Trent Brown, Environmental Science and Regional Planning
The renewable resources that may lead us into the next century are; solar thermal energy, solar photovoltaics, and biomass. The implementation of technology to utilize these three renewable resources efficiently and their consumption will accomplish three goals critical to human societies achieving sustainability. First, their use will result in the reduction of polluting emissions into the atmosphere, thus improving air quality and limiting the greenhouse effect. Furthermore, the increased use of renewable resources will lessen the overall amount of environmental degradation attributed to the use of nonrenewable resources (i.e. the by-products from the use of nuclear technology for energy and detrimental effects to the environment that accompany nonrenewable resource extraction). Lastly, the use of the before mentioned potential energy sources aids in achieving a sustainable lifestyle because of their long-term usability. Their use adopts a philosophy of utilizing the resources sustained within natural systems rather than consuming those that take thousands of lifetimes to regenerate.
Indicators, Strategies, and Benefits
The indicators (I’s in bold and underlined) measure progress towards achieving sustainable renewable resources. The strategies (S’s in bold) are recommended actions to improve the indicators. Following the indicators and strategy action statements will be a discussion concerning the benefits and savings, challenges, and examples of areas where the use of these renewable resources have been successful. The implementation of renewable resource use could be very beneficial to WSU and Pullman. Coinciding with the theme of higher education, WSU and Pullman could help lead the way in proving that communities can indeed become sustainable. In addition, the relative isolation of Pullman contributes to the allure of becoming a sustainable society.
I.1. Increased use of solar thermal energy
Solar energy is derived
from the most plentifully known renewable resource. The earth’s surface
receives 160 times the energy stored in the world’s proven reserves of
fossil fuels (Alexander, 1996:28). There are three systems for the collection
of solar thermal energy; active solar heating, passive solar heating, and
daylighting (Everett, 1996:41). Active solar heating entails the use of
a solar collector ordinarily mounted on the roof of a building to amass
solar radiation (Everett, 1996:41). Passive solar heating includes the
absorption of solar radiation directly into a building to reduce the energy
required for space heating and the development of low-energy building design
(Everett, 1996:41). Daylighting involves the use of natural sunlight, through
building design and artificial light controls, to minimize energy used
and the subsequent consumption of fossil fuels (Everett, 1996:42).
The recommended strategies for the successful application of solar thermal
energy are:
S.1.a. Enhance the design of buildings by utilizing proper orientation,
solar control, and daylighting.
Sustainability requires
carefully design for the various seasonal patterns within a region.
This strategy improves building design and preformance. This
is especially true for both summer and winter. The climate of an
area plays a large role in determining whether or not passive solar heating
and daylighting can be employed.
S.1.b. Increase the number of solar collectors on the top of industrial
buildings and private homes.
Important because of the
decline in the consumption of nonrenewable resources that results from
the increased use of active solar heating.
S.1.c. Enhance community participation.
Offer "incentives" for people
who integrate the use of solar thermal technology into their lifestyles.
These incentives could be in the form of tax credits for households using
solar thermal technology to supply all or a portion of their energy needs.
S.1.d. Encourage participation from the large entities found within
communities.
An example of a large entity
could be an industrial park or a large university complex found within
the community (WSU) that utilizes solar thermal energy would help to set
a precedent for the whole community to follow.
I.2. Enhanced the use of solar photovoltaics (PVs).
Photovoltaics convert solar
energy directly into electricity within a solid-state device, the PV cell
(Boyle, 1996:89). The use of solar energy as a renewable resource
has several advantages over other renewable resources. First, the
abundance of solar energy makes the use of photovoltaics practical.
The flow of solar energy is 15,000 times greater than current levels of
human energy consumption (Boyle, 1996:92). Next, the application
of PV cells can occur on a large or small scale. The use of photovoltaics
is becoming practical for home use (small-scale), commerical/educational
building (mid-scale), and the development of PV solar power plants (large-scale).
Furthermore, the PV cell itself is made from silicon, one of the most abundant
materials on the face of the earth and has no movable parts and a long
useful life (Rosenberg, 1993:48). In conclusion, the use of
photovoltaics produces electricity, the most sought after form of energy.
The recommended strategies for the successful application of photovoltaics
are:
S.2.a. Incorporate proper climate responsive building and landscape
design into community developments.
Proper building design which
is responsive to differences in climate between regions and seasonal variations
is critical to achieving sustainability. The incidence of sunlight
in a given area is very important when trying to determine solar, daylighting
and PV cell applications.
S.2.b. Increase the use of PV cells on homes in residential areas
and large buildings contained within the community.
An increase would indicate
the community's desire to achieve sustainability by reducing the use of
nonrenewable resources.
S.2.c. Integration PV cells in the design of any new construction,
renovation, or upgrade of buildings in the residential, business, or industrial
sector.
Local governments (representatives
of the community) have the authority to make this an integrative a part
of policy and an important component of societies everyday practices.
S.2.d. Foster leadership in demonstrating PV technology in large
entities found within communities.
An example of a large entity
could be an industrial park or a large facility found within the community
(WSU, City and public school system) that utilizes solar technology would
help to set a precedent for the whole community.
I.3. Expanded the use of biomass
Biomass is defined as all
the earth’s living matter and is a constantly replenished energy source
(Ramage and Scurlock, 1996:137). The United States derives 4% of
its annual energy consumption from biomass (Groot and Hall, 1988:25).
According to Palz etal (1993:74), biomass systems today include: forestry
and agricultural residues, municipal solid wastes, landfill gas, organic
wastes, combustible industrial wastes, and ethanol. We can synthesize
these into three major categories; energy from agricultural residues, energy
from societal waste, and energy production crops (Ramage and Scurlock,
1996:154-168). Agricultural residues include the remnants from forestry
practices, by-products such as straw from agricultural activity, animal
wastes such as pig slurry, and tropical crop wastes that include rice husks
and sugar cane residues (Ramage and Scurlock, 1996:154-159). Examples
of waste used for energy involve municipal solid waste (landfill sites),
commercial and industrial waste, and sewage used in anaerobic digesters
(Ramage and Scurlock, 1996:160-164). Energy crops are quick growing
harvestable tree species, crops (sugar cane, maize, and sorghum) for ethanol,
and vegetable oils from the seeds of plants to be mixed with diesel fuel
(Ramage and Scurlock, 1996:165-168). The recommended strategies for
the successful application of biomass are:
S.3.a. Educate community members to the need and advantages of composting
and recycling.
The implementation of a
comprehensive plan that would assist individuals in recycling and composting.
This could greatly reduce the amount of waste that is produced in the home
and other segments of the community.
S.3.b. Reduce the amount of waste (biomass) placed in landfills.
A combination of recycling,
composting, and incineration could greatly reduce the amount of municipal
waste placed in landfills.
S.3.c. Increase the percentage of surplus crops that are used for
the production of ethanol.
Ethanol is blended with
gasoline (up to 10% by volume) and current technology allows automobiles
to run on ethanol. For example, 31% of vehicles in Brazil currently
run on pure ethanol (Ramage and Scurlock, 1996:166).
S.3.d. Establish a community compost facility and/or construct a
biomass plant for conversion to power.
The burning
of municipal waste derives energy from a source (waste) that would otherwise
be discarded. This would enable societies to maximize the life cycles
of resources.
The major obstacle in the
path to achieving sustainability is society’s unwillingness to change their
consumption patterns, which would decrease environmental impacts and ensure
resources for future generations. Furthermore, most people tend to
be more concerned with short-term benefits than ensuring long-term sustainability
and think of things at the small-scale level (individual homes) rather
than the large-scale level (an entire community). There are two problems
with this perception. First, it represents a misconception and how
people are misinformed. The initial capital cost of systems that
utilize renewable resources are very competitive and energy derived from
renewable resources can be as low-cost as nonrenewable resources.
Wind can provide energy for 5 cents per kwh. This is competitive with conventional
energy sources (Wann, 1996:85). This allows people to reap the short-term
benefits while ensuring long-term sustainability. Secondly, the savings
from using renewable resources should be intrinsic to each and every one
of us. Small-scale collectively can effect activities on the large-scale
and ultimately, short-term practices can determine long-term outcomes.
They are all interdependent upon one another.
Spatial distinction and
temporal separation are two main challenges in achieving energy sustainability.
The level and distribution of renewable resource applications vary at the
small and large-scale and are dependent upon the environment (region) the
community is located. The application of a renewable resource can
be achieved in both large industrial and small scaled residential applications.
The individual and group perceptions of cost and benefits drives our economy
and determines the lifestyles we lead. It is everyone’s responsibility
to alter their thinking, purchasing patterns, and lifestyle to foster a
more conscious way of life that embraces long-term costs and benefits.
Although this may seem to be more than a challenge, giant steps have been
made as societies and communities work towards and achieve sustainability.
A sustainable lifestyle is well within our reach. Recycling is now ordinary rather than extraordinary and carpooling and mass-transit are culturally accepted. There are many examples of the successful applications of renewable resources. In Denmark, a housing project has incorporated the use of solar thermal energy to provide most of the space heating (use of central solar collector field) and domestic hot water (use of smaller solar collectors on houses) requirements (Everett, 1996:62). Found within the Black Forest (Germany) is a small inn, Rappenecker Hof, that has harvested the majority of its electricity from PV solar cells since 1987 (Boyle, 1996:90-91). Lastly, Woburn Abbey in Bedforshire, UK, provides us with an example of producing energy from biomass. Woburn Abbey is a country estate that supplies the majority of its space heating and domestic hot water requirements utilizing surplus straw from around the community (Ramage and Scurlock, 1996:156). And the University of Idaho has a similar central campus heating system which uses waste wood and landscape products. The examples containing the successful application of these renewable resources for energy are endless, displaying that a sustainable lifestyle is technological within each individual’s reach and has been for quite some time. It is each individual’s and community's responsibility to strive for a sustainable lifestyle in a manner that benefits them and is within their realm of possibility.
References
Alexander, G., 1996. "The Context of Renewable Energy Technologies," Ch. 1: Overview, Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable Future. Oxford University Press.
Boyle,G., 1996. "Solar Photovoltaics," Ch. 3, Renewable Energy:Power for a Sustainable Future. Oxford University Press.
Everett,B., 1996. "Solar Thermal Energy," Ch. 2, Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable Future. Oxford University Press.
Groot, P. and Hall, D.O., 1988. "Biomass for Energy: Present and Future," a paper collected from Energy-EYE plus fifty, an international conference held in Tynemouth, UK.
Palz et al., 1993. Renewable Energy-2000, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
Ramage, J. and Scurlock, J., 1996. "Biomass," Ch. 4, Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable Future. Oxford University Press.
Rosenberg, P., 1993. Alternative Energy Handbook, The Fairmont Press.
Wann, D., 1996. Deep Design: Pathways to a Livable Future, Island Press.