Topic 2: Resource management and sustainable production
2.3: Energy utilization, storage and distribution:
Essential idea: There are several factors to be considered with respect to energy and
design.
Nature of design:
Efficient energy use is an important consideration for designers in today’s society. Energy
conservation and efficient energy use are essential in our impact on the environment.
A designer’s goal is to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products or
services using newer technologies or creative application of systems to reduce usage. For
example, driving less is an example of energy conservation, while driving the same amount
but with a higher mileage car is energy efficient.
Concept and principles:
• Embodied energy
• Distributing energy: national and international grid systems
• Local combined heat and power (CHP)
• Systems for individual energy generation
• Quantification and mitigation of carbon emissions
• Batteries, capacitors and capacities considering relative cost, efficiency, environmental
impact and reliability.
Guidance:
• Total energy consumed in production (cradle to [factory] gate) and throughout the
lifecycle of a product (cradle to grave)
• Batteries are limited to hydrogen fuel cells, lithium, NiCad, lead acid, and LiPo batteries
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This topic explores the impact of manufacturing processes and products on the
environment. Clean technologies have emerged as a result of greater pressure for
environmental protection and are supported by legislative frameworks.
Green products are designed using green design principles and adopt a ‘cradle to the
grave’ approach to product design.
Strategies for green design include designing products so that they can be repaired,
reused or recycled. Life cycle analysis offers a framework for evaluating the
environmental impact of a product at all stages of its life cycle.
Why green design?
There are many examples of this, such as:
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To choose non-toxic, sustainable-produced (workable) or recycled materials which
don't need as much energy to process.
To manufacture and produce products using less energy.
To produce products that are long lasting and better functioning so there is less
replacement and use of products.
Design products using the concept of being able to recycle it when its use is done.
Legislation
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Governments, politicians and businesses have to consider effect of manufacturing
Raised awareness of environmental issues in many countries
Financial penalties
Legislation forces the issue- many people will behave because they have to
Consumer pressure
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Green Consumerism-consumers begin to ask questions and make choices about
products they buy- according to their knowledge of environment
Market identify needs of consumer
Demand of environmental products
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Objectives for green products
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Increase efficiency of all input
Minimizing damage or pollution from chosen material
Ensuring the planned life is most appropriate
Effects of end disposal?
Packaging encourages efficiency and environmental considerations
Minimize nuisances (noise/smell)
Minimizing safety hazards
‘Take Back’ Legislation:
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Legislation on designers and manufacturers
Holds manufacturers responsible for the environmentally safe recycling of their
end-of-life product
Provide a financial or physical plan so that products are collected
European Union and Japan-first to introduce
Example1) ELV Directive, achieve an environmentally friendly dismantling reuse and recycling of
used or crashed vehicle parts
2) Packaging waste- EU started to management packing waste in 1980s.
3) WEEE directive-physical and financial responsibility for the setting up of efficient
collecting schemes. Companies should establish infrastructure for collecting WEEE
4) Battery directive-reduce hazardous materials used in batteries and collecting quota for
used batteries.
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Explain how people can be broadly classified according to their attitudes to green
issues.
People’s attitudes to green issues vary- they are classified into four categories:
Eco-warriors actively demonstrate on environmental issues.
Eco-champions champion environmental issues within organizations.
Eco-fans enthusiastically (strongly) a d o p t environmentally friendly practices as
consumers. Materials (reusable/recyclable).
Eco-phobes actively resent talk of environmental protection.
Life cycle Analysis- a tool to assess potential environmental impacts of product at all
stages of their life cycle
-to evaluate potential impact of a product, process or activity by quantifying the use of
resources (inputs) and environmental emissions (outputs)
Life cycle includes: Supplier, manufacturing, transportation, packaging, use, disposal
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Pre-production- raw materials being extracted
Production- machines and energy usage
Distribution including packaging (packaging creation and disposal)
Utilization (planned obsolescence)
Disposal (use to end of physical life)
The major environmental consideration
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Water
Air contamination
Energy consumption
Noise
Soil pollution/degradation
Consumption of natural resources
Pollution/effect on ecosystem
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Different elements in different products…
e.g. refrigerator and cars experience energy consumption in USE coated paper use a lot of
toxic chemicals during MANUFACTURE batteries have most impact when DISCARDED
Describe how the life cycle stages and the environmental considerations can be organized into an
environmental impact assessment matrix.
PreProduction Distribution including
packaging
production
Utilization
Disposal
Water Relevance
Soil pollution
and degradation.
Air contamination.
Noise.
Air contamination.
Energy
consumption
Effects on
ecosystems.
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Analyze the environmental impact of refrigerators, washing machines and cars using an
environmental impact assessment matrix.
Refrigerators
PreProduction
production
Distribution including
packaging
Utilization Disposal
Water Relevance
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Soil pollution and
degradation
Low
Medium
Low
Low
Medium
Air contamination
Low
Medium
Low
High
Medium
Noise
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Medium
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
High
Low
Consumption of natural
resources
Effects on ecosystems
Washing Machines PreProduction
production
Distribution including
packaging
Utilization Disposal
Water Relevance
Low
Low
Low
High
Low
Soil pollution and
degradation
Air contamination
Low
Low
Low
High
Medium
Low
Low
Low
High
Medium
Noise
Low
Low
Low
High
Low
Consumption of natural
resources
Low
Low
Low
High
Low
Effects on ecosystems
Low
Low
Low
High
Medium
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Cars
PreProduction
production
Distribution including
packaging
Utilization Disposal
Water Relevance
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Soil pollution and
degradation
Medium
Medium
Low
Medium
Medium
Air contamination
Low
Medium
Medium
High
Medium
Noise
Low
Medium
Low
High
Low
Medium
Medium
Low
High
Low
Low
Medium
Low
High
Low
Consumption of natural
resources
Effects on ecosystems
Explain why Elements of the matrix may differ in importance according to a
particular design context.
For example; in the case of the fridges and cars the larger part of energy consumption takes
place in use rather than maintenance. There are five stages in the product cycle that all can
result with a bad impact upon the environment. The amount of impact depends upon how
the product was pre-production produced distributed utilized and Disposed.
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Our society and industry relies on large amounts of energy and the world is becoming
increasingly dependent on fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal etc...). The industrialised nations of
Western Europe and North America, China and India depend almost entirely on these
fuels and the developing nations are also increasing their use. It is understood that there
is a direct link between the way we produce energy and damage caused by pollution.
Finding cleaner and alternative ways of producing electricity / energy are now looked
upon as being very important for the future of our planet.
Outline the main pollutants produced from the large-scale burning of fossil fuels
worldwide.
Sulphur emissions cause acid rain; CO2, although not strictly a pollutant, contributes to
the enhanced greenhouse effect.
Describe the main effect of carbon dioxide emissions from the large scale burning of
fossil fuels
Enhanced greenhouse effect leads to higher mean global temperatures, sea-level rise and
general climate changes.
Discuss the contribution of biomass as a renewable energy resource
Biofuels are used globally, most commonly to power vehicles and cooking stoves. Biofuels
offer the possibility of producing energy without a net increase of carbon into the
atmosphere because the plants used in to produce the fuel have removed CO2 from the
atmosphere, unlike fossil fuels which return carbon which was stored beneath the surface
for millions of years into the air. Biofuel is therefore more nearly carbon neutral and less
likely increase atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. The use of biofuels also
reduces dependence on petroleum and enhances energy security.
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Explain how the production and distribution of electricity led to large-scale energy
usage, security of supply and the geographical spread of production away from the
source of energy supplies.
The electrical distribution network and grid system allowed industry to move away from
the source of the fuel supply.
Electric power transmission allows remote energy sources (such as hydroelectric power
plants, wind turbines, nuclear power plants, etc.) to be connected to consumers in
population centers, allowing utilization of low-grade fuel resources such as coal and
natural gas that would otherwise be too expensive to transport to generating facilities.
Centralized power generation became practicable when it was possible for alternating
current power lines transporting electricity at very low costs across great distances.
The electrical power industry is divided into four processes;
1) electricity generation such as a power station
2) electric power transmission
3) electricity distribution
4) electricity retailing
It is common for electric power companies to own the whole infrastructure from
generating stations to transmission and distribution infrastructure
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Explain how the development of localized, portable sources of electrical energy in the
form of batteries changed the nature of energy usage and the development of new types
of products.
Consider portable radios, mobile phones, and other portable electrical and electronic
products.
This development has now added a whole new consideration for designers when designing
a new product. It has opened a whole new range of opportunities for innovations and
inventions to take place in order to create a safer more efficient society.
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Mobile phones are now widely used and have, not only increased society's sense of
safety when people are out alone, but it has also been the cause of a variety of
innovative ideas being spread around society.
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Case study / Solar power
Describe how solar power can be harnessed for use in domestic products.
Consider active solar collection and various arrangements of photovoltaic cells (PVs), for
example, small individual cells on portable equipment, use of PV’s in sustainable building
design for hybrid systems, incorporation of PV’s into roof design to enhance the
sustainability of buildings and also doubling as shelter over car parking areas.
Solar energy is heat and light energy that is produced by the sun. Solar energy
technologies harness solar energy for practical uses. Solar technology has been around for
hundreds of years and has been used by early Greeks and Native Americans, who warmed
their buildings by orienting them towards the sun.
Solar power can be harnessed in many ways for use in domestic products. Solar thermal
applications make up the most widely used category of solar energy technology. These
technologies use heat from the sun for water and space heating, ventilation, industrial
process heat, cooking, water distillation and disinfection, and many other applications.
Heating, cooling and ventilation (HVAC) systems of buildings are closely interrelated.
Thermal mass materials store solar energy during the day and release this energy during
cooler periods. Common thermal mass materials include stone, cement, and water. The
amount and placement of the thermal mass should consider several factors such as
climate, day lighting and consumption.
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Solar energy can be converted into electricity in two ways: Photovoltaic devices (solar
cells) change sunlight directly into electricity. PV devices are often used in remote
locations where there is no connection to the electric grid and are used to power watches,
calculators, and lighted road signs. The picture on the right is an example of how solar cells
can be used to heat water.
The second method of converting solar energy into electricity is by using solar power
plants. These indirectly generate electricity when the heat from solar thermal collectors is
used to heat a fluid which produces steam, the steam then powers a generator.
Identify the advantages and disadvantages of solar power.
There are many advantages and disadvantages of solar energy these include:
Advantages
• The conversion from sunlight to electricity is direct so that mechanical generator systems
are not needed.
• Solar cells can be quickly and easily set up.
• Solar power is free and the supply is unlimited.
• There is a small environmental impact, requiring no water for a cooling system and
generation no by-products.
Disadvantages
• The amount of light that reaches the earth’s surface is not constant. The amount of
energy that reaches the earth’s surface depends on location, time of day, time of year, and
weather conditions.
• Because the sun doesn't deliver that much energy to any one place at any one time, a
large surface area is required to collect the energy at a useful rate .
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