Week 9

Brief Overview/Summary

The lesson reviews the global energy trends, past, present and future, by looking at our energy expenditure from the former, where there is general inefficiency in production due to pollution and other effects, to an increasing expenditure, causing a overuse of resources, to the movement to a sustainable model.

Interesting Observations and Ideas

• Most renewable resources take up space, where many have argued to be able to fit into many of the small unused pockets of space within architecture, to attain more space efficiency.
• Space is a resource which is vital to use properly, especially in smaller countries like Singapore, so to save space in their own country, desertec is thought up
• Need to speed up the process of sustainable energy, so fossil fuels can be used at a lower rate, for more useful products
• Singapore needs to step up, since it would be easier to adopt the infrastructure in a small country, so we have a chance of becoming the first completely energy sustainable country

Key Take Away Points

• BRIC countries such as China are actually the greatest proponents of Green Technology
• The movement for sustainability is gaining momentum, such that everything including trash is being reused and utilized fully.

Issues for Further Discussion

• Reason for investing in green technology for developing countries might go beyond the practical benefits of energy sustainability in the future, it might also help change the way they design and do their infrastructure, so that there will be lower costs as most of the technology has been incorprated during development
• Pollution and environmental problems have shifted to developing countries, is this due to the development of the countries, or is it due to corporates shifting to this countries instead?

Personal Ratings for Session

8/10, the lesson takes a critical look at our energy consumption, and shows the improvements we have to make, if not we will perish.