Innovation For Sustainability On Solar Assessment Answer
Key Topics
- Innovation for sustainability on solar energy
- Introduction on solar energy as innovation for sustainability:
- Indication of how solar energy is Innovative:
- Why solar energy is innovative than other energy:
- Identify how the sustainability issues apply and provide assessment of their relevance to engineers:
- References:
Task of writing(Reference APA style)
1. Introduction on solar energy as innovation for sustainability. (1 page)
2. Indication of how solar energy is Innovative?(1 page)
3. why solar energy is innovative than other energy(argument)?(1 page)
4. Identify how the sustainability issues apply and provide assessment of their relevance to engineers. (2 pages)
Innovation for sustainability on solar energy
Introduction on solar energy as innovation for sustainability:
Solar energy can be considered as one of the most widely used sources of non-conventional energy that is renewable in nature. The discovery of this form of energy and its applications in different domains of life has been a revelation to humankind. This form of energy can sustain more than the conventional sources of energy such as fossil fuels and petroleum. The innovative technology encompasses the conversion of the solar energy from the sun into electrical energy with the help of solar panels which are used for storing the sun’s energy in solar cells. Therefore, the invention of the multiple usage of solar energy as a sustainable resource has been one of the most instrumental discoveries by man and currently the light of the sun can be considered as perhaps the most sustainable source of energy as the sun will continue to emit energy for millions of years to come. The objective of sustainability is meeting the current needs of the society without compromising the capacity of the future generation to cater to their own needs. According to this criterion of sustainable development, the solar energy is the most promising source of renewable energy as the sun’s energy will not be depleted so as to jeopardize the needs of future generations both in households and industries. This attribute of sustainability is achieved from the renewability factor because even if the population on the planet begins to increase at the current rate, still there will be enough of the sun’s energy to provide heat and light to humankind for ages at length (Barth, 2018).
Indication of how solar energy is Innovative:
Solar energy is considered to be one of the most innovative forms of energy because not only it is renewable and non-exhaustible but also it can be used in an array of technologies for the household and industries such as the engineering operations. The solar energy innovation can be reflected upon the discovery of two categories of solar technology such as: Photovoltaic (PV) and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). The PV technology helps to capture and store sunlight for generating electrical power. The CSP technology is engaged in harnessing the heat of the sun and utilizing it for the generation of thermal energy those are used in the various engineering industries for powering up large turbines and heaters. These two types of solar energy have given rise to an array of opportunities of achieving technical innovations. Some of the major emerging solar energy technologies those have emerged in the year 2017 can be enumerated as follows:
Customizable solar panels-These solar panels can have customized looks and skins to suit the tastes and preferences of the household consumers.
Solar-powered streets and highways-The solar energy has been used in many countries around the world for developing solar-powered pavements. This technology includes lighting up the roads at night with LED bulbs and also having the thermal heating power to melt snow during the chilling winters. These technologies help in releasing clean energy.
Solar batteries- The solar energy is also being used in batteries such as the renowned Tesla Powerwall that is a rechargeable lithium-ion solar powered battery launched in the year 2015. Tesla is offering the Powerwall for household usage and the Powerpack for commercial usage (Energysage, 2018).
Why solar energy is innovative than other energy:
Solar energy can be considered as more innovative than other forms of energy purely due to its renewability and reduced impact on the environment that achieves sustainability to the community. Versatility is one of the key attributes of solar energy. As for example, it is possible to install the solar PV panels on the roof or on the land where there is adequate sunlight for the solar cells to capture and store the energy for use later on. The Photovoltaic Cells are not as highly expensive to maintain as compared to some of the other forms of non-conventional energy such as wind turbines. The solar energy is a form of energy that does not emit any pollution and therefore can be used in a wide range of activities both in domestic and industrial purposes. Thus, scalability factor is one of the most important innovative attributes of solar energy as it can be used in large-scale as well as small-scale installations. The only care that needs to be taken while installing the photovoltaic cells is that the areas where the solar panels will be installed receive adequate sunlight. The solar powered cells require much lesser area for installation as compared to other forms of non –conventional renewable energy like the wind turbines requiring large area of open spaces that limits their scope of installation for household purposes (SEIA, 2013). Solar energy is also utilized to run a large number of wearable and portable devices such as wristbands which help to track and monitor vital signs of the body like heart rate, pulse rate and also determine calculations such as total distance covered, calories burned and total hours of sound sleep, etc.
Identify how the sustainability issues apply and provide assessment of their relevance to engineers:
The basic objective of using the solar energy is to achieve energy conservation and sustainability in the long run. Hence, this technology is being heavily implemented in different engineering activities such as in civil engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. In civil engineering, the engineers recommend the use of solar powered cells or photovoltaic because they help to conserve energy effectively and also do not cause any form of pollution to the environment. The modern residential and commercial buildings are being built with the objective of being environment-friendly and achieving significant cost savings on various forms of energy consumption like heat and electricity. The buildings in the modern era are being constructed with the help of implementation of green designing such as installation of energy-efficient lighting systems such as LED bulbs and other equipment such as solar-powered water heater and heating pumps. All these devices can be run with the help of solar energy.Hence, it is evident that the modern civil engineers have sustainable living and development in their minds when they design and erect buildings for residential as well as commercial purposes. Therefore, the role of solar energy is indispensable in developing the infrastructures of the modern residential and commercial properties. The use of solar energy has also been legalized in many parts of the world and therefore, the modern builders and developers are also in favor of this green building initiative and therefore the civil engineers are promoting its use more than ever before.
The use of solar energy is rampant in the domain of mechanical engineering also. The mechanical engineers work with various machines and equipment used in various industries. Hence, they have to work with various forms of mechanical devices and instrument those capture and store solar electricity. This solar electricity is then transferred to the required devices for powering them up. The mechanical engineers are entrusted with the duty of researching, designing and producing the solar energy devices such as solar panels, solar-powered engines and other tools and equipment those are required for the purpose of installing and maintaining the solar energy systems. Thus, the primary objective of the mechanical engineers is to design the various forms of solar-powered equipment and machineries which can be used for an array of household, official and industrial purposes. Hence, it is evident that the engineers have a major role to play in the development of the solar energy technology such that they can improve the way of life of the people in a way that sustainable growth and development is possible across the world (Wagner, 2018).
References
Barth, B. (2018). Is Solar Energy Sustainable? Retrieved from greenliving.lovetoknow: https://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/energy-efficiency/is-solar-energy-sustainable
Energysage. (2018). New solar panel technology: learn about advances in solar energy. Retrieved from energysage: https://news.energysage.com/solar-panel-technology-advances-solar-energy/
