green-engineering-climate-change-innovation

The evolution to the use of cleaner, “greener” energy sources worldwide isn’t a matter of if, but when.

It’s reported that the year 2030 will see a nearly ten-fold increase in the number of electric vehicles on the road relative to current levels. The presence of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology will generate a significantly greater share of electricity than it does today. Another prediction is the sale of electric heat pumps will overtake fossil fuel-consuming boilers for the first time. Plus, 2030 could see three times more investment in offshore wind turbines than conventional coal- and gas-fired power plants.

All of this green activity will result in a significant rise in the global share of electricity generated by renewable sources, a number which currently stands at 29-30% but could nearly double to roughly 50% in the next five years, according to the 2023 World Energy Outlook. 

A Historic Transition

Fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas are major contributors to global climate change. As explained in a short informative video from the Museum of Science, Boston, data reveals that since the 1960s, atmospheric CO2 has increased 100 times faster in the past 60 years than in all previous natural increases.

By contrast, green/renewable energy generated by naturally replenishable sources emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the atmosphere. (These sources include the sun, wind, water, waste, and the Earth’s own heat.)

Based on the abundance and accessibility of green energy sources globally, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) believes that 90% of the world’s electricity could be generated by renewable energy by 2050. Among its many benefits, green energy is a less-expensive source than fossil fuel-generated electricity. With World Health Organization studies attributing over 13 million deaths globally to air pollution and other environmental hazards each year, green energy is also a far safer and healthier source. According to industry experts, the growth of renewable energy will also drive a wealth of employment opportunities. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the coming decade will create more than 30 million jobs to support the design and manufacture of green, low-emission, renewable technologies in the coming decade. This figure would significantly offset the five million jobs that may be lost within the waning field of fossil fuel production.

Green Energy Advancements Abound

A wide variety of innovative technologies are helping usher in a new day in the green energy landscape. These include ongoing advancements in solar power and battery energy storage (BESS), developments in the growing field of windmills and wind turbines, and the emergence of smart grid technologies that enable intelligent and efficient two-way monitoring of energy transmission, consumption, distribution, and maintenance.

Additionally, green radio techniques are boosting efficiency and reducing the power consumption associated with modern wireless cellular networks.

A new class of power semiconductors are supporting the drive trains that deliver power from a vehicle’s engine to its wheels in the growing population of electric vehicles.

Furthermore, across many other industries, artificial intelligence (AI) has been identified as “an enabler of cleaner energy deployment.” For example, AI can analyze trends in big data to improve energy output at the generating level, make strategic decisions regarding electric grid planning, and efficiently manufacture the semiconductors that power many green technologies, including autonomous and electric vehicles, mobile phones, laptops, LEDs, and more.

Leading the Way in Green Engineering eLearning

Let IEEE help inform your understanding of climate change and green engineering. The microlearning course, Engineering Solutions for a Sustainable Future, is a great way to get started!

It covers a broad range of timely and critical climate change-related topics, such as intelligent urban networks that can reduce congestion, V2G solutions for distribution system reliability, and hybrid home energy management systems for emission reduction. Other green innovations covered in the course include sustainable Internet of Things (IoT) device development solutions, optimum energy-efficient data center policies for climate control, optimized resource scheduling based on export rates, battery swapping stations for electric vehicles, and more. The course’s informative and highly accessible 7- to 10-minute modules provide learners with a solid overview of the many pressing engineering and sustainability challenges as well as the innovative solutions making headlines in today’s green energy arena.

As a globally recognized organization that plays a significant role in shaping the fields of electrical engineering, electronics, and computer science, IEEE is committed to help combat, mitigate effects of, and adapt to climate change through the coordination and education of engineers, scientists, and technical professionals. In an effort to address growing concerns about climate change and its impact on various industries, IEEE offers eLearning specifically focused on climate change.

Additional IEEE Climate Change eLearning Courses

As a globally recognized professional organization playing a significant role in shaping the fields of electrical engineering, electronics, and computer science, IEEE offers a wide variety of eLearning courses related to climate change. Available courses include:

Interested in accessing these courses for your organization? Contact an IEEE Content Specialist today to learn about the IEEE eLearning Library.

 

Resources:

(24 October 2023). The Energy World is Set to Change Significantly by 2030, Based on Today’s Policy Settings Alone. International Energy Agency.

Renewable Energy – Powering a Safer Future. United Nations.

Climate Change. IEEE TryEngineering.

(16 March 2021). Fast-Track Energy Transitions to Win the Race to Zero. International Renewable Energy Agency.

Sinha, Sumant. (26 February 2024). AI Can Power The Green Energy Transition. Forbes.

climate-change-engineering-innovation

According to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), climate change is defined as a long-term change in the earth’s average weather patterns. Many natural events over time can contribute to climate change, including cyclical ocean patterns and volcanic activity. However, industry experts confirm that the precipitous rise in heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels resulting from the burning of fossil fuels by humans over the past 50-75 years has greatly accelerated changes in the earth’s climate. It has contributed to significant global warming— a reality which affects every living thing and natural process.

As a result of its far-reaching impact on the future of our planet, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, identified climate change as “the defining issue of our time” in a September 2018 address to the UN’s General Assembly.

In response to the growing crisis, industry professionals worldwide are applying the utmost in engineering expertise and technological advancements in everything from electric vehicle (EV) charging technology to renewable energy sources and more to help combat the effects of climate change. The goal is to drive greater sustainability that will benefit generations to come.

Advancements in Electric Vehicle Energy Use

Optimal Vehicle-to-Grid Solutions (V2G)
Electric vehicle charging company Virta estimates that 250 million EVs could be on the road worldwide by 2030. With global sales of electric vehicles (EVs) on the rise, “vehicle-to-grid” (V2G) solutions refer to technologies that help offset climate change. This is done by enabling the energy generated from electric vehicle batteries to be pushed back to the power grid, thereby optimizing energy use. To help achieve this, engineers are currently developing new ways of balancing and efficiently storing energy generated by the range of renewable sources.

EV Battery Swapping Stations
Electric vehicle owners must routinely charge their car batteries in order to keep their vehicles on the road. To address that inconvenience, a number of companies are proposing a slightly different approach known as EV battery swapping. Through the “battery swap system” offered by San Francisco-based company Ample, for instance, EV owners can reduce their car’s downtime by swapping out their spent battery at a designated station for a fully-juiced one in just five minutes— which would make it faster than any EV charger on the market today.

Solutions for Enhancing Residential Sustainability

Hybrid Energy Management Systems to Reduce Home Energy Use
The development of an innovative Hybrid Home Energy Management System (HEMS) over the last several years helps enhance residential energy efficiency by offering homeowners options. Specifically, the system’s analytics will determine whether it’s more sustainable to source electricity from the electric grid or from the home’s own renewable generation technologies (such as solar panels and battery storage units). This solution has been lauded for its ability to reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and electric bills while giving homeowners greater ability to personally combat climate change.

Behind-the-Meter Home Resources
“Behind-the-Meter” energy refers to power generated on a homeowner’s property without passing through a utility meter. This is accomplished via the use of residential renewable technologies such as solar panels, small wind turbines, battery energy storage, and local microgrid systems. Some sustainability-forward leaders, like the state of California, are currently re-evaluating tariffs and price signals on the use of these technologies to help promote more equitable adoption of these practices.

Conserving Energy at the Commercial/Industrial Level

Energy-Saving Approaches for Data Centers
While data centers lie at the heart of today’s highly-connected world, they’re also some of its greatest energy hogs. Research shows that data centers accounted for 1 to 1.5% of the entire world’s energy consumption in 2022. The average hyperscale data center consumes between 20 and 50 Megawatts of power annually— enough to power some 37,000 homes— and experts at DataCentre Magazine predict that the energy consumed by data centers worldwide will quadruple by 2030.

One key way of achieving greater energy efficiency and sustainability in data centers involves the application of advanced approaches to cooling the space. This is being accomplished through liquid cooling technologies and direct-to-chip cooling methods, two approaches in which the U.S. Department of Energy is heavily invested. 

Conserving Energy at the Commercial/Industrial Level

Energy-Saving Approaches for Data Centers
While data centers lie at the heart of today’s highly-connected world, they’re also some of its greatest energy hogs, with research showing that data centers accounted for 1-1.5% of the entire world’s energy consumption in 2022. The average hyperscale data center consumes between 20 and 50 Megawatts of power annually – enough to power some 37,000 homes – and experts at DataCentre Magazine predict that the energy consumed by data centers worldwide will quadruple by 2030.

One key way of achieving greater energy efficiency and sustainability in data centers involves the application of advanced approaches to cooling the space. This is being accomplished through liquid cooling technologies and direct-to-chip cooling methods, two approaches in which the U.S. Department of Energy is heavily invested. 

Reducing Traffic Congestion Globally

Addressing “Congestion Collapse” in the Developing World
In many developing countries throughout Africa, South America, and Asia, the combination of narrow, poorly-built roads all converging together in highly congested areas results in lengthy traffic jams and delays. This process, known as “congestion collapse,” is notorious for promoting fuel waste and the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere. Among other solutions, experts encourage the use of “de-congestion protocols” using live CCTV camera feeds from multiple traffic signals in combination with targeted algorithms to expand road capacity and help prevent the congestion and pollution that occurs in these settings.

IEEE: A Renowned Source in the Climate Change Arena

Given the global threat that climate change represents, and as a recognized hub for engineers and technologists, IEEE is a go-to source for the latest in climate change-related technologies and sustainable design. Among the many available resources is a new course, Engineering Solutions for a Sustainable Future. This online training provides a solid overview of the range of activities and innovative developments in the sustainability arena.

Broken into easily-digestible, seven to ten-minute modules on leading topics drawn from research papers within the IEEE Xplore Digital Library, Engineering Solutions for a Sustainable Future covers everything from intelligent urban networks that can alleviate congestion and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) solutions for distribution system reliability to hybrid home energy management systems for emission reduction, energy-efficient data center climate control policies, optimal resource scheduling based on export rates, and electric vehicle battery swapping stations.

Within the convenience of just one hour, learners can stay on top of innovative developments in the climate change realm and receive a thorough overview of modern-day engineering solutions to some of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges. Plus, learners who complete this microlearning course will earn professional development hours (PDHs) and continuing education units (CEUs).
Learn More>>

Resources

What is Climate Change? The National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

(26 September 2018). UN’s Guterres on Climate Change: ‘We Need to Do More and We Need to Do It Quicker.’ United Nations.

Jain, Vipin, Sharma, Ashlesh, and Lakshminarayanan, Subramanian. Road Traffic Congestion in the Developing World.

Everything You Need to Know About V2G. Virta.

Barja-Martinez, Sara, Rucker, Fabian, Aragues, Penalba, and Villafafila-Robles, Roberto. (February 2021). A Novel Hybrid Home Energy Management System Considering Electricity Cost and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Minimization. Research Gate.

Barrowclough, Nicholas. (16 November 2023). Transforming Data Centre Cooling for a Sustainable Future. DataCentre Magazine.

Marsh, Jacob. (6 December 2023). Behind-the-Meter: What You Need to Know. EnergySage.

Balaraman, Kavya. (14 December 2021). California’s Proposed Net Energy Metering Update Could Hit Distributed Solar Hard, Industry Warns. Utility Dive.

Crownhart, Casey. (17 May 2023). How 5-Minute Battery Swaps Could Get More EVs on the Road. MIT Technology Review.

From regulatory compliance to invoicing dilemmas, businesses are dealing with some major headaches – and turning to blockchain for a cure.  Among these businesses are automakers harnessing blockchain technology.

In May 2021, French automaker Renault announced it had created a new blockchain solution. This ensures European auto industry components comply with new regulations affecting the entire automotive supply chain. Known as Compliance End-to-End Distributed (XCEED), the solution tracks compliance of thousands of vehicle components. It does this as they are assembled in real time, Just Auto reported. XCEED was developed by a consortium encompassing automotive suppliers Faurecia, Knauf Industries, Simoldes, and Coskunöz, in association with IBM.

These are not the only European automakers harnessing blockchain. Mercedes-Benz plans to develop a blockchain solution that will help trace harmful emissions. Volvo is using blockchain to track cobalt in its battery supply chain for use in electric vehicles. Additionally, BMW will work with Amazon (AWS) on solutions to boost operational performance and supply chain transparency. The company’s PartChain Platform uses certain AWS services as well as open-source blockchain management tools to better track parts and raw materials across the supply chain.

Blockchain Helps Walmart Canada Shrink Invoice Discrepancies from 70% to 1%

Retail giant Walmart Canada is now using blockchain technology to create an automated system. This new system manages invoices from and payments to its 70 third-party freight carriers to prevent payment disputes.

Formerly, the retailer depended on numerous information systems between itself and its carriers. Not only did this hinder communication, it also meant that the company needed to manually handle dispute resolutions. This problem wasted time and labor. 

The company’s blockchain solution, DL Freight, regularly collects data along every point of the network. From the carrier’s tender offer to the proof of delivery and payment approval, all of the data is automatically processed in real-time. It is easily accessible to all involved parties. With this new blockchain solution in place, no more than 1% of the company’s invoices contain discrepancies now. Previously, 70% contained discrepancies. 

DL Freight’s success is largely due to how Walmart Canada implemented the technology. According to Harvard Business Review, some essential lessons from the company’s blockchain adoption are:

  1. It obtained views from all major stakeholders:
    Getting perspective from all parties involved ensured the solution worked for everyone.
  2. It considered all pros and cons of adopting private vs public blockchain:
    Whereas public blockchain networks can provide a more streamlined solution without the need for restrictions and intermediaries, a private network can be better for businesses. This is because it provides more privacy and access restrictions, making the network more secure. 
  3. It ensured all parties involved were in agreement over rules:
    Since every company has its own unique “fixed and variable processes and costs,” it was vital that all parties agree prior to implementation.
  4. It embedded automated “checks and balances” into the blockchain:
    This prevented mistakes and helped the company spot areas where it could make improvements.

As supply chains and regulations become more stringent and complex, more organizations will turn to blockchain as a solution. Is your organization ready to adopt this revolutionary technology? 

Designing Blockchain Solutions

Get practical guidance for how to design a blockchain solution with the IEEE five-course program, A Step-by-Step Approach to Designing Blockchain Solutions. Developed by experts, this course program recaps the basics of the technology. It covers the expected benefits of a blockchain solution and how a solution would benefit a prospect company, and more.

Contact an IEEE Account Specialist to learn more about how this program can benefit your organization.

Interested in getting access for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN) today!

Reference

Vitasek, Kate, Bayliss, John, Owen, Loudon, and Srivastava, Neeraj. (5 January 2022). How Walmart Canada Uses Blockchain to Solve Supply-Chain Challenges. Harvard Business Review.

Duke, Sam. (6 May 2021). OEMs look to blockchain solutions for compliance and parts performance. Just Auto.

One of the biggest frontiers in electrical engineering today is the development and implementation of smart grid technology. Fueled by the global demand for greener technologies and alternative fuels, environmentally-friendly smart grid technology has the ability to stimulate stagnated economies. It can change the way utilities deliver power to electricity consumers around the world.

Smart grid technology combines existing electrical infrastructure with digital technologies and advanced applications. It provides much more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective energy distribution. It’s a merger of power systems, information technology, telecommunications, switchgear, and local power generation, along with other fields. As these separate technologies become merged, new safety considerations must be taken into account.

Ever since the days of Thomas Edison, people have been concerned with the safety of electrical devices. As innovative technologies and new opportunities and safety issues arise, the National Electrical Safety Code® (NESC®) evolves to address any and all concerns.

The NESC Evolves with Advancing Technology

As plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and full electric vehicles (EVs) replace gasoline-only burning vehicles, public parking lots will need to be equipped with outdoor charging stations. This includes pay-for-use charging stations. These stations will integrate technologies such as electrical metering, switching, information technology, telecommunications, and currency handling technology.

Safety comes into play in making the charging station terminals safe for unskilled drivers to use. It also involves guarding against intentional access to hazardous voltages, as well as protecting communication circuits. This may mean putting telecommunication protectors at each end of a campus-run communication conductor, where an exposure to lightning or accidental contact with electric power conductors exists.

Vehicle charging stations are just one example of how advances in technology lead to NESC updates.

Stay on Top of the NESC

smart grid safety national electrical safety code 2017 ieee standards

The safety of utility-owned smart grid equipment within power generation or transmission circuits continues to be evaluated. This evaluation includes the service conductors to customer buildings. Professionals conduct the work in accordance with basic utility safety standards or codes, including NESC.

To help your company prepare to comply with the latest safety guidelines, IEEE offers a complete seven-course NESC program online through IEEE Xplore :

Order the complete program today and stay on top of the critical tech issues affecting the industry.

Resources

Gies, Don. (1 Mar 2014). Safety Considerations for Smart Grid Technology Equipment. In Compliance.