batteries and virtual power plants are on the rise. However, can they interact with each other in any way? It turns out that through smart coordination, Residential Batteries can be apart of a Virtual Power Plant! This gives high hopes for homeowners who want to do their part to spread renewable energy.

Photo credit blog.csiro.au

Heat Pipes

Heat Pipes

08/31/18

“How can we have a completely passive thermal cooling mechanism?”

Thermal cooling is often required in many cases. But sometimes an active cooling solution may not be appropriate. So how can we have truly passive cooling? Well, what if we were to have a pipe with a working fluid, and have it constructed such that the heat source will heat up the medium to evaporation, which then moves along the pipe until it cools down and condensates, turning back into its original form and repeating the process? These are known as Heat Pipes and are an interesting application of passive cooling.

Photo credit www.myheatsinks.com

The Hydrogen Economy

The Hydrogen Economy

08/30/18

“How can hydrogen power the industrial sector?”

In the 20th century, there was much talk about the “hydrocarbon technology”, where petroleum was the primary driver of industry. Whether it be the plastics made for common use or the oil that powered our cars, petroleum was everywhere. But with the advent of climate change, experts have agreed that we need to shift to a new model. This has caused the alternative idea of The Hydrogen Economy to surface, which is based off less pollution-intensive natural gas.

Image credit Triple Pundit https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjs4aDcoJbdAhVkwcQHHYdFDlcQjhx6BAgBEAM&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.triplepundit.com%2F2016%2F10%2Fu-s-pumps-30-million-hydrogen-economy%2F&psig=AOvVaw22-p3fdXOe8Ut07RIJ-p62&ust=1535769328455768

Thermal Mass

Thermal Mass

08/29/18

“How do buildings react to temperature changes?”

We have a conundrum. Temperatures change throughout the day, but inside a building it’s supposed to stay constant. And since some buildings are better about it than others, how can we quantify this phenomenon? Well, since this concept is a lot like inertia, Architectural Engineers have decided to call this Thermal Mass.

Hydrogen Production from Fermentation

Hydrogen Production from Fermentation

08/28/18

“How can we produce hydrogen from fermentation?”

Hydrogen is usually extracted via mechanical means. But there is also a biological alternative. It turns out that microbial matter can break down organic matter such as sugars or raw biomass. Through this method we can obtain Hydrogen Production from Fermentation. This is also commonly known as dark fermentation since no light is required.

How to Produce Hydrogen Gas using Ethanol

How to Produce Hydrogen Gas using Ethanol

08/27/18

“How can we produce Hydrogen Gas using Ethanol?”

Natural Gas Reformation is currently the most popular way to produce hydrogen gas. However, a large amount of greenhouse gases are released in the process, contributing to climate change. So is there a more sustainable way to produce hydrogen gas? Well, it turns out that Ethanol is an amazing substitute for natural gas! Therefore, we can Produce Hydrogen Gas using Ethanol.

Hydrogen Production through Electrolysis

Hydrogen Production through Electrolysis

08/26/18

“How can we produce hydrogen using electricity?”

Hydrogen is an amazing material. However, extracting it can be quite difficult. One way to do it is to take an anode and a cathode separated by an electrolyte and a membrane. The water will react at the anode to produce oxygen and positively charged hydrogen ions. The electrons will flow through the circuit and the hydrogen ions will move across the membrane to the cathode side. They will then meet and recombine to form hydrogen molecules. This way, we can Produce Hydrogen using Electrolysis. Since the only thing that needs to be added to the system is electricity, if our grid is powered by renewables then we can have a carbon neutral method of hydrogen production!

Image credit Department of Energy

Natural Gas Reforming

Natural Gas Reforming

08/25/18

“How can we obtain Hydrogen from Natural Gas?”

Hydrogen is just as difficult to extract as it is useful. But luckily, there is one method which is able to produce it in a cost effective manner. Most of this is done in a process where high-temperature steam (700°C–1,000°C) is combined with a methane source such as Natural Gas under high pressures (around 2-35 bar) to produce hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and a relatively small amount of carbon dioxide. This process is known as Natural Gas Reforming and is used to create 95% of the natural gas supplies in the U.S.

Image Credit: ceram.material.tohoku.ac.