General ObservationsFrom the invention of the electrical grid and the first motorized vehicles, we have spent our time designing more and more ways to use energy. We are now at a point where we realize that our energy consumption has gotten out of hand and is taking a large toll on the Earth. A trend has finally started to take responsibility for our over consumption and begin steps to reduce our energy usage.
As our demand for electricity and fuel has slowly turned into an energy crisis, it has become both essential and profitable for companies to invest in cleaner energy production and energy saving technologies. The past decade has seen huge advances in alternative energy sources, cleaner fuels, and energy efficient products. Advances in greener energy that have been discussed for years are finally being pushed into reality.
Green energy technologies are developing very quickly and in many different directions, making it hard for the general public to keep up. People have become overwhelmed and lost in all the competing technologies and options. There is an ton of ever changing information about green energy alternatives and ways to conserve energy but most of it is just words. We need to find ways to really educate people on how to turn their desire to change into actual change.
All the contributors to The Greener Grass stated the biggest need/opportunity within Energy to be EDUCATION. Education is needed all levels. To clearly educate people on how much energy they consume, on how to effectively reduce their energy consumption, and on what new technologies are available and how they compare to existing alternatives.
Here is a look at some of the topics we discussed within the Energy category:Solar Power
Solar power has become one of the most effective small scale energy generation alternatives. It converts the sun’s energy into electricity, used to power homes and products. Solar power’s negative byproducts are minimal and mostly produced during the solar panel’s production process, not in the energy generation itself.
Advances in solar power have been huge over the past few years. Many companies have put a lot of effort into making solar panels more affordable, easier to install, and more efficient. Solar panels are at a point where they are a plausible and effective way of producing electricity.
Solar panel roofs, which provide electricity to entire building, have become one of the largest applications of solar power. There has also been a surge of solar powered gadgets and devices such as lights, bags, vending machines and more. In these cases, solar panels make the devices self-sufficient from an electrical point of view, reducing our energy consumption and allowing them to be used off the grid or in places where electricity is not available.
An important side effect to note about solar power, and other alternative energy sources, is that they also drive products to be more energy efficient. The amount of energy provided by alternative sources is still comparatively low so they work better running devices with low energy requirements. This drives the development of higher efficiency products. For example, if you want to develop and street lamp running off solar power, the light source has to be efficient enough to run through the whole night off a small solar panel. This pushes not only towards better solar panels, but to more efficient light sources.
What can we do?1. Stay educated on advances in solar power and other forms of alternative energy production.
See posts:
Nanosolar Powersheets;
Maglelv Wind Turbines;
Salt Water as an Alternative Fuel;
2. Consider purchasing solar powered products.
See posts:
Sun Table;
Solar Cool.
3. Look at solar panels for new buildings or retrofits onto existing homes and businesses.
See posts:
Sharp Solar Systems.
Architecture
Homes and industrial or commercial buildings use a lot of energy. There are many things to consider when constructing or renovating a building to be more energy efficient. Energy efficient architecture choices can save the owners or occupants significant amounts of money on their energy bill while reducing the building’s impact on the environment.
The most widely recognized green architectural rating is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system. It is used for developing high performance and sustainable buildings of all types. One of the 6 main areas it looks at is energy efficiency. LEED ratings started off as voluntary but are quickly becoming required in many cities. Although many factors of the LEEDs ratings are up for debate, the system as a whole has make big improvements in the energy efficiency and sustainability of buildings.
A lot of attention is being paid to the energy efficiency of new buildings, but there are also a lot of changes that can be made to older buildings or homes to help improve their efficiency. For example lower ceilings and better windows help keep energy used for heating to a minimum and the addition of more natural light reduces the amount of energy required for lighting.
Building green buildings is only half of the battle. We also need to fill our buildings with more energy efficient products. Lower energy light bulbs, and more efficient appliances and heating/cooling systems are also needed.
Sustainable building techniques have become part of most architectural education programs, but there is still a huge need to educate people who are purchasing or using buildings. Housing brochures mention square footage and number of bathrooms but not a home’s energy efficiency. Incentives for lowering your home’s energy bill need to be more significant and should be expanded to incentives in mortgage rates for energy efficient homes.
What can we do?1. Respect LEEDs requirements and Energy Star recommendations when building.
See posts:
Lloyd Alter Interview;
How will the U.S. Green Building Council L.E.E.D us to a better tomorrow?2. Consider energy efficiency when renovating existing buildings.
See posts:
Managing Energy in a Historic Office Building Interview;
John Robbins Interview.
3. Use more energy efficient light bulbs, appliances and heating/cooling systems.
See posts:
Are Compact Fluorescents the Way of the Future?;
Energy Star.
Electricity Consumption
Electricity grids have been one of the largest technological advances in human history. It has changed the way we live, eat, work and communicate. Developing countries have put a lot of effort into finding new ways to take advantage of electricity, greatly increasing both our consumption and dependence on energy. Energy consumption and demand has slowly exceeded the amount of energy we can produce and the amount of pollution the Earth can handle. Drastic steps are needed to reduce the amount of energy we use without taking away from the lifestyles that people have become accustom to.
One significant step in reducing our energy consumption is to simply make products more energy efficient, meaning they do the same thing but require less energy with which to do it. There are two big factors to making more energy efficient products: Motivating companies develop them and educating people on which products are the most efficient. Educating consumers is the first step. Energy Star had done an excellent job in creating an energy efficient rating system that is simple and recognizable. Energy Star labels help people make informed decisions about which products are more energy efficient, and by how much. Growing acceptance of Energy Star rated products and other energy efficient alternatives is increasing demand for these products, in tern motivating companies to develop and produce them.
An important motivator to get consumers to buy more energy efficient products is to educate them on how much electricity they use. Household electricity monitors or smart metering need to be rolled out on a large scale. Seeing your real-time consumption information will help individuals become more aware of where and when they use energy and encourage them to find ways to cut down. Real-time consumption information and rates will also help people cut down their energy usage during high rate peak times. The development of products such as large scale batteries that charge at off-peak times for use at peak periods, will also help reduce the strain on electrical grids.
Energy consumption is more complicated than most people realize. Energy consumption is not limited to the amount of electricity we need to run products, but also the energy needed to produce, transport, and dispose of those products. Everything we consume involves energy to produce. The more we waste, the more energy we consume.
What can we do?1. Pay attention how much electricity we use in our daily lives.
See posts:
The (no so) Great Power of Consumption;
Chris Jordan Interview;
John Robbins Interview.
2. Purchase more energy efficient products.
See posts:
Energy Star;
3. Reduce our waste.
See posts:
Lynn Landes and Zero Waste Interview;
4. Turn off lights and powered devices when not in use.
See posts:
Household Electronics Standby Mode Energy Consumption.
Transportation
With the number of vehicles on the roads globally reportedly topping a billion over the next 3 years, transportation has become one of the largest uses of energy. As the demand for fuel has risen, so has the price, conflict, and pollution associated with it. This has caused consumers, manufacturers and governments to start making changes. Changes are being made to make vehicles more efficient, to explore alternative sources of fuel or energy, and to cut down on pollution.
Cars are slowly becoming more energy efficient but they are still a major source of pollution and energy consumption. The most significant thing that we can do is to stop or limit our use of cars. Car pooling, taking public transportation, walking or biking, all greatly reduce our personal energy usage.
Personal transportation is just one small piece of the transportation energy discussion. The other part of the discussion is the transportation of goods. From hybrid locomotives with 40-60% energy savings, to regenerative braking cranes that recycle the energy of lowering containers for lift loads, to ships that switch to cleaner gas in the harbors, and truck routes that reduce idling time by avoiding left turns - some of the most interesting approaches to saving energy we came across were in the field of transporting products.
Shipping by boat was one of the most efficient modes of transporting goods. By traveling in a horizontal directions only (not up and down in the air) and the ability to carry very large loads, container ships are as much as 100 times more efficient per pound of freight-mile than air freight, with similar greenhouse gas savings. Advances still need to be made in the balance of trade to make sure that ships, as well as rail cars, aircraft and trucks, are all carrying goods in both directions.
Although economies of scale and transport efficiency improvements mean that non-locally grown food and products may be greener than you might think, buying locally still the simplest way to avoid excess energy usage in shipping. Smarter labeling needs to be implemented to help consumers make informed decisions about where their products came from and how much energy was used in their transportation.
What can we do?
1. Buy locally.
See posts:
Park + Vine Interview;
Notes on Food and Transportation;
2. Drive less.
See posts:
Public Transportation Benefits Calculator.
3. Use more efficient means of transporting goods.
See posts:
Interview with Intermodal Shipping and Maersk Line Part 1,
Part 2,
Part 3;
Venture One;
The Greenest and Meanest Cars of 2007;
UPS takes the Right Approach to Save Energy;
Hybrids Hit the Rails.
Education
Education about energy usage, energy efficient products, and energy generation alternatives need to happen on all levels. The information is out there, but we need to make it part of our daily lives. People need to be educated to take responsibly through actions and informed decisions.
We need to start better educating students about energy issues. Starting at elementary school, up to date energy topics need to be discussed and integrated into the everyday curriculum through math problems etc, to help raise awareness and change habits early on. Energy issues also need to become part of profession education programs. Energy issues should be discussed in architecture, design, engineering and business programs to give the next generation of professionals an even greater respect for energy and motivation to implement change.
Most importantly, we need to find ways to educate consumers. Products and initiatives such as smart metering, energy saving tax initiatives, Energy Star, product origin labels, and more, all help to provide people with the information and motivation to make informed energy saving decisions.
We hope that The Greener Grass coverage of ENERGY had been informative and helped to motivate energy saving changes in your personal or professional lives. Over the next week we will be posting some concepts and ideas that were inspired by our research into the topic or ENERGY.Labels: Analysis, Energy
