Modern Energy Efficiency and its Applications to the Future
A problem we often have in our modern-day society is regulating the consumption of
electricity. Having smart electronics in our home only amplifies this issue, as stoves switch from
gas to electricity, computers draw on more power, and devices that run all day such as voiceactivated computers like Siri, Alexa, and more. This provides a problematic predicament; to
create electricity, we still rely on nonrenewable resources, such as burning coals, oils, and more.
This releases CO2 and other greenhouses gases into the atmosphere. As it stands, we are in a
global warming crisis, and so we must do everything we can to protect our planet. Despite how
grim this situation looks for humanity, we can apply this technology to heat other regions, such
as mars. Earth, specifically the USA, is dealing with their crisis by employing the “Save Energy
Now Initiative,” a program that analyzes the work processes of many factories to reduce
consumption of electricity. These resolutions began in 2005, and continue today, though we only
started to see the benefits of this many years later, as late as 2019. “Save Energy Now” is a
national campaign started in 2005 in response to a rapid rise in energy prices. This campaign
helps U.S. industry reduce energy use and supports national goals for energy security. Through
Save Energy Now, DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) helps industrial plants operate
more efficiently and profitably by identifying ways to reduce energy use in key industrial process
systems” [1] Will detail a few points; the three factories; Ingersoll Rand sites, the St. Louis
Crysler Assembly Complex in Missouri and Boise Inc. Paper Mills. Afterwards, I will analyze
the approaches to these sites, and apply their approaches to see if such methods can be brought to
Mars.
The “Save Energy Now” Initiative was employed to reduce the consumption of
electricity, being able to “do more with less”, thus reducing consumption of polluting fuels or
replacing them entirely while also maintaining similar output. This aligns perfectly with a need
presented in the earlier paragraph of this White Paper; Global Warming – and secondarily, the
energy release and subsequent preservation of Mars. The process is separated into three stages;
these three stages are named “Treasure Hunt,” “Expanded Energy Audit,” and “System-Specific
Audit” for tiers one, two and three respectfully [2]. This system derives heavily off of the Kaizen
model of continuous development and the Six-Stigma process of efficiency [2]. Across the many
factories used in the “Save Energy Now” Initiative, all of them apply this system. The first tier,
as its name implies, is a treasure hunt for opportunities for improvement. Workers, machines,
even going as far as to analyze if the factory AC is running too cold. AC in buildings as large as
factories are very difficult to keep thermoregulated, and often they overcompensate to not have
issues. However, this can cause a MAJOR power draw. Even to individual households, having
ones AC or heater on for too long or in excess in general can burn through power more than
anything else overall. The second stage is where the change takes place. AC is adjusted, workers
are trained for efficiency, and old technology that would consume immense amounts of
electricity for a simple task is replaced by technology that can do the same at a fraction of the
cost. This switch also encourages factories to make a switch towards cleaner energy, like the St.
Louis Chrysler Assembly Complex in Missouri[1] and Boise Inc. Paper Mills[3], which both
now utilize cleaner and more efficient forms of steam energy to power their factories.
2022 is a worrying year, as we are beginning
to see the effects of what global warming is
doing to Earth. Cold snaps in even the hottest
parts of the world, as well as increased severity
of natural disasters, such as hurricanes in tropical
Figure 1, [5], Estimated Volume of Pollution emitted by Nation
climates, such as Florida with the catastrophic hurricane Ian, bringing floodwaters so high that
they reached places that have not been flooded by a hurricane for over a century[8]. All this
caused by excessive pollution from factories that contribute heavily to global warming, though
the ones used in this paper are not even the most major factories. Those kinds of factories sit in
other parts of the world or were otherwise unwilling to participate in this research program.
Carbon Dioxide, also called CO2, is a gas that is capable of reflecting UV from the sun back
towards the planet after it bounces off the surface, warming it. Carbon Dioxide is the primary
culprit gas produced by most factories; while this is a gas almost solely contributing to the
warming of our planet, it will be the saving grace of another. Our Red Planet neighbor, Mars, is a
cold planet. Its core has solidified, and it has lost its atmosphere. However, if we can regain that
warmth, we can produce an atmosphere. To do this, we must produce CO2, and plenty of it.
“…we could build an enormous reflective fan over Mars’ polar caps, redirecting UV light into
the ice caps.”[7]. This would melt the caps of Mars, which are packed with CO2, Creating a
Greenhouse effect.
As far from today as it may seem, our planet
is in the middle of a greenhouse crisis, and polishing
factory efficiency of energy is the first of many steps
towards a cooler, greener future. If we are mindful of
what we use that can consume energy, we can save
space in our pockets and save space on our planet at
the same time. Even with all this action, the effects
Figure 2, [6], Global Annual Temperatures
will not be instant; the damage has been done. We can
only prevent more severe issues arising in the future, or issues that intensify our current crisis.
We must stay mindful and respect our environment if we are to live on it any longer, utilizing
these strategies to inhabit another planet more resistant to this warming shift as our home
recovers.
REFERENCES
[1] “Chrysler: Save Energy Now Assessment Enables a Vehicle Assembly Complex to Achieve
Significant Natural Gas Savings.” Www.energy.gov, 2019,
https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/05/f16/chryslersavenergynow.pdf.
[2] “Success Story: Ingersoll Rand Discovers Hidden Savings with a Three-Tiered Energy Audit
Model.” Www.energy.gov, 2017,
https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/05/f16/ingersoll_rand_success_story.pdf
[3] “Boise Inc. St. Helens Paper Mill Achieves Significant Fuel Savings: Annual Energy Savings
Exceed $1 Million.” Energy.gov, 2019,
https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/05/f16/boisecasestudy.pdf.
[4] “Doe Launches Save Energy Now Leader Program.” Energy.gov,
https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-launches-save-energy-now-leader-program.
[5] Gallucci, Maria. “Countries Could Slow Energy Emissions to a 'Crawl' by 2030 under
Climate Change Pledges: Energy Agency.” International Business Times, 17 Dec. 2020,
https://www.ibtimes.com/countries-could-slow-energy-emissions-crawl-2030-underclimate-change-pledges-energy-2150455.
[6] NCEI.Monitoring.Info@noaa.gov. “Summary Information.” Summary Information | National
Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/summaryinfo/global/201412.
[7] Merritt, Shelby. “The Terraformation of Mars: A Dream Still Alive.” Independent, 14 Oct.
2022.
[8] “2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2022,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Hurricane_Ian.