Student: John Kray
Graduation date: May 2017
Type: Area of Interest (minor)
Date approved: November 2014
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Summary
My goal for my concentration is to explore what types of renewable technologies are best suited for different biomes, and are optimally supported by varying political/economic situations. From there, I will research what ways renewable energy technologies are/can be improved or altered to best fit these scenarios. This combines elements of environmental studies such as political structure and economics in regard to their effect on Ecological Modernization (EM), with physics and engineering in terms of optimal Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) and development. For this concentration, an “optimal” RET is one that is as economically efficient as possible, utilizes a biome’s potential for energy production (i.e. wind, solar radiation, tides, etc.) to the best ability available, and is able to be maintained by the country it is in.
Determining the most suitable RET for a particular biome depends on a number of factors. For example, a biome with a lot of solar radiation may be a good candidate for solar. However, that biome may also be heavily forested, in which case clearcutting the forest to make space for solar fields may not be the best course of action. For the purposes of this concentration, a biome will constitute a geographic area with similar climactic and ecological process.
When considering the implementation of RETs in a country it, “depends on its renewable energy readiness (RE-Readiness) that indicates the gaps and strengths of their development” (Hawila et al. 2014). RE-Readiness for this concentration will look at political and economic factors primarily. A concern that arises regarding EM is its effect on the end user, especially in countries where the disparity of wealth is high (Long and Patel 2011). Therefore, the joint effort and collaboration of scientific experts, policy makers, and economists is crucial in the implementation and revision of renewable energy strategies and policies (Dall’O’ et al. 2013, Hawila et al. 2014, Mandelli et al. 2014).
There is a great deal of research going on currently around renewable energy, especially in solar, as many believe capturing the exorbitant amount of energy produced by the Sun is one of the primary answers to renewable energy. One such example is Dye Solar Cells, which have potential, but are hindered by simulation software in their course to commercialization (Auf der Maur et al. 2011). One of the main problems with renewable energy, specifically solar, is the challenge of how to store the energy for use during the night when electricity demand is at its peak. An example of an area of research that looks to solve this problem is Thermal Energy Storage (TES). The journal article “Exegetically Efficient Thermal Energy Storage Systems for Sustainable Buildings” asserts that “TES can play a significant role in attaining more efficient, environmentally benign and sustainable energy use in various sectors” (Dicer and Rosen 2008). There are further talks of optimizing the efficiency the wind/solar power mix, which could reduce the need for energy storage by a significant amount (Becker et al. 2014). Additionally, increasing the efficiency of wind power itself, based on a number of geological factors, is another area which was looked at in the situated context of Australia in the journal article “The Potential Wind Power Resource in Australia: A New Perspective” (Hallgren et al. 2014). Then, there are prospects of new technologies such as graphene based batteries and solar cells, which could potentially increase efficiency by huge margins. However, some of these potentials are far from realized.
There are a great deal of studies and literature out that hone in on specific areas of the globe or specific types of renewable technology. I am excited to delve into this literature and do my own research to help synthesize the information into something that begins to answer my questions. My hope is that my explorations for this concentration will help shape the direction mine—and perhaps others’—research and development will go, in order to optimize and innovate renewable energy technologies across the globe.
References
- Auf der Maur, M., A. Gagliardi, and A. Di Carlo. 2011. “Physics Based Simulation of Dye Solar Cells.” Optical and Quantum Electronics 42 (11-13): 809–15. doi:10.1007/s11082-011-9489-0.
- Becker, Sarah, Bethany A. Frew, Gorm B. Andresen, Timo Zeyer, Stefan Schramm, Martin Greiner, and Mark Z. Jacobson. 2014. “Features of a Fully Renewable US Electricity System:Optimized Mixes of Wind and Solar PV and Transmission Grid Extensions.” Energy 72 (August): 443–58. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2014.05.067.
- Dall’O’, Giuliano, Maria Norese, Annalisa Galante, and Chiara Novello. 2013. “A Multi-Criteria Methodology to Support Public Administration Decision Making Concerning Sustainable Energy Action Plans.” Energies 6 (8): 4308–30. doi:10.3390/en6084308.
- Dincer, Ibrahim, and Marc A. Rosen. 2008. “Exergetically Efficient Thermal Energy Storage Systems for Sustainable Buildings.” ASHRAE Transactions 114 (1): 98–107.
- Hallgren, Willow, Udaya Bhaskar Gunturu, and Adam Schlosser. 2014. “The Potential Wind Power Resource in Australia: A New Perspective.” PLoS ONE 9 (7): 1–9. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0099608.
- Hawila, Diala, Md. Alam Hossain Mondal, Scott Kennedy, and Toufic Mezher. 2014. “Renewable Energy Readiness Assessment for North African Countries.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 33 (May): 128–40. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2014.01.066.
- Long, Dianne P., and Zarina Patel. 2011. “A New Theory for an Age-Old Problem: Ecological Modernisation and the Production of Nuclear Energy in South Africa.” South African Geographical Journal 93 (2): 191–205. doi:10.1080/03736245.2011.610131.
- Mandelli, Stefano, Jacopo Barbieri, Lorenzo Mattarolo, and Emanuela Colombo. 2014. “Sustainable Energy in Africa: A Comprehensive Data and Policies Review.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 37 (September): 656–86. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2014.05.069.
Questions
- Descriptive: What constitutes a renewable energy technology? (i.e. is nuclear renewable or not?) What are the different types of RETs, and what biomes do they work best in? What is the current political/economic spectrum in the context of ability to support RETs?
- Explanatory: What is motivating ecological modernization, or renewable energy development? Why are countries not always pursuing optimal renewable energy implementation strategies?
- Evaluative: To what degree are non-optimal renewable energy strategies a detriment to climate change and resource availability? Why are some renewable energy technologies more efficient in different biomes? What is the capacity for RET implementation of different countries, based on political and economic circumstances?
- Instrumental: What renewable energy technologies would benefit most from increased R&D? In what ways can renewable energy technologies be developed to take full advantage of the biome they are in, while still manageable by the country they are in? What renewable energy technologies have the highest potential for implementation in countries with an insufficient political/economic situation to support many these technologies? In what ways does a countries political/economic situation need to be changed in order to support renewable energy?
Arts and humanities courses
- HIST 261 (Global Environmental History, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.
- PHIL 215 (Philosophy and the Environment, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.