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Task
choose a new technology that could be a solution to some
environmental problems
Solution
Introduction
Environmental conservation
is a critical component of infrastructure and engineering. The engineering
function is involved with the development and construction of infrastructure
and buildings across the globe. However, although such infrastructures and
development are aimed at creating development they at times pause a significant
challenge. Sahu (2015, p.625) argued that in the development of any infrastructural
system, consideration should not only be placed on the costing aspects of the
process, but on the planet context. In this case, the context, the planet
consideration should be in a manner that the infrastructural systems are
developed in the manner that creates the sustainable use of the existing
resources' as well as ensuring there is no destruction of the immediate and
long-term environmental conditions. This report develops a critical evaluation
of the process through which engineering could be merged with environmental
considerations in building new structures. The report is developed in the
recognition that in the developing nations, buildings account for the highest
proportion of development driver. As such, in order to ensure that the development
process is sustainable in the long term process, the report evaluates how new
technology systems would be applied in the building modelling and construction
stages respectively. The report concludes with a recommendation on the extent
to which the technology could be applied and adopted.
Description
of Technology
The proposed
technology in building and construction is on energy consumption and
sustainability. Currently, in the developing nations, most of the buildings
rely on conventional; hydropower and petroleum-based electricity. As such, this
is not a sustainable energy source as it is not renewable and its use
eventually causes environmental pollution, the fact that the developing
nation's demand for energy in more and more constructed buildings necessitates
the need to develop a sustainable energy source of such buildings (Ellabban,
Abu-Rub and Blaabjerg, 2014, p.742).
One of the currently employed strategies and technologies is the use of solar
powered energy. Solar power energy includes the tapping of sunlight rays from
the environment and converting the solar energy into electricity energy that
can be relied upon for energy supply. This has emerged as a popular trend
especially in the developing nations rural areas where conventional power is unavailable.
However, with proper technology advancement and changes, the source of energy
could be converted form a mere stand in for areas where conventional energy is
unavailable to a source that not only complements but also a replacement of the
conventional non-clean energy sources respectively. This report section offers
a description of both the current application of solar as an energy source and
offers a future oriented approach on how the current technology status and
context could be improved and advanced into the future. In this case, current
technology application includes the use of three stages of energy development.
First, the
process includes the installation of solar panel that traps sunlight rays
through a photovoltaic chemical reaction and converts them into electricity.
The second stage is the storage of the trapped and converted energy. The solar
panels are limited to trapping light during the day and thus there is need to
conserve the energy is rechargeable batteries. The final stage is the
installation of solar output tools and other energy conservation output devices
for use. The current application of this technology has been in a limited
scope. In this case, the installation of the devices and the technology emerges
as lat stage in the construction process. Thus, it is not part of the modelling
designing and building planning stages respectively (Ahmad and Tahar, 2014,
p.462). This has limited the overall efficiency of the energy source as it
lacks the ability to be compatible with some of the buildings. For instance, in
the case of story buildings, the roofing space is at times left open or lacks
enough space to install such solar panels as would be required to power such
entire buildings. Consequently, although a cheaper and cleaner source of energy
in the long-term period, the generated energy issued only for limited
applications such as heating showers and other non-core uses. On the contrary,
the core energy use needs rely on the conventional electricity non-renewable
sources.
Inputs
and Outputs
In the execution
of the solar walling technology in buildings', there will be a series of inputs
and outputs that would be required and generated in the process. On the one
hand, in terms of the required resources the building and construction industry
is the development of the solar cell glasses. Currently, the glass
manufacturing companies lack enough resources to incorporate the cells into the
glasses respectively. On the other hand, it will be required that the
organisations develop the right machinery and manufacturing equipment to
support the manufacturing of the glasses. Secondly, an adjustment will be based
on the sourcing of the photovoltaic cells and elements in the manufacturing
process (Dincer and Acar, 2015, p.601). Therefore, this will mean an additional
input and cost in the glass manufacturing and installation process.
A second cost
and input in the manufacturing and the installation process is through the
purchase of the energy storage devices. As already mentioned, the conventional
energy sources' require no storage devices in the buildings'. Therefore, once
the basic functions such as installation and wiring are accomplished there are
no additional costs in the process. However, with the use of solar walling, it
would mean that the solar generated energy during the day would need to be
stored and as such the need for the installation of the storage devices. This
will increase the overall installation costs in the buildings. The major
problem with the process and the inputs are that there will be required more
storage spaces. The ideal system would be to have a centralised power centre
for the buildings overall supply.
Besides the
inputs required, there will eventually be some outputs and waste in the
process. The proposed technology application magnitude is bound to generate
power for all the energy uses. However, some days vary in terms of energy
generation and sunlight intensity. Similarly, the intensity of sunlight varies
from one city to the other within the same region. Therefore, there is a
likelihood that the generated energy would be in excess than the buildings
could consumer over a given period of time. If not well managed, this would
turn into waste energy that is released back into the environment (Chen et al,
p.1037). Although it has no direct impact on the environment, this would
increase the cost of energy production in the market. Nevertheless, the model
and technology changes proposed are focused on ensuring that such execs energy
that would have emerged as a waste are eventually channelled to the national
grid. Additionally, the process of operations’ is likely to face the problems
of fragility. Traditionally, as it stands today, the solar generating devices
are glass solar panels. This makes them a delicate wall for commercial
buildings. This would lead to eventual breakages and broken glasses that would
end up as waste and an environmental pollution source. This report proposes
that in the manufacturing value chain there should be enough focus on
recycling. This means that for any building walling that breaks or fails the
manufactures would replace at a lower cost and recycle the products.
Analysis
of Impacts
The proposed
technology developments are bound to have far-reaching implications on the
environment and to the society at large. Although the impacts would also
include the economic implications, this review focuses on the environmental
implications, both potential positive and the negative implications
respectively. On the one hand, there numerous possible positive implications of
the technology application. The first positive impact is a reduction in the use
of conventional energy sources'. Currently, the most common source of energy is
the use of hydropower, nuclear power, and fossil energy sources.
Unfortunately,
the hydropower that is widely used in the developing nations' is not renewable.
This makes it unsustainable in the long-term period. Secondly, the used inputs
generate waste that is harmful to the environment. For instance, the resulting
gases lead to global warming and air pollution. In this regard, the carbon
emissions, and air pollution have an impact on both the human beings and the
environment. This is an issue addressed by the use of solar energy in the
buildings across the globe (Kalogirou, 2013, p.107). The use of this source of
energy would eventually reduce carbon emission on the environment. In this
case, it would imply that the process of generating power does not have the
carbon emission by-products. In the long run period, this would impact on the
environment significantly.
First, reduction
in carbon emission would translate into reduced global warming and reduced
rising sea levels. This has been a major phenomenon in islands such as Balboa
Island that in the recent past has faced the challenge of rising sea water
levels covering the initial beach areas in the Island. The use of solar energy
although in minimal levels would significantly reduce the implications on the
environment. The possibility of the use of clean energy through solar power and
the sharing to even the traditional buildings would reduce the extent and
nature to which the conventional energy has been used.
Alternatives
and Discussion
This report
argues that the adjustment of the technology into the future could be applied as
an alternative to the challenge currently experienced. This is through
eliminating the current perception of lighting as a final non-building process
related aspects. Instead, it should be perceived and integrated with the
building process. This has been applied in some select commercial buildings
globally but has not gained tracking across the globe. In this case, the report
proposes that the main panels used in generating the required energy should be
used as part of the building materials. For instance, many buildings today seek
to create lighting effectiveness through reducing opaque walls and instead
using translucent glasses. In this case, this report argues that the solar
power generating technology should be incorporated in the manufacturing of the
glasses (Jamel, Rahman and Shamsuddin, 2013, p.75). As such, this would ensure
that the used glasses serve a multiple purposes that is ensuring enough natural
lighting during the day and ensuring there enough energy generation that could
later be used in lighting at night. The use of such glasses to replace the
current opaque walls would serve in creating environmental sustainability
through two strategies avenues.
Much energy is
consumed unnecessarily in buildings during the day. In this case, poor ventilation
and lighting access to many of rooms especially in large malls and commercial
buildings. This force the users of such malls and rooms to light up even during
the day which is an ineffective use of energy. The proposed technology will
resolve this by ensuring that the sued solar panel glasses on the walls will
ensure there is enough lighting during the day and thus reducing the need for
actual lighting during such times. Secondly, the use of the solar panels on the
walls will create enough sources for instilling the panels. Currently, as
already mentioned above, the buildings only install the panels on the roofing
thus reducing enough space (Hosseini and Wahid, 2016, p.862). In the future,
and with the use of solar glass walls there will be enough energy generation
that would eventually ensure that there is enough energy generation for the
entire building energy needs.
Additionally,
this report proposes a change in the manner through which the generated energy
is managed. In this regard, the current solar-powered buildings generate and
ensure the energies in isolation. In this case, each of the buildings uses
their own energies which at times could be in excess or in deficiencies. This
report advocates for the channelling of the generated energy to the centralised
power grid. In this case, the same approach should be applied in a similar
model to the conventional power grid system. This would ensure that the power
generated at different times is channelled to the system. Thus, this would
serve the society and the environment in two different approaches (Singh, 2013,
p.9)’. First, for the channelling of power to the centralised grid would ensure
that in times of surplus generation, the power is stored in the grid and can be
used in times of less generation of power. This is especially during seasons
such as winter and rainy seasons when sunlight hours are considerably reduced.
Secondly, the use of a centralised grid system would ensure that the power and
the sustainable energy source is shared across the regions. In this case, there
are many buildings that are already established and lack the proposed
technology systems in the walling process. Thus, the proposed technology cannot
be adjusted to fit the already existing buildings’ (Lewis, 2016, p.674).
As such, there
is the need for developing an innovate process that could also ensure that the
technology is widespread, Through the use of a centralised power grid system,
entities' would ensure that the power is shared and supplied to the already
existing apartments. Thus, this would ensure that the technology creates an
impact not just to the single buildings but to the entire towns and cities
within which such new generation buildings are built in. The sharing of such
sustainable power would impact on the costs involved in the power generation
process. In this case, the users of such energy would do so at a fee which
would earn the building's revenue. Thus, this would mean that the used solar
glass walling serves as a source of revenue for the buildings over their
duration period. This new revenue stream outweighs and nets off the cost production
and installation incurred as a high initial cost.
Conclusion
In
summary, this report develops a critical evaluation of the role of technology
in creating sustainable environmental practices. In this case, the report
delves deeper into the case of building and energy use. In this context, it
singles out the fact that the current use of non-renewable and non-clean energy
has increased environmental pollution. This creates the overall understanding
that there is a need for the current building models and plans to incorporate a
plan component that allows for sustainability in energy use. Currently, the
report recognises that there is an increasing trend towards the use of solar
energy. However, this current application has a series of challenges. First, it
is not considered as part of the strategic building planning process and is
only considered as an afterthought. In this case, this has limited the ability
for solar energy to serve entire buildings of all their energy needs.
Therefore, there is a need for the current building systems and structures’ to
advance and expand their scope to allow for the actual modelling and inclusion
of a sustainable energy system in the building structures. As such, the report
proposes the use of solar energy walling would ensure the reduced use of such
energy and allow for reduced environmental pollution. Although it would imply
higher initial costs, the fact that it offers a new revenue stream through
sharing the excess power onto the grid reduces the costs in the long run period.
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