Tag: Climate Change

Resilience Inputs

Resilience Inputs

Resilience Inputs

07/28/18

“What are the building blocks of Resilience?”

 

With the ever-changing climate, critical infrastructure systems are going to have to become more resilient. To develop this, engineers and policymakers have developed a series of metrics to quantify the resilience of such systems. The most fundamental of which is the Resiliency Inputs to a system. Inputs are the like the bones of a skeleton. Although they compose the physical structure, on their own they are ineffective. Examples of Resilience Inputs in energy systems are budgets, equipment, spare parts, and personnel to support recovery operations.

A New Guide For High-Performance Energy-Efficient Buildings in India

A New Guide For High-Performance Energy-Efficient Buildings in India

A New Guide For High-Performance Energy-Efficient Buildings in India

07/26/18

“Is there a new guide for energy efficient buildings in India?”

 

India is a massive country. With an area larger than the Arabian Peninsula and a population size equal to four times the United States, it definitely has something to say about size. And every single one of those people probably lives, works, and plays in some sort of building. That must be a lot of buildings. And to keep everyone cool and productive in the hot Indian Climate, a lot of energy is going to go towards HVAC and Lighting Systems. Combine this with a large population growth and intense economic development, and it looks like more and more people are going to be in these buildings.

 

So like any nation with these factors, India should be looking to see how it could supply this future growth in energy. After much studying into this issue, the nation of the Ganges has decided that one of its primary directives must be to vastly increase energy efficiency in the building sector. After working with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the same center that produced The Rosenfeld Effect, a new Guide For High-Performance Energy-Efficient Buildings in India has been produced. This series of documents delves into how India can achieve its climate change reduction goals with regards to the building sector by addressing its unique workforce, construction activity, culture, and climate.

 

Bottom line, I recommend that everyone in the energy space should take at least a few peaks at it right here!

Climate Change Resilience

Climate Change Resilience

Climate Change Resilience

07/23/18

“How can humanity adapt to climate change?”

 

Sustainability is the overarching goal of many people who work in energy, climate, and infrastructure. However, we must also take into account the concept of Climate Change Resilience. Simply put, Climate Change Resilience is the measure of a system’s capacity to withstand the increased external stresses of climate change. Take for example Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria. When the extreme weather knocked down transmission lines and diesel plants, those who were dependent on them lost all power. However, people who had installed solar panels and microgrids were able to continue to use their electrical appliances despite the tumultuous events. Climate Change Resilience is used to quantify how much adaptation an area needs to do before becoming climate ready. By having infrastructure ready for the climate chaotic future, we can ensure human civilization a safe and resilient time on this planet.

Urban Tree Cover

Urban Tree Cover

Urban Tree Cover

07/20/18

“How can we increase urban climate resilience with trees?”

 

With each passing day, more and more people are living in cities. However, dense urban conglomerations are prone to drastic climate change events, such as deadly heat waves worsened, exacerbated pollution, and flooding from rainfall. But one simple way to combat this is to plant more trees. This Urban Tree Cover lowers temperatures, absorbs pollution, and protects from rainfall flooding. This is just a simple illustration of how a little bit of scientific knowledge can help increase climate change resilience.

Drum Gates

Drum Gates

Drum Gates

07/16/18

“How can we control water in a reservoir using valves?”

 

Water in reservoirs can be difficult to control. If there is too much rain, it can easily overflow. But how can we control this using our engineering mindsets? Well, what if we were to modify the height of the reservoir using a floating drum? And what if we were to place this floating drum in between two mounds, and use a valve to let water in to raise in and another one to lower it? This is the main idea behind Drum Gates and are applied to Floodgates all over the world.

Hinged Crest Gates

Hinged Crest Gates

Hinged Crest Gates

07/13/18

“How can we make a  floodgate that works by rotation?”

 

Floods happen in all types of environments with different conditions. Therefore, humanity will need to build different types of Floodgates that can adapt to these conditions. One of these types may need to work in colder, urban environments, where trash and ice may easily accumulate. By using a rotating gate, which can quickly dispose of any possible residue. These Hinged Crest Gates have been employed all over the world in frigid environments.

Flood Control

Flood Control

Flood Control

07/10/18

“How can we make our built infrastructure resilient to unpredictable floods?”

 

As the climate continues to warm, floods such as those in Houston are becoming more common. To act in accord with climate change adaptation, societies can make implement flood control into their infrastructure. This includes measures such as constructing floodgates or zoning buildings away from flood zones.  

On/Off Solar Controllers

On/Off Solar Controllers

On/Off Solar Controllers

05/14/18

“What is the simplest type of Solar Controller?”

 

Solar Controllers come in all different types of varieties. But if we are strapped on finances, what is the simplest one that we can make? Well, wouldn’t it be a solar controller that simply turned on when there was sunlight and the battery was not full and off when not? This is the basics behind On/Off Solar Controllers, which are commonly used for inexpensive setups.

How Climate Change will Make Renewable Energy Adoption in the Caribbean More Difficult

How Climate Change will Make Renewable Energy Adoption in the Caribbean More Difficult

How Climate Change will Make Renewable Energy Adoption in the Caribbean More Difficult

04/28/18

“How will Climate Change make renewable energy adoption in the Caribbean More Difficult?”

 

Caribbean Nations are doing their part to combat Climate Change by adopting renewable energy. However, this will become more difficult as global temperatures rise, since the increased frequency of rainfalls and hurricanes make installations more difficult. But by adopting climate change adapted technology such as hurricane-resistant wind turbines, the Caribbean will be able to build itself into sustainability.