CAJ 13 - What my topic is about

My CAJ is about environmental technology. This whole semester I read about new ideas and concepts that could help to minimize or reverse the negative impacts of humans living on Earth because that is what environmental technology is all about. Humans have done harmful things in the past and are still doing it, like for example exploiting every last drop of crude oil and burning it, which pollutes the atmosphere. Environmental tech wants to find technologies that serve the same purpose but without harming the environment. I found many concepts that seem very promising, like solar energy, infrared energy and also a cleaner form of nuclear energy. As all these technologies are quite new and have not been tested for a long time, it is always possible that they have negative consequences, as well. However, their whole purpose is to be environmentally friendly and if researchers realized that there was something wrong, they would correct it as fast as possible. One thing is sure, however: It is better to generate energy by letting the sun shine on a solar cell than digging for fossil fuel and the burning it. Of course, new technology is always expensive and rare but if enough people buy it and if there is enough demand, technology will get cheaper and easier to get and there is the possibility of the government paying for parts of it. When most people have an electrical car it will seem just normal and people will drive on solar roadways is if it has always been that way. Environmental technology may not be perfect but it is the step in the right direction to safe humanity and this planet.

CAJ 12 - Ethical Issues concerning Environmental Technologies

We discussed in class, what ethical problems could arise from the implementation of each students CAJ topic. After this lesson and the assignment about ethical issues, I often thought about what I might have forgotten or what else might be relevant. This resulted in three ethical issues that seemed particularly important to me.

The first and probably most obvious one is the uncertainty if what we are doing is better than what we did before. What I mean with this is that new technologies like solar panels and biomass energy are trying to make up for the damage done by fossil fuels and other harmful human technologies. However, soon after the introduction of solar panels, it was clear that solar cells in this form were harming the environment as well because they used up a lot of energy and rare natural resources in their production. What if there are more mistakes like that in the new technologies we are using now? Maybe there are disadvantages we cannot foresee and what if it is too late when we have finally realized what they are?

Secondly, if there is going to be real change, politicians have to make decisions. We all know that hard decisions are not their strength. But let us say that there is one politician, who is tough and smart and has decided to change something in the world. He decides that fossil fuels will run out in the next couple of years anyway and that we need alternatives right now. That is why he signs a law that prohibits the use of fossil fueled cars because there are so much better electrical cars that everybody could use. After his signing the law, the whole country would be furious and in the next election no one would elect this politician again because all his opponents would promote the cheap, old fossil fueled cars. The new legislation would simply reverse the law and everything would go back to normal but without the smart politician.

The third issue is the availability of environmentally friendly technology. Let us take a family of the working class. There is a single mother with three kids between the ages of three and eight. The money is scarce as it is and now you tell this woman that she can not use the second hand car she has been using for the past couple of years because it pollutes the environment too much. How is this woman supposed to afford a new shiny electrical car? No government will be able to pay for every new car that has to be bought and that means that people are on their own and have to pay themselves if they want to drive a car at all.

CAJ 11 - Overview

As the CAJ project comes to its end quite soon, I would like to summarize what I have learned so far and what I have written about. As environmental technology is a very wide field of study, I could not nearly include everything there is to say or to write about it. However, I have tried to write about the most promising new technologies and how they could help us. In the end, I focused especially on solar energy because there is so much going on in this field right now and because some of the most promising concepts were developed there.

Solar cells are not only great because they function with the free energy of the sun but also because there are so many potential applications. One of the best concepts is Solar Roadways, in which normal asphalt roads would be exchanged with solar panels. You could drive on them, recharge your electric car and write warnings on a road that is never wet. There also is a new material for solar cells, called Perovskite that can not only absorb light but also emit it. Furthermore, the third generation of solar cells, the organic solar cells combine almost every advantage of solar power without real disadvantages. They can be produced cheaply, without the use of rare materials and use little energy in their manufacture. Solar power can also be harnessed in Space, where there is enough space available and where the power of the sun is even stronger.

Another concept which can be combined with solar energy but can also stand by itself is infrared energy. Researchers have found out that it is also possible to generate energy through temperature differences. So, it would be possible to collect energy when heat leaves a surface. For example, solar cells could generate energy by collecting light during the day and leaving infrared light during night.

A more controversial topic is nuclear energy. Everybody knows that this energy can be dangerous but there are ways to generate energy quite safely. The famous fusion reactor has never really worked and there still has to be more research done but the fusion-fission hybrid reactor could actually work pretty safely and without a lot of radioactive waste. Of course there are ethical questions to be raised but nuclear energy could be a technology of the future.

CAJ 10 - Three Generations of Solar Cells

In search of potential weaknesses or disadvantages of solar cells, I ended up at the website of the Technical University of Denmark. In their online course they defined three types of solar cells, from the first generation to the third. I will now explain the advantages and disadvantages of each of them:

First generation – Silicon Solar Cells:

The first solar cells were made of crystalline silicon and are what everybody has in mind when thinking of solar cells. They are thick, rigid, heavy and very inefficient. The materials they use are very expensive and their production consumes a lot of energy. That is why they were only used when really necessary, where the price of the energy was not important like in space, on satellites.

Second generation – Thin Film Solar Cells:

The next generation of solar cells was much lighter and easier to produce. Instead of building such big cells like the first generation, the solar cell was now a thin film on a carrier substrate. A popular example of second generation solar cells is the amorphous silicon solar cell. It solved most of the problems the first generation had. The manufacturing temperature was much lower, the energy consumption in general was low and the materials were not as expensive. However, with these advantages came some inherent problems. They were not as stable as the older ones, suffered from bad contacts, sensitivity to the atmosphere like water and oxygen and a decay in performance.

Third generation – Organic Solar Cells:

The new generation of solar cells are the organic ones. They can be produced at even lower cost and temperatures and use even thinner films. There is an indefinite number of materials and ways they can be built. Moreover, they operate at an average 10% or more efficiency rate, are extremely thin, use very little material and can be manufactured even faster than the second generation. The only potential problem with them is that they can also be unstable like the thin film solar cells. Other than that, there lies a huge potential in this third generation.

This already answered part of my question. I know now that there can be solar cells, which are not especially environmentally friendly because they use much energy and materials when being produced. However, with this third generation, this problem is solved and solar power really seems so be one of the very best renewable energy sources.

CAJ 9 - Solar Power Satellite

I have already written quite a lot about solar energy and the different new possibilities and materials. In May the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has announced that their goal was to build a solar power satellite that would generate as much energy as an ordinary nuclear power station does. This solar power station would then orbit the earth and would collect solar energy 24 hours a day because of two huge mirrors to get the sun at every angle. They say that this could be achieved within 25 years. While there are clearly some issues still to be addressed, they have managed to solve the main problems like wireless power transmission over such a long distance. The current solution to this specific issue are microwaves because they do not get blocked by the atmosphere and because the power conversion into electric energy from microwaves is already very efficient. For Japan this is a logical step because the country has no fossil fuels to exploit, space for renewable energy is scarce and because of the accident of Fukushima nuclear energy does not seem to be the right solution anymore. The plan is very ambitious and there still has to be more research done, for example in the field of possible materials, but if Japan succeeds in doing this, many science fiction movies would come to life.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/green-tech/solar/how-japan-plans-to-build-an-orbital-solar-farm

CAJ 8 - Online Course!

There is something even more interesting. There is an online course about organic solar cells. I have never done such a course, but it is free and it starts on June 2^nd. I already signed up to take it, even though the CAJ will be near its end by then. I am thrilled to see what this course will look like and what I have to do in order to pass it. Here is the link to the online course, which is organised by the Technical University of Denmark:

https://www.coursera.org/course/opv

CAJ 7 - Organic Solar Cells

I just found out that there are even more advances in the field of solar energy. Everybody knows the typical silicon solar cells but there also are organic solar cells. They are called organic because they use carbon-based materials to convert light into electric energy. Right now there still are some challenges to be overcome, such as only 5% efficiency compared to 15% efficiency in silicon solar cells. Furthermore the efficiency is worsened by instabilities against oxidation and reduction and by temperature variations. However, they also have major advantages. To start with, these solar cells are cheap to produce and it is possible to use roll-to-roll processing, which makes the production even more cost-effective. The manufacturing also consumes less energy than usual silicon cells. Moreover, the material is light and flexible and is therefore easy to transport, store and install. Due to the flexibility of the material it is also less prone to damage and failure.  One possible application for the material is the use on laptops, phone and even clothes. Even the military uses it by putting it on its tents to generate energy. What is special about it is that the molecule properties can be tailored by molecular engineering to fit the intended application. These organic cells can also be combined with conventional solar cells to form a hybrid solar cell, which combines the advantages of both. Hybrid solar cells have higher efficiency and could be printed in any form or color.

CAJ 6 - New Material for Solar Panels

Even though solar energy is a very useful source of energy right now, the technology improves almost every day. Just now a new material for solar panels, called Perovskite, has been discovered. This new material is five times cheaper than the current material and has one special feature. It can not only absorb light to convert it into electricity, it can also emit light. In addition to that it can be produced in different colors. That means that in its semi-translucent form, it could replace current windows. These new windows could produce electricity in sunlight and serve as light decorations or as space for adverts during night. Due to the multitude of colors this material can take, even flat screen displays could be made out of it. That way smart phones, tablets or any kind of electrical device with a flat screen could be recharged by lying in the sun. Clearly, Perovskite is a huge advance in terms of energy safety in the future.

http://www.zeitnews.org/applied-sciences/energy/solar-cell-material-can-absorb-light-during-day-and-emit-light-night

CAJ 5 - Infrared energy?

I just stumbled upon a very interesting article on the website “www.zeitnews.org”. It is about a possible new way of creating energy be using temperature differences. Physicists found out that heat that leaves the atmosphere could be used as a power source just like solar energy, which is basically heat entering our atmosphere. This could be accomplished by devices collecting energy by releasing infrared light. One possible model for this would be a solar cell which collects incoming sunlight during the day and collects leaving infrared light during the night. I must say that I like this idea very much. It would mean that solar energy is even more efficient and also that there would be just one device that can generate both types of energy.

http://www.zeitnews.org/applied-sciences/energy/infrared-new-renewable-energy-source

CAJ 1 - Description of Environmental Technology

My topic “Environmental Technology” is a very widespread field as it includes everything that helps to weaken negative impacts of humans on the environment. These negative impacts involve phenomena like air pollution, water pollution, pollution of the soil, global warming and many more. All possible solutions to such problems can be counted as environmental technology. Popular examples for this are photovoltaics, wind energy, water purification or also just simple recycling. Questionable energy sources such as nuclear power could also be included if it does not produce radioactive waste, like the fusion-fission hybrid reactor does not. The main point is that the destruction which is caused by humans living on this planet is reduced.

CAJ 4 - Nuclear Power

For a change of topic in my CAJ, I decided to look into nuclear power as an environmentally friendly option. I am aware that the common fission reactors are not really considered environmentally friendly, even though many people feel that way. Granted, they to not emit greenhouse gases. However, they are insecure and produce huge amounts of radioactive waste. To these problems there already have been found solutions, which results in two better ways to generate energy through nuclear power.

The first and probably more established idea is the fusion reactor. This process does not split the atoms, like in typical fission reactors, but join them. There are many advantages to this idea, like lower waste, more security and higher availability of the resources needed. However, the technology is not quite far enough and many more billions of dollars have to be spend for fusion power research.

The second solution is not as known as the first one but maybe the more realistic one. This concept is called nuclear fusion-fission hybrid and combines nuclear fusion and fission. It was invented back in the 1970s but has not received much interest because fusion seemed more promising. Now that research has shown that fusion power will not be implemented soon, the hybrid version has attracted attention again. As in fusion power alone the energy input is still higher than the energy output, the hybrid version is the only way to make fusion power profitable. Through this hybrid enough energy is produced, waste is reduced to the minimum and safety issues shrink extremely. That is because the fission depends on neutrons provided by the easily stoppable fusion reaction and if the fusion is turned off, the fission reaction stops almost instantly. All this means that this way of generating energy seems reasonably safe and clean.

CAJ 3 - Rhetoric Comment

I comment on the rhetoric in this article:

http://singularityhub.com/2010/08/08/solar-roadways-crackpot-idea-or-ingenious-concept-video/

The overall rhetoric in the article “Solar Roadways: Crackpot Idea or Ingenious Concept?” written by Aaron Saenz is not very convincing. For me the main fault is that there is no ethical appeal. The author writes as if he was an expert on this topic and presents many arguments against the solar roadways but he never even tells the reader who he is or what his connection to the topic is. His pathetic appeal is not much better either. Throughout the whole article he uses no pathos. The main emotion I get from reading the article is anger but not because the author provoked it but because his writing style and his arguments are so bad. If depressing and angering the reader is his goal, he achieves it. The logic in the article is not satisfying either. He argues that solar roadways are too expensive and that asphalt roads are cheaper because they are expensive only on highways and not on small roads. However, he doesn’t mention that asphalt roads can never pay for themselves and therefore solar roadways are cheaper in any case, even if it takes 50 years to pay off. All in all the rhetoric in this article is very unconvincing.

CAJ 2 - Solar Roadways

My CAJ topic is “Environmental Technology” and I started my research on solarroadways.com. That is actually why I picked environmental technology. I was absolutely fascinated by what I found on this website. I have always been concerned about climate change and about what humanity does to this planet. There are, of course, many solutions to this problem, like electric cars, solar panels, wind energy or just saving energy. However, I was surprised my how good the solution of Solar Roadways sounds. What they are thinking of is this: They, in particular the engineer Scott Brusaw, want to change the roads we are driving on. Instead of normal asphalt roads, they want to built the roads out of solar panels. Now most people would think something like “You can't drive on solar panels!” but Solar Roadways has actually found a way to do exactly that. Not only that, it should also be more safe to drive on these roads than on usual roads. What they plan is a road with different layers, that is intelligent, produces energy and even uses recycled materials. The top layer, called Road Surface Layer, will be made out of glass. Glass can be as hard as steel, is transparent enough for the sunlight to pass through and is perfect for driving when dry. Under the glass, there will be heating elements so that the road is never wet or snowy. There will be LEDs incorporated so that there can be warnings and information written directly on the road and there will, of course, be the solar panels. Under this layer, there will be the Electronics Layer. This layer collects the electronic energy, controls the heating elements, the lighting, the monitoring and everything else electronic. This layer is then protected my the bottom layer, the Base Plate Layer, which distributes the collected energy and electronic signals. The internal support structure will be made out of garbage from the ocean and landfills, so the roads would even improve our garbage disaster. At the same time there would not have to be any more power supply lines above ground. Internet links, telephone lines and power could all be incorporated in the roads. In addition, there could be more electric cars, that could even be recharged directly on the roads or on parking lots and so these roads would make us more independent from oil and would lower our CO2 levels. I must say that I am completely taken my this idea. There seems to be no downside to this plan at all.

For a text to analyze I picked a video from solarroadways.com. It is a video in which Scott Brusaw argues for the use of these new roads:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep4L18zOEYI

Ethos

In terms of ethos I noticed that they have a professor of material science from the Pennsylvania State University, called Carlo Pantano, speaking. I would argue that he looks very wise and also quite old and is there to reassure the audience that this is a good thing to do. He praises the idea and states that this is not an impossible thing to do.

Pathos

For pathos I did not find very much but for the end of the video. In the end, Brusaw sits on the couch with his wife and his child and they talk about how our actions are going to affect the next generation. They even zoom in on the child yawning, I think that is a clear sign of them wanting the audience to emphasis with the poor children, who deserve a good life in the future.

there are some children in the video to look cute I guess, we affect our next generation

Logos

The Logos is very clear right from the beginning. The video even starts by telling the audience that asphalt roads are too expensive, and that we will not be able to built them anymore in the future. Then there are many more facts and advantages to come, like the road that pays or itself and even provides new features. O that if we cover all roads in most of the states with solar panels, we will be able to produce three times more energy than needed in one year. So there are many convincing facts in the video.