Sustainable technologies (Summary & reader's response - Draft 1)

In the article “Top Sustainable Technologies in Green Construction”, the Construction Climate Challenge (CCC) (2019) reported that buildings with green technology are “more energy-efficient and sustainable.” The webpage states that low energy houses, self-powered buildings, and zero-energy building designs are being applied in developments. These designs incorporate green technologies such as solar power which decrease the usage of electricity in residential heating loads through absorption of solar radiation. In contrast, to reduce cooling loads, buildings utilise cool roofs and Electrochromic Smart Glass to block and reflect heat and sunlight away. CCC also sheds light on how sustainability concerns are addressed. Wastage of resources is reduced by integrating smart appliances and water efficiency technologies into buildings. Biodegradable materials used could then be sourced sustainably whilst adhering to green safety standards, so as to mitigate detrimental effects on the environment. To summarise, CCC shares that by incorporating green technologies, a symbiotic relationship between the environment and buildings can be achieved. Though these sustainable technologies helps to conserve energy used in buildings, I feel that solar power, however, is not an efficient and sustainable technology as they take up spaces, performances fluctuate based on weather conditions, as well as is linked to pollution. 

 

Solar power are sensitive weather dependant technologies that can only be generated in the day due to the availability of sunlight. This means that rainy and cloudy days will generate lesser energy as there is lesser sun exposure. Tan (2019) stated that an obstacle faced when implementing solar power in Singapore was the “intermittency of sunshine due to cloud cover and urban shading”. ISwitch (2020) further supported this statement stating that solar power generated on cloudy days are only 10% to 25% that of the normal yield during sunny days. In addition, Richardson (2018) reported that excessive heat can also cause a reduction in the amount of solar power generated by 10% to 25%. I feel that this is inefficient for solar power as it needs to be at an optimal temperature range with sufficient sun exposure for it to be generated at maximum capacity. Further improvements should be implemented so that the solar panels have a higher heat tolerance in order to generate more solar power during sunny days.

 

Solar power is indirectly associated with pollution which causes an impact on the environment. Ecavo (2016) shared that the production of solar power involves usage of unsafe substances. This is further supported by Walters (2017) which commented that manufacturing solar panels involves usage of nitrogen fluoride gas, which is a larger contributor to global warming as compared to carbon dioxide. The Union of Concerned Scientists (2013) observed that greenhouse gases are released during the shipment of materials as well as the solar panel installation phase. In order to be more sustainable, solar power should use environmentally friendly materials and substances in the production process, so as to minimise the impact on the environment. 

 

Space limitation is one of the drawbacks of solar power due to the size of the solar panels. According to iSwitch (2020), it can either be installed in the backyard of homes or can be installed on the roofs of residential homes provided the roofs are accessible. Even in Singapore, space constraints due to the lack of land space was a challenge faced when implementing solar power usage, stated Tan (2020). This also means that for homes where there is insufficient space to fit all the solar panels required, users will then only be able to install a few solar panels to satisfy a portion of their electricity demand. The size of solar panels should be relooked into so that users are able to fit all the solar panels required to meet the energy demand in the household.

 

In conclusion, even though solar power helps to decrease electricity usage in the household, more improvements should be made. Solar power should be generated more efficiently without having an impact on the environment, while at the same time being able to cater to more households.

References: 

Construction Climate Challenge (2019). Top sustainable technologies in green construction. Retrieved from https://constructionclimatechallenge.com/2019/02/19/top-sustainable-technologies-in-green-construction/

Ecavo (2016). The Disadvantages of Solar Energy. Retrieved from https://ecavo.com/solar-energy-disadvantages/

iSwitch (2020). Solar Energy Pros & Cons: What You Need To Know. Retrieved from https://iswitch.com.sg/solar-energy-pros-cons/

Richardson (2018). Solar Panels Do Work On Cloudy Days. Retrieved from https://cleantechnica.com/2018/02/08/solar-panels-work-cloudy-days-just-less-effectively/

Tan (2019). Singapore to ramp up solar energy production to power 350,000 homes by 2030. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/solar-energy-to-meet-4-of-singapores-energy-demand-by-2030-up-from-less-than-1

Union of Concerned Scientists (2013). Environmental Impacts of Solar Power. Retrieved from https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/environmental-impacts-solar-power#:~:text=The%20potential%20environmental%20impacts%20associated,solar%20thermal%20plants%20(CSP).

Walters (2017). A Potent Greenhouse Gas Used to Make Solar Panels Is on the Rise. Retrieved from https://www.seeker.com/a-potent-greenhouse-gas-used-to-make-solar-panels-is-on-the-rise-2288834288.html

Updated: 9/10/2020