Project Worksheet: Use of Solar Energy to Address Climate Change

Use of Solar Energy to Address Climate Change

Summary of engineering problem & main engineering objective [subject to revision based on further research]

in the past five decades, industrialization and globalization have accelerated significantly. Many industrial and manufacturing plants have been established both in the developed and in the developing countries. Resultantly, the demand for fuel to run the plants has shot up. It is estimated that fuel consumption globally has increased by more than 300% between 1970 and 2015. A significant proportion of the fossil fuel consumed is used in transportation. Fossil fuels emit harmful gasses like Carbon dioxide, which have the potential of causing global warming and climate change. Thus, it is imperative that alternative sources of energy are obtained to avert the looming crisis of climate change.

List several good sources on the problem itself. Provide specific titles, plus clickable links if possible.

Andrew, J., Kaidonis, M. A., & Andrew, B. (2010). Carbon tax: Challenging neoliberal solutions to climate change. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 21(7), 611-618. doi:10.1016/j.cpa.2010.03.009

Crowley, T. J. (2000). Causes of Climate Change Over the Past 1000 Years. Science, 289(5477), 270-277. doi:10.1126/science.289.5477.270

Dincer, I. (2000). Renewable energy and sustainable development: a crucial review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 4(2), 157-175. doi:10.1016/s1364-0321(99)00011-8

Ding, Y., Ren, G., Zhao, Z., Xu, Y., Luo, Y., Li, Q., & Zhang, J. (2007). Detection, causes and projection of climate change over China: An overview of recent progress. Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, 24(6), 954-971. doi:10.1007/s00376-007-0954-4

Halldorsson, A., & Kovacs, G. (2010). The sustainable agenda and energy efficiency. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 40(1/2), 5-13. doi:10.1108/09600031011018019

Hoffert, M. I., Caldeira, K., Benford, G., Criswell, D. R., Green, C., Herzog, H., Wigley, T. M. (2002). Advanced Technology Paths to Global Climate Stability: Energy for a Greenhouse Planet. Science, 298(5595), 981-987. doi:10.1126/science.1072357

Jacobson, M. Z. (2009). Review of solutions to global warming, air pollution, and energy security. Energy Environ. Sci, 2(2), 148-173. doi:10.1039/b809990c

Lorenzoni, I., Nicholson-Cole, S., & Whitmarsh, L. (2007). Barriers perceived to engaging with climate change among the UK public and their policy implications. Global Environmental Change, 17(3-4), 445-459. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2007.01.004

Mann, M. E., & Emanuel, K. A. (2006). Atlantic hurricane trends linked to climate change. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 87(24), 233. doi:10.1029/2006eo240001

Panwar, N., Kaushik, S., & Kothari, S. (2011). Role of renewable energy sources in environmental protection: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 15(3), 1513-1524. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2010.11.037

Sims, R. E. (2014). Renewable Energy and Climate Change Mitigation: An Overview of the IPCC Special Report. Weather Matters for Energy, 91-110. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-9221-4_4

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What kind of organization might undertake such a project? (That is, to whom might you propose your project? This decision will strongly influence your audience analysis for the project proposal.)

Automotive manufacturers, large manufacturing and production plant, and energy companies are the best suited to implement this solution. Specifically, car manufacturers could develop electric cars powered by solar energy while production plants could operate their machinery using solar power and energy companies could manufacture energy storing devices charged by sun power.

CANDIDATE SOLUTIONS: Describe three specific candidate solutions and source(s) on them that you have examined. You can start with popular explanatory sources, but your proposal will need to be based mainly on high quality academic and professional sources that are suitable for use in engineering writing.

Candidate engineering solution 1 Good source(s) on candidate 1 (+ URL links)

Substituting cars powered by fossil fuels with electric cars Jacobson, M. Z. (2009). Review of solutions to global warming, air pollution, and energy security. Energy Environ. Sci, 2(2), 148-173. doi:10.1039/b809990c

Candidate engineering solution 2 Good source(s) on candidate 2 (+ URL links)

Use of solar energy in homesteads instead of fossil fuels Khan, M., & Iqbal, M. (2005). Pre-feasibility study of stand-alone hybrid energy systems for applications in Newfoundland. Renewable Energy, 30(6), 835-854. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2004.09.001

Candidate engineering solution 3 Good source(s) on candidate 3 (+ URL links)

Reducing the amount of fossil energy used by large industries by complementing it with green energy where possible. Kempton, W., & Tomic, J. (2005). Vehicle-to-grid power implementation: From stabilizing the grid to supporting large-scale renewable energy. Journal of Power Sources, 144(1), 280-294. doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2004.12.022

What kinds of engineering work would then be required to actually design and implement the project? If this would differ based on which candidate solution you ultimately select as your proposed solution, explain how.

Transitioning from the use of fossil fuels to solar power would require the design of solar batteries and energy transmission lines. Importantly, it would necessitate the change in the contemporary design of automotive to electric cars. Where possible, production of wind energy would help to supplement the sun energy.

Before submitting this worksheet to Canvas or Blackboard, review your descriptions for clarity, and check that the source links you provide actually work. If the worksheet is approved and you later want to significantly change the problem or a solution, seek approval for the change.