Joshua Pearce
Western University Canada, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty Member
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Michigan Technological University, Electrical Engineering, Faculty MemberMichigan Technological University, Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty Member, and 2 more add
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Photovoltaics, Appropriate Technology, Open Source Hardware, Sustainable Development, Open Source Appropriate Technology, Energy Policy, and 8 more3D printing, Renewable Energy, Photovoltaic Materials, Materials Science and Engineering, Solar Cell, Environmental Sustainability, RepRap, and Solar Energy edit
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I run the Free Appropriate Sustainability Technology (FAST) research group, which specializes in solar photovoltaic t... moreI run the Free Appropriate Sustainability Technology (FAST) research group, which specializes in solar photovoltaic technology, open hardware, and distributed recycling and additive manufacturing (DRAM) using RepRap 3-D printing, but also includes policy and economics.
I am interested in making technologies that drive sustainable development - open source appropriate technologies.
My group's open research wiki space on Appropedia here: https://www.appropedia.org/FAST edit
The application of computer vision and machine learning methods for semantic segmentation of the structural elements of 3D-printed products in the field of additive manufacturing (AM) can improve real-time failure analysis systems and... more
The application of computer vision and machine learning methods for semantic segmentation of the structural elements of 3D-printed products in the field of additive manufacturing (AM) can improve real-time failure analysis systems and potentially reduce the number of defects by providing additional tools for in situ corrections. This work demonstrates the possibilities of using physics-based rendering for labeled image dataset generation, as well as image-to-image style transfer capabilities to improve the accuracy of real image segmentation for AM systems. Multi-class semantic segmentation experiments were carried out based on the U-Net model and the cycle generative adversarial network. The test results demonstrated the capacity of this method to detect such structural elements of 3D-printed parts as a top (last printed) layer, infill, shell, and support. A basis for further segmentation system enhancement by utilizing image-to-image style transfer and domain adaptation technologies was also considered. The results indicate that using style transfer as a precursor to domain adaptation can improve real 3D printing image segmentation in situations where a model trained on synthetic data is the only tool available. The mean intersection over union (mIoU) scores for synthetic test datasets included 94.90% for the entire 3D-printed part, 73.33% for the top layer, 78.93% for the infill, 55.31% for the shell, and 69.45% for supports.
Research Interests:
Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Process Systems Engineering, and 14 moreObject Recognition (Computer Vision), 3D printing, Additive Manufacturing, Image segmentation, Process Engineering, Distributed manufacturing control, 3D Computer Graphics Programming, Segmentation, Distributed Manufacturing, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, Semantic Segmentation, Synthetic Data Generation, Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), and Synthetic Data
To stabilize the Earth’s climate, large-scale transition is needed to non-carbon-emitting renewable energy technologies like wind and solar energy. Although these renewable energy sources are now lower-cost than fossil fuels, their... more
To stabilize the Earth’s climate, large-scale transition is needed to non-carbon-emitting renewable energy technologies like wind and solar energy. Although these renewable energy sources are now lower-cost than fossil fuels, their inherent intermittency makes them unable to supply a constant load without storage. To address these challenges, rechargeable electric batteries are currently the most promising option; however, their high capital costs limit current deployment velocities. To both reduce the cost as well as improve performance, 3D printing technology has emerged as a promising solution. This literature review provides state-of-the-art enhancements of battery properties with 3D printing, including efficiency, mechanical stability, energy and power density, customizability and sizing, production process efficiency, material conservation, and environmental sustainability as well as the progress in solid-state batteries. The principles, advantages, limitations, and recent advancements associated with the most common types of 3D printing are reviewed focusing on their contributions to the battery field. 3D printing battery components as well as full batteries offer design flexibility, geometric freedom, and material flexibility, reduce pack weight, minimize material waste, increase the range of applications, and have the potential to reduce costs. As 3D printing technologies become more accessible, the prospect of cost-effective production for customized batteries is extremely promising.
Research Interests:
Manufacturing, Lithium Batteries, Energy Storage (in Engineering), 3D printing, Batteries, and 13 moreAdditive Manufacturing, Electricity, Review, Lithium-Ion Battery, Manufacturing Processes, Battery, Open Source Hardware, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, Energy Storage, Anode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries, Opensource Hardware, Fused deposition modeling, and 3D Printing Process
Initially the concept of a DC nanogrid was focused on supplying power to individual homes. Techno-economic advances in photovoltaic (PV) technology have enabled solar PV stand-alone nanogrids to power individual devices using... more
Initially the concept of a DC nanogrid was focused on supplying power to individual homes. Techno-economic advances in photovoltaic (PV) technology have enabled solar PV stand-alone nanogrids to power individual devices using device-specific architectures. To reduce costs and increase accessibility for a wider range of people, a modular open-source system is needed to cover all applications at once. This article introduces a modular PV-powered nanogrid system, consisting of a do it yourself (DIY) PV system with batteries to allow for off-grid power. The resultant open-source modular DC nanogrid can deliver DC power to loads of different voltage levels, which is possible because of the efficient and parametric energy management system (EMS) that selects modes of operation for the grid based on DC bus voltage and state of charge of batteries. Simulation results verify the coordination between the EMS and the PV-battery system under varying PV power generation and load conditions. This EMS has potential to enable easy personalization of a vast area of applications and expand appropriate technology for isolated communities. A thorough stability analysis has been conducted, leading to the development of an LQR (Linear Quadratic Regulator) controller as a replacement for the conventional PI (Proportional - Integral) controllers for better transient stability of the system.
Research Interests:
Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Photovoltaics, Power Electronics, Renewable Energy, and 15 moreEnergy, Power Management, Energy and Environment, Distributed Generation, Environmental Sustainability, Microgrid, Open Source, Solar Energy, Solar Power, Open Source Hardware, Solar PV, Microgrids, solar PV power plants, Open Source Technologies, and Nanogrids
Open-source design of medical devices, following the concept of frugal engineering, provides unrestricted descriptions of technical details, allowing the low-cost and local fabrication of devices to reduce global inequities in healthcare.
Research Interests:
Bioengineering, Medical Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Medical Education, Open Innovation, and 11 moreMedicine, Open Source, Biomedical Sciences, Open Source Hardware, Distributed Manufacturing, Frugal Innovation, Opensource Hardware, Open Source Technologies, Frugal Innovations, Medical, and Distributed Production
Although solar photovoltaic (PV) system costs have declined, capital cost remains a barrier to widespread adoption. Do-it-yourself (DIY) system designs can significantly reduce labor costs, but if they are not attached to a building... more
Although solar photovoltaic (PV) system costs have declined, capital cost remains a barrier to widespread adoption. Do-it-yourself (DIY) system designs can significantly reduce labor costs, but if they are not attached to a building structure, they require ground penetrating footings. This is not technically and economically feasible at all sites. To overcome these challenges, this study details systems designed to (1) eliminate drilling holes and pouring concrete, (2) propose solutions for both fixed and variable tilt systems, (3) remain cost effective, and (4) allow for modifications to best fit the user’s needs. The ballast-supported foundations are analyzed for eight systems by proposing two separate ballast designs: one for a single line of post systems, and one for a double line of post systems, both built on a 4-kW basis. The results of the analysis found that both designs are slightly more expensive than typical in-ground concrete systems by 25% (assuming rocks are purchased at a landscaping company), but the overall DIY system’s costs remain economically advantageous. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to show how modifications to the dimensions influence the weight of the system and thus change the economic value of the design, so users can trade dimensional freedom for cost savings, and vice versa. Overall, all wood-based PV racking system designs provide users with cost-effective and easy DIY alternatives to conventional metal racking, and the novel ballast systems presented provide more versatility for PV systems installations.
Research Interests:
Alternative food sources are essential in both low-resource settings and during emergencies like abrupt sunlight reduction scenarios. Seaweed presents a promising option but requires investigation into the viability of unconventionally... more
Alternative food sources are essential in both low-resource settings and during emergencies like abrupt sunlight reduction scenarios. Seaweed presents a promising option but requires investigation into the viability of unconventionally sourced ropes for harvesting. In this regard, a low-cost reliable method to test the tensile strength of rope is needed to validate alternative materials for use in harvesting seaweed. Commercial rope testing jigs alone range in price from several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, so there is interest in developing a lower-cost alternative. Addressing these needs, this article reports on an open-source design for tensile strength rope testing hardware. The hardware design focuses on using readily available parts that can be both sourced from a hardware store and manufactured with simple tools to provide the greatest geographic accessibility. The jig design, which can be fabricated for CAD 20, is two to three orders of magnitude less expensive than commercially available solutions. The jig was built and tested using a case study example investigating denim materials (of 1 5/8”, 3 1/4”, 4 7/8”, 6 1/2”, and 8 1/8” widths) as a potential alternative rope material for seaweed farming. Denim demonstrated strengths of up to 1.65 kN for the widest sample, and the jig demonstrated sufficient strength and stiffness for operations at forces below 4 kN. The results are discussed and areas for future improvements are outlined to adapt the device to other circumstances and increase the strength of materials that can be tested.
Research Interests:
Reducing meat consumption reduces carbon emissions and other environmental harms. Unfortunately, commercial plant-based meat substitutes have not seen widespread adoption. In order to enable more flexible processing methods, this paper... more
Reducing meat consumption reduces carbon emissions and other environmental harms. Unfortunately, commercial plant-based meat substitutes have not seen widespread adoption. In order to enable more flexible processing methods, this paper analyzes the characteristics of commercially available spirulina, soy, pea, and brown rice protein isolates to provide data for nonmeat protein processing that can lead to cost reductions. The thermal and rheological properties, as well as viscosity, density, and particle size distribution, were analyzed for further study into alternative protein-based food processing. The differential scanning calorimetry analysis produced dry amorphous-shaped curves and paste curves with a more distinct endothermic peak. The extracted linear temperature ranges for processing within food production were 70–90 °C for spirulina, 87–116 °C for soy protein, 67–77 °C for pea protein, and 87–97 °C for brown rice protein. The viscosity analysis determined that each protein material was shear-thinning and that viscosity increased with decreased water concentration, with rice being an exception to the latter trend. The obtained viscosity range for spirulina was 15,100–78,000 cP, 3200–80,000 cP for soy protein, 1400–32,700 cP for pea protein, and 600–3500 cP for brown rice protein. The results indicate that extrusion is a viable method for the further processing of protein isolates, as this technique has a large temperature operating range and variable screw speed. The data provided here can be used to make single or multi-component protein substitutes.
Research Interests:
Food Science, Nutrition, Sustainable Development, Food and Nutrition, Protein, and 15 moreEnvironmental Sustainability, 3D printing, Food Rheology, Food Science and Technology, Food Security, Food Technology, Non-Thermal Processing of Foods, Alternative Food, Soybean, Rheological properties, Plant based nutrition, Spirulina, Thermal Properties, Resilient Food Systems, and Sustainability
The high volume of plastic waste and the extremely low recycling rate have created a serious challenge worldwide. Local distributed recycling and additive manufacturing (DRAM) offers a solution by economically incentivizing local... more
The high volume of plastic waste and the extremely low recycling rate have created a serious challenge worldwide. Local distributed recycling and additive manufacturing (DRAM) offers a solution by economically incentivizing local recycling. One DRAM technology capable of processing large quantities of plastic waste is fused granular fabrication, where solid shredded plastic waste can be reused directly as
Research Interests:
Materials Science, Polymer Chemistry, Polymer science, Sustainable Development, Recycling, and 15 morePlastic Technology, Polymers, 3D printing, Additive Manufacturing, Polymer Blends, Polymer, Recycled Materials, Plastics, Open Source Hardware, Plastic, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, polymer science and Engineering, RepRap, Plastic waste, and distributed recycling
The prohibitive costs of small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) racks decrease PV adoption velocity. To overcome these costs challenges, an open hardware design method is used to develop two novel variable tilt racking designs. These are the... more
The prohibitive costs of small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) racks decrease PV adoption velocity. To overcome these costs challenges, an open hardware design method is used to develop two novel variable tilt racking designs. These are the first stilt-mounted racking designs that allow for the manual change of the tilt angle from zero to 90 degrees by varying the length of cables. The racks are designed using the calculated dead, wind, and snow loads for Canada as a conservative design for most of the rest of the world. Structural capacities of the wooden members are then ascertained and the resisting bending moment, shear force, tensile force, and compressive force is calculated for them. A structural and truss analysis is performed to ensure that the racking design withstands the applicable forces. Moreover, the implications of changing the tilt angle on the wooden members/cables used to build the system are also determined. The systems offer significant economic savings ranging from one third to two thirds of the capital expenses of the commercially available alternatives. In addition, the racking designs are easy-to-build and require minimal manufacturing operations, which increases their accessibility. The stilt-mounted designs can be employed for agrivoltaic settings while allowing farm workers shaded, ergonomic access to perform planting, weeding, and harvesting.
Research Interests:
Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, and 12 moreEnergy, Energy and Environment, Renewable Energy Systems, Photovoltaics Research, Open Source, Solar Energy, Wood Engineering, Open Source Hardware, Wood Technology, Agrivoltaic, Photovoltaic Applications In Built Environment, and Open Source Technologies
Although developing countries are rapidly urbanizing, many of their citizens still live in rural environments and the majority of the energy use is dominated by the built environment. This study aims to demonstrate the adaptation of the... more
Although developing countries are rapidly urbanizing, many of their citizens still live in rural environments and the majority of the energy use is dominated by the built environment. This study aims to demonstrate the adaptation of the European typology approach for building stock energy Assessment (TABULA) project to the developing world to enable leapfrogging rural regions to sustainable energy-based societies. A case study is performed that considers ten locations across different geopolitical zones and the different climatic zones of the most populous country in sub-Saharan Africa: Nigeria. The objective is to analyse the energy performance of the low-cost building stock and assess the potential for energy and economic savings. Applying the reference building approach, building typologies were identified consisting residential and non-residential function buildings. Building simulation and composite scenario analyses were carried out and considered indoor environmental quality for adaptive comfort strategies, building retrofits by improving the building envelope and energy efficiency measures for equipment and building operation. The results for Nigeria are provided as examples of disaggregated energy characteristics of the built environment and low-cost building stock, and then a wider application to other developing countries is discussed with inherent policy implications for an effective policy mix such that takes cognisance of the tenets of Energy Modelling for Policy Support (EMoPS) and inform the design of de-factor green energy polices geared towards rehabilitating the local built environment.
Research Interests:
African Studies, Energy Economics, Housing in Developing Areas, Renewable Energy, Africa, and 15 moreEnergy, Energy Policy, Sustainable Building Design, Energy Efficiency Buildings, Building Energy Simulation, Developing Countries, Building Integrated Solar Energy Technologies, Integrated Renewable Energy System, Energy and Environment, Nigeria, Energy efficiency, Technology transfer to developing countries, Solar Energy, Developing Country, and Sustainable retrofit of existing buildings
It is now well established that a nation's university-educated highly qualified personnel (HQP) population has a clear positive benefit on economic development by improving labor force efficiency and productivity. Yet HQP mobility is... more
It is now well established that a nation's university-educated highly qualified personnel (HQP) population has a clear positive benefit on economic development by improving labor force efficiency and productivity. Yet HQP mobility is often restricted, particularly for economically-poor undocumented HQP. In order to overcome the challenges of mobility for both traditional and undocumented HQP, this study evaluates how the use of open source (OS) development and documentation can overcome barriers to HQP mobility to benefit society. Case studies are provided for software and hardware. Then mechanisms of incentives for OS development to benefit the global commons are evaluated against the case studies. The results show that even modest contributions to open source development can result in substantial value and high societal ROIs, which are more than enough to justify funding HQP mobility by all three mechanisms. The ROIs for popular free software can range into the millions of percent, while for free and open source hardware the ROI is still high, but more modest (>10-1,000%) and more closely tied to the market value of the product. The mechanisms introduced in this study could serve as tools to reward OS contributions by HQP and grant them greater freedom of movement.
Research Interests:
Development Economics, Immigration, Immigration Studies, Open Source Software, Immigration Law, and 11 moreOpen Source/Open Access and Libraries, Economic Development, Open Source and Free Software Studies, Open Source, Immigrants, Software Libre, Open Source Hardware, Freedom of movement, Immigration Status & Nationality, Highly Qualified Migrants, and Open Source Technologies
Purpose Both the capital cost and levelized cost of electricity of utility-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are less than those of representative residential-scale solar rooftop systems. There is no life cycle... more
Purpose
Both the capital cost and levelized cost of electricity of utility-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are less than those of representative residential-scale solar rooftop systems. There is no life cycle analysis (LCA) study comparing the environmental impact of rooftop PV system and large utility-scale solar PV system. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap and provide a comprehensive LCA of a representative 7.4 kWp rooftop and 3.5 MWp utility-scale solar PV systems from cradle to grave.
Methods
The energy as well as CO2 and water footprint during the manufacture, use, and end of life of both systems will be quantified. The primary focus of this study will be on the LCA of racking/mounting systems as these are the greatest source of divergence between the two main system types. In addition, sensitivities are run on (1) PV module types, (2) footings for the ground-mounted systems, and (3) geographic locations in different states of the USA.
Results
Overall, the embodied energy per kWp of the rooftop-mounted PV system is 21–54% lower than that of the utility-scale ground-mounted PV system. The higher embodied energy of the ground-mounted systems is so much larger than the rooftop systems that even sub-optimally oriented rooftops still have substantially lower energy payback times in all regions. Similarly, the greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the ground-mount system with rack a is 2.5 times, and ground-mount system with rack b is 1.2 times greater per kWp than that of the rooftop system. A rooftop solar PV system requires 21 to 54% less input energy, emits 18 to 59% less CO2eq. of greenhouse gas emissions, and consumes a reduced quantity of water ranging from 1 to 12% per kWp. The energy payback time of rooftop solar systems is approximately 51 to 57% lower than that of ground-mounted solar systems across all locations.
Conclusions
Overall the CO2 payback time was 378 to 428% higher for ground-mounted PV compared to rooftop PV for the same modules and 125 to 142% higher for ground-mounted compared to rooftop PV for the most common modules used for both applications. Although water use is dominated by the PV modules themselves, it is important to note that the water consumption for the utility-scale ground rack is approximately 260 times (rack a) and 6 times (rack b) higher than that of the rooftop mounting structure.
Both the capital cost and levelized cost of electricity of utility-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are less than those of representative residential-scale solar rooftop systems. There is no life cycle analysis (LCA) study comparing the environmental impact of rooftop PV system and large utility-scale solar PV system. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap and provide a comprehensive LCA of a representative 7.4 kWp rooftop and 3.5 MWp utility-scale solar PV systems from cradle to grave.
Methods
The energy as well as CO2 and water footprint during the manufacture, use, and end of life of both systems will be quantified. The primary focus of this study will be on the LCA of racking/mounting systems as these are the greatest source of divergence between the two main system types. In addition, sensitivities are run on (1) PV module types, (2) footings for the ground-mounted systems, and (3) geographic locations in different states of the USA.
Results
Overall, the embodied energy per kWp of the rooftop-mounted PV system is 21–54% lower than that of the utility-scale ground-mounted PV system. The higher embodied energy of the ground-mounted systems is so much larger than the rooftop systems that even sub-optimally oriented rooftops still have substantially lower energy payback times in all regions. Similarly, the greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the ground-mount system with rack a is 2.5 times, and ground-mount system with rack b is 1.2 times greater per kWp than that of the rooftop system. A rooftop solar PV system requires 21 to 54% less input energy, emits 18 to 59% less CO2eq. of greenhouse gas emissions, and consumes a reduced quantity of water ranging from 1 to 12% per kWp. The energy payback time of rooftop solar systems is approximately 51 to 57% lower than that of ground-mounted solar systems across all locations.
Conclusions
Overall the CO2 payback time was 378 to 428% higher for ground-mounted PV compared to rooftop PV for the same modules and 125 to 142% higher for ground-mounted compared to rooftop PV for the most common modules used for both applications. Although water use is dominated by the PV modules themselves, it is important to note that the water consumption for the utility-scale ground rack is approximately 260 times (rack a) and 6 times (rack b) higher than that of the rooftop mounting structure.
Research Interests:
Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, Life Cycle Assessment, Environmental Impact Assessment, Building Integrated Solar Energy Technologies, and 15 moreIntegrated Renewable Energy System, Solar, Renewable energy resources, Environmental Sustainability, Photovoltaics Research, Solar Energy, Solar Power, Solar PV, Life Cycle, Environmental Impact, Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), Life Cycle Assessment ( LCA ), solar PV power plants, Photovoltaic Applications In Built Environment, and Renewable Energy and Climate Change
Industrial pilot projects often rely on proprietary and expensive electronic hardware to control and monitor experiments. This raises costs and retards innovation. Open-source hardware tools exist for implementing these processes... more
Industrial pilot projects often rely on proprietary and expensive electronic hardware to control and monitor experiments. This raises costs and retards innovation. Open-source hardware tools exist for implementing these processes individually; however, they are not easily integrated with other designs. The Broadly Reconfigurable and Expandable Automation Device (BREAD) is a framework that provides many open-source devices which can be connected to create more complex data acquisition and control systems. This article explores the feasibility of using BREAD plug-and-play open hardware to quickly design and test monitoring and control electronics for an industrial materials processing prototype pyrolysis reactor. Generally, pilot-scale pyrolysis plants are expensive custom designed systems. The plug-and-play prototype approach was first tested by connecting it to the pyrolysis reactor and ensuring that it can measure temperature and actuate heaters and a stirring motor. Next, a single circuit board system was created and tested using the designs from the BREAD prototype to reduce the number of microcontrollers required. Both open-source control systems were capable of reliably running the pyrolysis reactor continuously, achieving equivalent performance to a state-of-the-art commercial controller with a ten-fold reduction in the overall cost of control. Open-source, plug-and-play hardware provides a reliable avenue for researchers to quickly develop data acquisition and control electronics for industrial-scale experiments.
Research Interests:
Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Open Source Software, Electronics, Industrial Automation, and 15 morePyrolysis, Open Innovation, Open Source and Free Software Studies, Arduino, Open Source, Automation, SCADA, Open Source Hardware, Electronics Engineering, Opensource Hardware, Electronics Arduino, Automation Using Arduino, Open Source Technologies, Arduino Project, and Pyrolysis of Plastic Wastes
Using a trellis to plant vegetables and fruits can double or triple the yield per acre as well as reduce diseases/pests, ease harvesting and make cleaner produce. Cultivars such as cucumbers, grapes, kiwi, melons, peas, passion fruit,... more
Using a trellis to plant vegetables and fruits can double or triple the yield per acre as well as reduce diseases/pests, ease harvesting and make cleaner produce. Cultivars such as cucumbers, grapes, kiwi, melons, peas, passion fruit, pole beans, pumpkins, strawberries, squash, and tomatoes are all grown with trellises. Many of these cultivars showed increased yield with partial shading with semi-transparent solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. To further increase the efficiency of trellis-based growing systems, this study investigates novel lowcost, open-source, sustainable, wood-based PV racking designs for agrivoltaic applications. Design calculations are made to ensure these racks exceed Canadian building code standards, which with snow loads surpass those of most of the world. A complete bill of materials, fabrication instructions, and proof-of-concept prototypes are provided for three system topographies (sloped, T-shaped and inverse Y) along with economic analysis. In addition, to being cost competitive, the designs can act as trellis supports and be used for irrigation/fertigation purposes. The results indicate that these racking structures have enormous promise both agriculturally and energetically. If employed on only grape farms inside Canada, 10 GW of PV potential is made available, which is more than twice the total current installed PV in Canada.
Research Interests:
Mechanical Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, Organic agriculture, and 14 moreSustainable agriculture, Sustainable Development, Agricultural Economics, Agriculture, Environmental Sustainability, Green Energy, Solar Energy, Transfer of technology for agriculture and livestock farming, Solar PV, Wood Technology, Green and Sustainability Practices, Agrovoltaic, Grapes, and Wine and Grapes
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (Open-source 3-D printing has played a pivotal role in revolutionizing the additive manufacturing (AM) landscape by... more
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (Open-source 3-D printing has played a pivotal role in revolutionizing the additive manufacturing (AM) landscape by making distributed manufacturing economic, democratizing access, and fostering far more rapid innovation than antiquated proprietary systems. Unfortunately, some 3-D printing manufacturing companies began deviating from open-source principles and violating licenses for the detriment of the community. To determine if a pattern has emerged of companies patenting clearly open-source innovations, this study presents three case studies from the three primary regions of open-source 3-D printing development (EU, U.S., and China) as well as three aspects of 3-D printing technology (AM materials, an open-source 3-D printer, and core open-source 3-D printing concepts used in most 3-D printers). The results of this review have shown that non-inventing entities, called patent parasites, are patenting open-source inventions already well-established in the open-source community and, in the most egregious cases, commercialized by one (or several) firm(s) at the time of the patent filing. Patent parasites are able to patent open-source innovations by using a different language, vague patent titles, and broad claims that encompass enormous swaths of widely diffused open-source innovation space. This practice poses a severe threat to innovation, and several approaches to irradicate the threat are discussed.CC BY
Research Interests:
Engineering, Intellectual Property, Innovation statistics, Manufacturing, Open Source Software, and 15 morePatents, Management of Innovation, Intellectual Property Law, Open Innovation, Intellectual Property Rights, 3D printing, Additive Manufacturing, Open Source and Free Software Studies, Patent Law, Open Source Hardware, 3d Printer, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, 3-D printing, Opensource Hardware, and RepRap
Although there are many software tools for simulations of hybrid energy systems, Homer Pro and Homer Grid are the only tools offering optimal sizing of hybrid energy systems. Although, originally developed as open-source software, they... more
Although there are many software tools for simulations of hybrid energy systems, Homer Pro and Homer Grid are the only tools offering optimal sizing of hybrid energy systems. Although, originally developed as open-source software, they have been closed, which limits userdevelopers abilities to adapt and improve the software. In addition, all current proprietary
Research Interests:
Electrical Engineering, Energy Economics, Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, Energy, and 12 moreEnergy Systems, Integrated Renewable Energy System, Energy and Environment, Renewable energy resources, Batteries, Renewable Energy Systems, Rural Energy Development, Microgrid, Solar Energy, Power System - SCADA and Smart Grid Applications, Microgrids, and Photovoltaic Applications In Built Environment
Using bolts through the back of a solar photovoltaic (PV) module frames to attach them to racking is time consuming and awkward, so commercial PV installations use clamping technologies on the front. Conventional and proprietary clamps... more
Using bolts through the back of a solar photovoltaic (PV) module frames to attach them to racking is time consuming and awkward, so commercial PV installations use clamping technologies on the front. Conventional and proprietary clamps are costly and demand access to supply chains for uncommon mechanical components that limits deployment velocity. To overcome these challenges, this study presents new open-source downward-fastened and side-fastened aluminum (Al) framing designs, which are easy to install and compatible with metal and wood racks. The proposed parametric open source designs are analyzed through finite element methods (FEM) simulations and economic analysis is performed to compare to conventional PV frame at both the module and system levels. The FEM results showed all the frames have acceptable mechanical reliability and stability to pass IEC 61215 standards. The results show the new frame (with bottom width of 29 mm and thickness of 1.5 mm) have about a 2% land use efficiency penalty, but have better mechanical stability (lower stress and deflections), are easier to install and have reduced material economic costs compared to conventional frames. The results are promising for the use of the new PV frame designs for distributed manufacturing targeted at specific applications.
Research Interests:
Mechanical Engineering, Design, Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, Industrial Design, and 14 moreEnergy, Building Integrated Solar Energy Technologies, Energy and Environment, Solar, Photovoltaics Research, Photovoltaic Solar Cells, Solar Energy, Bioeconomy, Mechanical Engineering Design, Solar PV, Circular Economy, solar PV power plants, Photovoltaic Applications In Built Environment, and Mechanical
Background: Potential resilient foods which help reduce hunger are converting the ~998 million tons of agricultural residue generated each year into human edible food. Although it is possible to extract Leaf Protein Concentrate (LPC)... more
Background: Potential resilient foods which help reduce hunger are converting the ~998 million tons of agricultural residue generated each year into human edible food. Although it is possible to extract Leaf Protein Concentrate (LPC) from agricultural residues, it is not widely practiced because both toxicity and yields of the protein concentrates have not been widely investigated in the most common agricultural residues. Methods: To fill this knowledge gap, this study uses high-resolution mass spectrometry and an open-source toolchain for non-targeted screening of toxins of nine agricultural plant residues in October 2021; it included seven agricultural residues: corn/maize, wheat, barley, alfalfa, yellow pea, sunflower, canola/rapeseed, and two weeds/agricultural residues of kochia, and round leaf mallow. Results: The average yield ranged from about 7 to 14.5% for the nine LPCs investigated. According to the results, yellow pea, round leaf mallow, and canola are recommended for further investigation and scaling as they appear to be fit for human consumption based on the lack of dangerous toxins found in the analysis performed in this study. Conclusion: All the compounds identified in these samples have either been approved by international regulatory boards for safe consumption or are known to be present in common beverages. The other agricultural residues require additional quantification of the toxins identified as it will determine the actual risk for human consumption. Overall, the potential for LPC to provide more needed calories from existing agricultural practices is extremely promising, but substantial amount of future work is needed to screen LPCs in all the agricultural residues depending on harvesting, handling, and storage conditions.
Research Interests:
Food Science, Food Safety, Environmental Toxicology, Food Security and Insecurity, Food and Nutrition, and 15 moreAgriculture, Resilience (Sustainability), Food Processing, Food Science and Technology, Food Security, Food Technology, Food Quality and Safety, Climate Change and Food Security, Toxins, Alternative Food Networks, Global Catastrophic Risk, Utlization of Food and Agricultural Wastes, Agricultural Waste Management, Sustainable Food & Farming, and Resilient Food Systems
Different types of environmental pollution cause negative consequences to ecosystems throughout the globe, which humanity is now trying to mitigate. It is necessary to know the level of pollution problems in the immediate environment, to... more
Different types of environmental pollution cause negative consequences to ecosystems throughout the globe, which humanity is now trying to mitigate. It is necessary to know the level of pollution problems in the immediate environment, to evaluate the impact of human activities, and mitigation strategies necessary to ensure habitability. For this reason, in this work, a low-cost pollution measurement station for outdoor or indoor use is proposed and developed that measures air pollution (particulate matter and CO), noise (level and direction), light pollution (power and multispectral), and also relative humidity and ambient temperature. The system stores the data in an SD memory or transmits data in real-time to the internet via WiFi. The purposes of the system are to be used in environmental studies, to deploy monitoring networks, or to ensure the habitability of a living or working space. The prototype integrates the measurement of the different sources of contamination in a single compact device at USD$ 628.12 without sacrificing measurement accuracy. The system is validated for each variable with reference equipment, obtaining an average error of approximately 2.67% in the measurement of all the variables measured. The system is easy to assemble and has an option for power supply using solar photovoltaic devices and an alternative for connection to 2G/3G mobile networks.
Research Interests:
Electronic Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Machine Learning, Electronics, and 15 moreAir pollution, Air Pollution and Health Effects, Environmental Sustainability, Environmental Pollution, Arduino, Air Pollution Control, Open Source Hardware, Health Hazard Due to Noise Pollution, Noise Pollution, Light Pollution, Opensource Hardware, Electronics Arduino, Arduino Platform, Automation Using Arduino, and Arduino Project
If oil sands are to be eliminated from the energy market to protect the global environment, human health and longterm economic welfare, a significant number of workers will be displaced in the transition to renewable energy technologies.... more
If oil sands are to be eliminated from the energy market to protect the global environment, human health and longterm economic welfare, a significant number of workers will be displaced in the transition to renewable energy technologies. This study outlines a cost-effective and convenient path for oil and gas workers in Alberta to be retrained in the burgeoning solar photovoltaic (PV) industry. Many oil and gas workers would be able to transfer fields with no additional training required. This study examines retraining options for the remainder of workers using the most closely matching skill equivalent PV job to minimize retraining time. The costs for retraining all oil sands workers are quantified and aggregated. The results show the total costs for retaining all oil sands workers in Alberta for the PV industry ranges between CAD$91.5 m and CAD$276.2 m. Thus, only 2-6% of federal, provincial, and territorial oil and gas subsidies for a single year would need to be reallocated to provide oil and gas workers with a new career of approximately equivalent pay. The results of this study clearly show that a rapid transition to sustainable energy production is feasible as costs of retraining oil and gas workers are far from prohibitive.
Research Interests:
Education, Photovoltaics, Adult Education, Climate change policy, Energy Policy, and 15 moreRenewable Energy Policies, Canadian Politics, Energy and Environment, Climate Change Adaptation And Mitigation Strategies, Oil and gas, Green Economy & Green Jobs Perspectives, Alberta Oil Sands, Canada, Solar Energy, Green jobs, Oil Sands, Solar Energy Technology, Renewable Energy and Climate Change, Public Policy, and Retraining
Distributed recycling and additive manufacturing (DRAM) holds enormous promise for enabling a circular economy. Most DRAM studies have focused on single thermoplastic waste stream. This study takes three paths forward from the previous... more
Distributed recycling and additive manufacturing (DRAM) holds enormous promise for enabling a circular economy. Most DRAM studies have focused on single thermoplastic waste stream. This study takes three paths forward from the previous literature: 1) expanding DRAM into high-performance polycarbonate/ acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC/ABS) blends, 2) extending PC/ABS blend research into both recycled materials and into direct fused granular fabrication (FGF) 3-D printing and 3) demonstrating the potential of using recycled PC/ABS feedstocks for new applications in circular economy contexts. A commercial open source large-format FGF 3-D printer was modified and used to assess the different printability and accuracy of recycled PC and PC/ABS. The mechanical properties (tensile and impact) following the ASTM D638 and D6110–18 standards were quantified. A weather simulation test (ASTM D5071–06) was performed to assess outdoor performance. Finally, two applications in sporting goods and furniture were demonstrated. In general, better printability was achieved with recycled PC/ABS compared to recycled PC, as well as good dimensional accuracy at printing speeds of 30 and 40 mm/s. Minimal qualitative differences and discoloration were visible on the samples after accelerated weather exposure, with results in accordance with the state-of-the-art. The rPC/ABS results from tensile tests show similar values to those of rPC for elastic modulus (2.1 ± 0.1 GPa), tensile strength (41.6 ± 6.3 MPA), and elongation at break (2.8 ± 0.9%), which are also comparable with previous studied virgin 3-D printed filaments. Similarly, impact energy (115.78 ± 24.40 kJ/m2) and resistance values (810.36 ± 165.77 J/m) are comparable in the two tested formulations, reaching similar results compared to FFF 3-D printed filaments, as well as virgin materials for injection molding. Finally, the two demonstration products in the sporting goods and furniture sectors were successfully fabricated with rPC/ABS, achieving complex patterns and good printing speeds for recycled feedstocks. It is concluded rPC/ABS blends represent a potential high-performance feedstock for DRAM, validating its use in direct FGF 3-D printing systems and potential applications for a circular economy.
Research Interests:
Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Recycling, Plastic Technology, and 13 moreMechanical Behavior Of Materials, Polymers, 3D printing, Materials Science and Engineering, Additive Manufacturing, Mechanics of Materials, Mechanical Engineering Design, Mechanical Properties of Materials, Plastic, 3d Printer, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, polymer science and Engineering, and Polycarbonate
To enable lower-cost building materials, a free-swinging bifacial vertical solar photovoltaic (PV) rack has been proposed, which complies with Canadian building codes and is the lowest capital-cost agrivoltaics rack. The wind force... more
To enable lower-cost building materials, a free-swinging bifacial vertical solar photovoltaic (PV) rack has been proposed, which complies with Canadian building codes and is the lowest capital-cost agrivoltaics rack. The wind force applied to the free-swinging PV, however, causes it to have varying tilt angles depending on the wind speed and direction. No energy performance model accurately describes such a system. To provide a simulation model for the free-swinging PV, where wind speed and direction govern the array tilt angle, this study builds upon the open-source System Advisor Model (SAM) using Python. After the SAM python model is validated, a geometrical analysis is performed to determine the view factors of the swinging bifacial PV, which are then used to calculate the solar irradiation incident on the front and back faces of the bifacial PV modules. The findings reveal that free-swinging PV generates 12% more energy than vertical fixed-tilt PV systems. Free-swinging PV offers the lowest capital cost and the racking levelized cost is over 30% lower than the LCOE of other agrivoltaics racks including the LCOE of commercial fixed-tilt metal racking, optimized fixed-tilt wood racking PV, and seasonally adjusted wood racking PV.
Research Interests:
Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Design, Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, and 14 moreSustainable Development, Energy, Integrated Renewable Energy System, Energy and Environment, Renewable energy resources, Environmental Sustainability, Photovoltaics Research, Solar Energy, Mechanical Engineering Design, Solar PV, solar PV power plants, Agrivoltaic, Photovoltaic Applications In Built Environment, and Sustainability
Though open source data acquisition (DAQ) systems have been published, closed source proprietary systems are the standard despite often being prohibitively expensive. High costs, however, limit access to high-quality DAQ in low-resource... more
Though open source data acquisition (DAQ) systems have been published, closed source proprietary systems are the standard despite often being prohibitively expensive. High costs, however, limit access to high-quality DAQ in low-resource settings. In many cases the functions executed by the closed source and proprietary DAQ cards could be carried out by an open source alternative; however, as desired function count increases, the simplicity of integrating the designs decreases substantially. Although the global library of open source electronic designs is expanding rapidly, and there is clear evidence they can reduce costs for scientists one device at a time, they are generally made to carry a function well, but are often not capable of scaling up or easily being integrated with other designs. Just as other open source projects have found success by having modular frameworks and clearly documented specifications, a framework to unify and enable interoperation of these open source electronics systems would be greatly beneficial to the scientific community. To meet these needs and ensure greater accessibility to high-quality electronics sensing and DAQ systems, this article shares and tests a news framework where new open source electronics can be developed and have plug-and-play functionality. The Broadly Reconfigurable and Expandable Automation Device (BREAD), consists of a basic set of guidelines and requirements to which others can contribute. Here 7 slices (boards) are provided, demonstrated, and validated: 1) Amplified Analog Input, 2) Audio Analysis / Fourier Transform, 3) +/- 10A Current Sensor, 4) 4-Channel Relay Controller 5) 4 Channel Stepper Motor Controller, 6) 4 Channel Type-K Thermocouple Reader and 7) 2 Channel USB Port. Implementing systems using BREAD rather than closed source and proprietary alternatives can result in cost savings of up to 93%.
Research Interests:
Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Control Systems Engineering, Control Engineering, Open Source Software, and 15 moreElectronics, Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering, Measurement and Evaluation, Automatic Control, Electrical, Open Source and Free Software Studies, Control Systems, Open Source, Automation, Data aquisition, Measurement, Open Source Hardware, Electronics Engineering, Data Acquisition (DAQ), and Open Source Technologies
Free and open source hardware repositories provide massive public good, but funding their operation has proven tenuous with conventional business models. This study evaluates business models to foster that public good. Business models for... more
Free and open source hardware repositories provide massive public good, but funding their operation has proven tenuous with conventional business models. This study evaluates business models to foster that public good. Business models for online design repositories are reviewed and a new model is conceptualized to fund repository operations. The greatest added value an open hardware repository brings to the user-developer community is validation and vetting of the designs. A business model was proposed that uses revenue from the vetting process to fund validation studies and sustainable operations of the open hardware repository itself. As the return on investment of laterally-scaled open hardware that can leverage distributed manufacturing has the potential for creating enormous value, maintaining repositories for this hardware enables vast wealth generation for everyone. This is the first study specifically focused on ways to ensure economic sustainability of open hardware repositories.
Research Interests:
Business, Information Systems, Information Technology, Institutional Repositories, Open Source Software, and 14 moreOpen Source/Open Access and Libraries, Digital repositories, Open Source and Free Software Studies, Open Repositories, Open Source, Business Management, Business Models, Open Source Hardware, Business Model, Open Source Appropriate Technology, Opensource Hardware, Knowledge Repository, Open Source Technologies, and Open Access & Institutional Repositories
Snow loss estimations of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in northern latitudes are important as project financing requires highly accurate energy generation estimates to provide long-term performance guarantees. As the climate changes,... more
Snow loss estimations of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in northern latitudes are important as project financing requires highly accurate energy generation estimates to provide long-term performance guarantees. As the climate changes, annual snowfall is changing. This study quantifies the losses to potential PV electricity generation due to snow, for all areas of the Northern Western Hemisphere now and for 2040, 2080 and 2100 for climate change scenarios SSP126 and SSP585. Results show in 20 years even in the most optimistic SSP126 scenario many areas in the northern U.S. and southern Canada will be reduced below 5% snow losses. In the more pessimistic SSP585 scenario, heavy snow regions become nearly snowless. Overall, climate change is substantially reducing snow losses for PV systems over most of North America. As such the time dependent reduction in snow losses for a PV in northern latitudes should be included in modeling of the life cycle performance.
Research Interests:
Electrical Engineering, Future Studies, Photovoltaics, Climate Change, Renewable Energy, and 15 moreEnergy, Building Integrated Solar Energy Technologies, Integrated Renewable Energy System, Energy and Environment, Renewable energy resources, Photovoltaics Research, Climate Change Impacts, Global Warming, Solar Energy, Solar Power, Solar PV, Snow Cover, solar PV power plants, Photovoltaic Applications In Built Environment, and Renewable Energy and Climate Change
When attempting to quantify future harms caused by carbon emissions and to set appropriate energy policies, it has been argued that the most important metric is the number of human deaths caused by climate change. Several studies have... more
When attempting to quantify future harms caused by carbon emissions and to set appropriate energy policies, it has been argued that the most important metric is the number of human deaths caused by climate change. Several studies have attempted to overcome the uncertainties associated with such forecasting. In this article, approaches to estimating future human death tolls from climate change relevant at any scale or location are compared and synthesized, and implications for energy policy are considered. Several studies are consistent with the “1000-ton rule,” according to which a future person is killed every time 1000 tons of fossil carbon are burned (order-of-magnitude estimate). If warming reaches or exceeds 2 °C this century, mainly richer humans will be responsible for killing roughly 1 billion mainly poorer humans through anthropogenic global warming, which is comparable with involuntary or negligent manslaughter. On this basis, relatively aggressive energy policies are summarized that would enable immediate and substantive decreases in carbon emissions. The limitations to such calculations are outlined and future work is recommended to accelerate the decarbonization of the global economy while minimizing the number of sacrificed human lives.
Research Interests:
Climate Change, Renewable Energy, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate change policy, Genocide Studies, and 15 moreEnergy, Energy Policy, Energy and Environment, Climate Change Adaptation And Mitigation Strategies, Climate Change Impacts, Carbon Footprint, Global Warming, Genocide, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Climate Change and Food Security, Carbon Emissions, Global Catastrophic Risk, Renewable Energy and Climate Change, Public Policy, and Anthropogenic Climate Change and Catastrophic Global Warming
Autoinjectors have become popular modern injectable medical devices used as drug delivery systems. Due to their ease, capability and reliability compared to other conventional injectable medical devices, the market and manufacturing... more
Autoinjectors have become popular modern injectable medical devices used as drug delivery systems. Due to their ease, capability and reliability compared to other conventional injectable medical devices, the market and manufacturing demand for autoinjector devices are increasing rapidly and expected to reach a market of $37.5 billion globally by 2025. Although autoinjectors can offset healthcare treatment costs through self-administered medication, they can be expensive for consumers, which limit their accessibility. This study describes the design and manufacture of a spring-driven and 3-D printed autoinjector to overcome this economic accessibility challenge. The digitally replicable device is released as open-source hardware to enable low-cost distributed manufacturing. The bill of materials and assembly instructions are detailed, and the effectiveness of the autoinjector is tested against the current standard (ISO 11608–1:2022) for needle-based injection systems. The safety and dosing accuracy was tested by measuring the weight of 100% ethyl alcohol expelled from six BD Insulin syringes with varying capacities or needle lengths. A one-way analysis assessed the variability between the dose delivery efficiency of 1mL, 0.5mL, and 0.3mL syringes. Testing indicated that the entire dose was delivered over 97.5% of the time for 1mL and 0.5mL syringes, but the autoinjector’s loaded spring force and size exceeded structural limitations of 0.3mL or smaller syringes. Components can be manufactured in about twelve hours using an open-source desktop RepRap-class fused filament 3-D printer. The construction requires two compression springs and 3-D printed parts. The total material cost of CAD$6.83 is less than a tenth of comparable commercial autoinjectors, which makes this approach promising. The autoinjector, however, is a class two medical device and must be approved by regulators. Future work is needed to make distributed manufacturing of such medical devices feasible and reliable to support individuals burdened by healthcare costs.
Research Interests:
Medical Sciences, Biomedicine, Biomedical Engineering, Medical Device Design, Regulation, and 12 more3D printing, Medicine, Additive Manufacturing, DIY culture, Insulin, Viscosity, Biomedical Sciences, Open Source Hardware, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, Frugal Innovation, Opensource Hardware, and RepRap
Proprietary bottle rolling systems automate some laboratory applications, however, their high costs limit accessibility. This study provides designs of an open source bottle roller that is compatible with distributed digital manufacturing... more
Proprietary bottle rolling systems automate some laboratory applications, however, their high costs limit accessibility. This study provides designs of an open source bottle roller that is compatible with distributed digital manufacturing using 3-D printed parts and readily-available commercial components. The experimental results show that the open source bottle roller can be fabricated for CAD$210 (about USD$150) in materials, which is 86% less expensive than the most affordable proprietary bottle roller on the market. The design, however, is more robust with enhanced capabilities. The design can be adapted to the user’s needs, but is already compatible with incubators with a low profile (dimensions 50 cm x46 cm x8.8 cm) and capable of being operated at elevated temperatures. The systems can be adjusted to revolves from 1 to 200 RPM, exceeding the rotational speed of most commercial systems. The open source bottle roller as tested has a capacity greater than 1.2 kg and can roll twelve 100 mL bottles simultaneously. Validation testing showed that it can operate for days at 80 RPM without human intervention or monitoring for days at both room temperature and elevated temperatures (50 °C). Future work includes adapting the designs for different sizes and for different fabrication techniques to further reduce costs and increase flexibility.
Research Interests:
Instrumentation Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Education, Biology, and 13 moreInstrumentation and Measurement Science, Open Innovation, 3D printing, Additive Manufacturing, Instrumentation, Instrumentation and Control, Electronics and Instrumentation, Open Source Hardware, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, Scientific Research, Opensource Hardware, Equipment Design, and Scientific Equipment
Tourniquets are effective for casualty-prevention in emergency situations. The use of centrally-manufactured commercial tourniquets, however, is not always possible due to supply chain disruptions. The open-source hardware model has been... more
Tourniquets are effective for casualty-prevention in emergency situations. The use of centrally-manufactured commercial tourniquets, however, is not always possible due to supply chain disruptions. The open-source hardware model has been applied to overcome these disruptions in humanitarian crises and several low-cost digitally manufacturable open-source tourniquets have been developed. With the low reliability of improvised tourniquets, it is important to ensure that distributed manufacturing of tourniquets is effective and safe. Tourniquets can be tested, but existing tourniquet testers are expensive, bulky, and complex to operate, which limits their accessibility to an even greater extent than tourniquets in extreme settings. This article fulfills a need by providing a small, transportable, open-source additive-manufactured tourniquet tester that enables inexpensive and accurate testing of tourniquets against known clinical parameters. The <$100 tourniquet tester is validated and tested for operating force of tourniquets in the field or in distributed manufacturing facilities. The tourniquet tester has a significant economic and operational advantage compared to proprietary counterparts available on the market. Once calibrated with a blood pressure monitor, the built-in LCD displays the measuring range of the tester as 0 to 200 N, which is enough to test the validation of all tourniquets.
Research Interests:
Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Sensors and Sensing, Mechatronics, Sensor, and 13 moreMedical Device Design, 3D printing, Additive Manufacturing, Sensors, Open Source Hardware, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, Frugal Innovation, Opensource Hardware, Medical Electronics, Pressure Sensor, RepRap, Frugal Innovations, and Tourniquets
Concrete contributes 8% of all global carbon emissions, making the need to find substitutes critical for environmental sustainability. Research has indicated the potential for recycled plastics to be used as concrete substitutes. This... more
Concrete contributes 8% of all global carbon emissions, making the need to find substitutes critical for environmental sustainability. Research has indicated the potential for recycled plastics to be used as concrete substitutes. This study extends existing research by investigating the use of polycarbonate (PC) in plastic sand bricks as a mechanical equivalent to concrete. PC has high compressive strength, durability, impact strength, thermal resistivity, clarity, fatigue resistance, and UV resistance. This work provides a method and mold to produce a matrix of sand–plastic sample compositions with dimensions adhering to the ASTM D695 standard for compressive properties of rigid plastic. Compositions of 0% (control), 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% sand by weight were tested. Samples were tested for compressive strength until yield and stress–strain behaviors were plotted. The results for 100% PC demonstrated an average and maximum compressive strength of 71 MPa and 72 MPa, respectively. The 50% PC and 50% sand composition yielded an average and maximum compressive strength of 71 MPa and 73 MPa, respectively, with an increase in compressive stiffness and transition to shear failure resembling concrete. With a composite density of 1.86 g/cm3 compared to concrete’s average of 2.4 g/cm3, and a compressive strength exceeding commercial concrete demands of 23.3 MPa to 30.2 MPa, this lightweight alternative meets the strength demands of concrete, reduces the need for new construction materials, and provides an additional recycling opportunity for nonbiodegradable waste plastic.
Research Interests:
Materials Engineering, Materials Science, Construction Materials, Composite Materials and Structures, Concrete, and 14 moreRecycling, Waste recycling, Plastic Technology, Composite Materials, Concrete Technology, Materials Science and Engineering, Recycled Materials, Cement, Circular Economy, Cement Industry, Recyclable Plastic, Cement and Concrete Materials, Polycarbonate, and Plastic Waste and Sand
To improve accessibility, this article describes a static, four-legged walker that can be constructed from materials and fasteners commonly available from hardware stores coupled by open-source 3D-printed joints. The designs are described... more
To improve accessibility, this article describes a static, four-legged walker that can be constructed from materials and fasteners commonly available from hardware stores coupled by open-source 3D-printed joints. The designs are described in detail, shared under an open-source license, and fabricated with a low-cost open-source desktop 3D printer and hand tools. The resulting device is loaded to failure to determine the maximum load that the design can safely support in both vertical and horizontal failure modes. The experimental results showed that the average vertical failure load capacity was 3680 ± 694.3 N, equivalent to 375.3 ± 70.8 kg of applied weight with the fractured location at the wood dowel handlebars. The average horizontal load capacity was 315.6 ± 49.4 N, equivalent to 32.2 ± 5.1 kg. The maximum weight capacity of a user of 187.1 ± 29.3 kg was obtained, which indicates that the open-source walker design can withstand the weight requirements of all genders with a 95% confidence interval that includes a safety factor of 1.8 when considering the lowest deviation weight capacity. The design has a cost at the bottom of the range of commercial walkers and reduces the mass compared to a commercial walker by 0.5 kg (19% reduction). It can be concluded that this open-source walker design can aid accessibility in low-resource settings.
Research Interests:
Canada is a leading global agricultural exporter, and roughly half of Canada’s farmland is in Saskatchewan. New agrivoltaics research shows increased biomass for a wide range of crops. This study looks at the potential increase in crop... more
Canada is a leading global agricultural exporter, and roughly half of Canada’s farmland is in Saskatchewan. New agrivoltaics research shows increased biomass for a wide range of crops. This study looks at the potential increase in crop yield and livestock in Saskatchewan through agrivoltaics along with its financial implications. Then, the legislation that could influence the adoption of agrivoltaics in Saskatchewan is reviewed. Specifically, experimental results from agrivoltaic wheat production are analyzed for different adoption scenarios. The impact of converting the province’s pasture grass areas to agrivoltaics and using sheep to harvest them is also examined. The results indicate that approximately 0.4 million tons of wheat, 2.9 to 3.5 million tons of forage and 3.9 to 4.6 million additional sheep can be grazed using agrivoltaics in Saskatchewan. Only these two agrivoltaics applications, i.e., wheat farmland and pastureland, result in potential additional billions of dollars in annual provincial agricultural revenue. The Municipalities Act and the Planning and Development Act were found to have the most impact on agrivoltaics in the province as official community plans and zoning bylaws can impede diffusion. Agrivoltaics can be integrated into legislation to avoid delays in the adoption of the technology so that the province reaps all of the benefits.
Research Interests:
Agricultural Engineering, Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, Sustainable agriculture, Biomass, and 15 moreEnergy, Energy Policy, Renewable Energy Policies, Agriculture, Energy and Environment, Photovoltaics Research, Organic Farming, Canada, Solar Energy, Sheep, Wheat, Pasture Management, Pasture, Agrivoltaic, and Saskatchewan
In the event of an abrupt sunlight reduction scenario, there is a time window that occurs between when food stores would likely run out for many countries (~6 months or less) and ~1 year when resilient foods are scaled up. A promising... more
In the event of an abrupt sunlight reduction scenario, there is a time window that occurs between when food stores would likely run out for many countries (~6 months or less) and ~1 year when resilient foods are scaled up. A promising temporary resilient food is leaf protein concentrate (LPC). Although it is possible to extract LPC from tree biomass (e.g., leaves and needles), neither the yields nor the toxicity of the protein concentrates for humans from the most common tree species has been widely investigated. To help fill this knowledge gap, this study uses high-resolution mass spectrometry and an open-source toolchain for non-targeted screening of toxins on five common North American coniferous species: Western Cedar, Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine, Western Hemlock, and Lodgepole Pine. The yields for LPC extraction from the conifers ranged from 1% to 7.5%. The toxicity screenings confirm that these trees may contain toxins that can be consumed in small amounts, and additional studies including measuring the quantity of each toxin are needed. The results indicate that LPC is a promising candidate to be used as resilient food, but future work is needed before LPCs from conifers can be used as a wide-scale human food.
Research Interests:
Food Science, Food Safety, Resilience, Sustainable agriculture, Food Security and Insecurity, and 15 moreSustainable Development, Biomass, Food Science and Technology, Food Security, Food Technology, Food Quality and Safety, Food Security and Social Justice, Climate Change and Food Security, Toxins, Wild edible plants, Alternative Food Networks, Global Catastrophic Risk, Biomass Processing, Resilient Food Systems, and Leaf Concentrate
For northern communities relying on solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to offset the cost of imported diesel fuel, there is an acute need to accurately forecast snow shedding and estimate energy losses due to snow. Two leading snow shedding... more
For northern communities relying on solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to offset the cost of imported diesel fuel, there is an acute need to accurately forecast snow shedding and estimate energy losses due to snow. Two leading snow shedding models, Marion and Townsend, are used widely in the PV industry but more work is needed to compare their performance. In order to determine the accuracy of these models, this study compares modelled monthly and annual losses to an empirically determined reference using PV production from an array operating in Quebec, Canada. Camera images of the array provide an accurate depiction of snow coverage and are an important part of baseline calculation. As a result, this study addresses two key areas: the development of an image-analysis algorithm to detect snow accumulation on a PV array and the validation of snow-shedding models estimating energy loss. In this study, it was found that it was inadvisable to use either model to estimate snow losses on a monthly basis. At an annual timescale, both models performed better with Townsend being a closer approximation of real energy losses than Marion. However, in order to be able to provide communities and PV system developers with accurate snow loss predictions, more work needs to be done to validate these models using different precipitation data as well as arrays operating at a variety of latitudes and tilt angles.
Research Interests:
Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Vision, Photovoltaics, and 12 moreRenewable Energy, Open Source Software, Energy, Energy and Environment, Photovoltaics Research, Canada, Solar Energy, Automation, Photovoltaic, Snow Cover, Photovoltaic Power Systems, and Photovoltaic Applications In Built Environment
African countries have been severely affected by food insecurity such that 54% of the population (73 million people) are acutely food insecure, in crisis or worse. Recent work has found technical potential for feeding humanity during... more
African countries have been severely affected by food insecurity such that 54% of the population (73 million people) are acutely food insecure, in crisis or worse. Recent work has found technical potential for feeding humanity during global catastrophes using leaves as stop-gap alternative foods. To determine the potential for adopting agricultural residue (especially crop leaves) as food in food-insecure areas, this study provides a new methodology to quantify the calories available from agricultural residue as alternative foods at the community scale. A case study is performed on thirteen communities in Nigeria to compare national level values to those available in rural communities. Two residue utilization cases were considered, including a pessimistic and an optimistic case for human-edible calories gained. Here, we show that between 3.0 and 13.8 million Gcal are available in Nigeria per year from harvesting agricultural residue as alternative food. This is enough to feed between 3.9 and 18.1 million people per year, covering from 10 to 48% of Nigeria’s current estimated total food deficit.
Research Interests:
African Studies, Sustainable agriculture, Africa, Rural Development, Food and Nutrition, and 13 moreAgriculture, Nigeria, Food Science and Technology, Food Security, Food Technology, Sub-Saharan Africa, Rural Planning and Development, Existential risk, Alternative Food Networks, Climate Change and Resilient Dryland Systems, Global Catastrophic Risk, Agricultural Waste Management, and Resilient Food Systems
Purpose: An open-source approach is needed to protect the 3-D printing industry from innovation stagnation due to broad patenting of obvious materials. Approach: To do this, first an open source implementation of the first five conditions... more
Purpose: An open-source approach is needed to protect the 3-D printing industry from innovation stagnation due to broad patenting of obvious materials. Approach: To do this, first an open source implementation of the first five conditions of an open source algorithm developed to identify all obvious 3-D printing materials was implemented in Python, and the compound combinations of two and three constituents were tested on ten natural and synthetic compounds. The time complexity for combinations composed of two constituents and three constituents is determined to be O(n 2) and O(n 3), respectively. Findings: Generating all combinations of materials available on the CAS registry on the fastest processor on the market will require at least 73.9 hours for the latter, but as the number of constituents increases the time needed becomes prohibitive (e.g. 3 constituents is 1.65 million years). To demonstrate how machine learning could help prioritize both theoretical as well as experimental efforts a three-part biomaterial consisting of water, agar, and glycerin was used as a case study. A decision tree model is trained with the experimental data and is used to fill in missing physical properties, including Young's modulus and yield strength, with 84.9% and 85.1% accuracy, respectively. Originality: The results are promising for an open-source system that can theoretically generate all possible combinations of materials for 3-D printing that can then be used to identify suitable printing material for specific business cases based on desired material properties.
Research Interests:
Materials Engineering, Materials Science, Intellectual Property, Database Systems, Composite Materials and Structures, and 13 moreOpen Source Software, Patents, Materials selection in design, 3D printing, Materials Science and Engineering, Open Source and Free Software Studies, Open Source, Patent Law, Big Data, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, Big Data / Analytics / Data Mining, RepRap, and Open Source Technologies
Ball milling is used for comminution by rotating a drum to grind materials using balls with specific diameters. Ball milling advantages include the potential for high capacity, predicted fineness in a specific amount of time, reliability,... more
Ball milling is used for comminution by rotating a drum to grind materials using balls with specific diameters. Ball milling advantages include the potential for high capacity, predicted fineness in a specific amount of time, reliability, safety, and simplicity, but has disadvantages of high weight, energy consumption and costs, which limit accessibility. To overcome these limitations this study applies the free and open source hardware approach coupled to distributed digital manufacturing to fabricate a ball mill with a simple, customizable design that can be used in a wide range of scientific applications and circumstances including those without access to reliable grid electricity. The highly-customizable design reduces the cost to <US$130 for an AC powered version and <US$315 for a switchable power that enables off-grid operation with a solar module and battery. Using a solar photovoltaic energy source not only improves the power reliability, but also makes it easier to move the ball mill for use in field environments. The open source ball mill is capable of reducing silicon particle sizes from the millimeter scale down to the nanometer scale.
Research Interests:
Materials Engineering, Materials Science, Composite Materials, Comminution, Powder technology, and 14 more3D printing, Materials Science and Engineering, Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Open Source, Solar Energy, Grinding, Open Source Hardware, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, Ball Mill, Opensource Hardware, Photovoltaic Solar Systems, Materials Processing, Ball Milling, and Grinding Technologies
Open-source technological development is well-known for rapid innovation and providing opportunities to reduce costs and thus increase accessibility for a wide range of products. This is done through distributed manufacturing, in which... more
Open-source technological development is well-known for rapid innovation and providing opportunities to reduce costs and thus increase accessibility for a wide range of products. This is done through distributed manufacturing, in which products are produced close to end users. There is anecdotal evidence that these opportunities are heavily geographically dependent, with some locations unable to acquire components to build open hardware at accessible prices because of trade restrictions, tariffs, taxes, or market availability. Supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this and forced designers to pivot towards a la carte-style design frameworks for critical system components. To further develop this phenomenon, a case study of free and open-source solar photovoltaic (PV) racking systems is provided. Two similar open-source designs made from different materials are compared in terms of capital costs for their detailed bill of materials throughout ten locations in North, Central and South America. The differences in economic optimization showed that the costs of wood-based racks were superior in North America and in some South American countries, while metal was less costly in Central and South America. The results make it clear that open hardware designs would be best to allow for local optimization based on material availability in all designs.
Research Interests:
Mechanical Engineering, Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Development, Appropriate Technology, and 11 morePhotovoltaics Research, Open Source, Solar Energy, Software Libre, Open Source Hardware, Open Source Appropriate Technology, Opensource Hardware, Photovoltaic system, Open Source Technologies, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Open Hardware
Although the Canada federal government has invested over $3.1 billion developing health information technology (HIT), all 10 provinces still have their own separate HIT systems, which are non-interoperable, expensive, and inconsistent.... more
Although the Canada federal government has invested over $3.1 billion developing health information technology (HIT), all 10 provinces still have their own separate HIT systems, which are non-interoperable, expensive, and inconsistent. After first reviewing how these systems operate, this paper analyzes the costs and savings of integrating the common billing, lab results, and diagnostic imaging (BLD) functions of these separate systems using free and open-source software and proposes a system for this, HermesAPI. Currently, 8 provincial governments representing over 95% of Canada's population allow private companies to create their own electronic medical records (EMR) system and integrate with provincial BLD systems. This study
Research Interests:
Information Systems, Open Source Software, Public Health Policy, Public Health, Health Policy, and 14 moreHealth Care Management, Open Source and Free Software Studies, Healthcare, Healthcare Operations Management, Public Health Systems & Services Research, Healthcare Administration, Open Source, Canada, Healthcare Management, Universal Health Care, Medical Billing, Coding, Administration, Public health systems and services research, Open Source Technologies, and Medical
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of global supply chains of many products. One area that requires improved supply chain resilience and that is of particular importance to electronic designers is the shortage of basic dual... more
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of global supply chains of many products. One area that requires improved supply chain resilience and that is of particular importance to electronic designers is the shortage of basic dual in-line package (DIP) electronic components commonly used for prototyping. This anecdotal observation was investigated as a case study of using additive manufacturing to enforce contact between premade, off-the-shelf conductors to allow for electrical continuity between two arbitrary points by examining data relating to the stock quantity of electronic components, extracted from Digi-Key Electronics. This study applies this concept using an open hardware approach for the design, testing, and use of a simple, parametric, 3-D printable invention that allows for small outline integrated circuit (SOIC) components to be used in DIP package circuits (i.e., breadboards, protoboards, etc.). The additive manufacture breakout board (AMBB) design was developed using two different open-source modelers, OpenSCAD and FreeCAD, to provide reliable and consistent electrical contact between the component and the rest of the circuit and was demonstrated with reusable 8-SOIC to DIP breakout adapters. The three-part design was optimized for manufacturing with RepRap-class fused filament 3-D printers, making the AMBB a prime candidate for use in distributed manufacturing models. The AMBB offers increased flexibility during circuit prototyping by allowing arbitrary connections between the component and prototyping interface as well as superior organization through the ability to color-code different component types. The cost of the AMBB is CAD $0.066/unit, which is a 94% saving compared to conventional PCB-based breakout boards. Use of the AMBB device can provide electronics designers with an increased selection of components for through-hole use by more than a factor of seven. Future development of AMBB devices to allow for low-cost conversion between arbitrary package types provides a path towards more accessible and inclusive electronics design as well as faster prototyping and technical innovation.
Research Interests:
Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Design, Supply Chain Management, Industrial Design, and 13 moreElectronics, Open Innovation, 3D printing, Supply Chain, Additive Manufacturing, Supply Chain Risk Management, Open Source Hardware, 3d Printer, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, Electronics Engineering, RepRap, Macgyver, and Electrical and Electronics Engineering
he potential of 3-D printing polymers to achieve low-weight space flight hardware has seen increasing interest. Additionally, robust 3-D printed polymer vacuum equipment would provide highly attractive low-cost alternatives to... more
he potential of 3-D printing polymers to achieve low-weight space flight hardware has seen increasing interest. Additionally, robust 3-D printed polymer vacuum equipment would provide highly attractive low-cost alternatives to conventional industrial-scale tools for the scientific community. Inorganic barrier coatings of plastic parts can be used to minimize outgassing and damage to polymers from extreme vacuum environments. Among different coating technologies in this area of research, atomic layer deposition (ALD) has shown the most promise. Nevertheless, the exact formation morphology of ALD coatings on 3-D printed polymers under vacuum are not yet well understood, which hinders use of 3-D printed polymers in vacuum environments. In this study, the film formation mechanisms of ALD alumina on porous 3-D printed polymers are investigated via SEM, EDS, XRD, ATR-FTIR, and XPS. ALD alumina is deposited on 3-D printed pigmented and un-pigmented acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, commercially available polypropylene, and pure polypropylene. The results reveal that the formation of the ALD barrier layer, its thickness, and diffusion of ALD precursor materials into the polymer substrate is a multi-scale phenomenon, and that substrate porosity and polymer functionality both dominate film formation behavior. Additionally, this study demonstrates that during ALD processes on 3-D printed polymers a vapor phase infiltration (VPI) growth mode also occurs, especially where porosity is present.
Research Interests:
Chemical Engineering, Surface Science, Polymers, 3D printing, Surface Engineering, and 15 moreAdditive Manufacturing, Atomic Layer Deposition, Porous Materials, Surface Coatings, Porous Media, Polymer Composites, Clean Room, Plastic, Vacuum, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, polymer science and Engineering, Vapour Absorption, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), 3D Printing Process, and Vapor Phase Infiltration
Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology offers a promising means to alleviate environmental and electricity costs challenges for cryptocurrency miners. To analyze this promise, this study investigated the feasibility of using electricity from... more
Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology offers a promising means to alleviate environmental and electricity costs challenges for cryptocurrency miners. To analyze this promise, this study investigated the feasibility of using electricity from individually optimized PV systems to power: 1) an individual Bitcoin miner, 2) a DIY intermodal shipping container holding 50 miners, and 3) a commercial mining farm container holding 408 miners. In a controlled lab environment, miners were monitored for electricity use. Then using these values, numerical simulations of both the PV system yield and sensitivity ranges based on the Bitcoin price, Bitcoin halving events, and miner hardware were investigated for informed financial planning. In addition, sensitivity for geographic locations in North America, utility electric rates and PV capital costs were analyzed. The profitability and return on investment (ROI) varied by location primarily because of the geographic distribution of solar flux and utility rates. The ROI for using PV with Bitcoin mining was found to be negative for Toronto and Montreal because of low-cost electricity, while it was 8% for Calgary. In the U.S. cities evaluated, the ROIs were substantial and ranged from 34% in New York, to 64% in Boulder, and up to 104% in Los Angeles. Although the study is based in North America regarding energy rates, climate, and energy laws, the analysis methodology is generalizable globally and grants the average cryptocurrency business the knowledge to make an informed decision on whether to pursue this venture from a financial and environmental perspective. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in cryptocurrency mining by providing an economic means of environmental preservation by powering cryptocurrency miners with renewable solar energy.
Research Interests:
Business, Economics, Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Development, and 13 moreEnergy, Building Integrated Solar Energy Technologies, Energy and Environment, Environmental Sustainability, Open Source, Sustainability Reporting, Solar Energy, Bitcoins, Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin Mining, Ledger, and Blockchain Technologies
Vertical bifacial solar photovoltaic (PV) racking systems offer the opportunity for large-scale agrivoltaics to be employed at farms producing field crops with conventional farming equipment. Unfortunately, commercial proprietary vertical... more
Vertical bifacial solar photovoltaic (PV) racking systems offer the opportunity for large-scale agrivoltaics to be employed at farms producing field crops with conventional farming equipment. Unfortunately, commercial proprietary vertical racks cost more than all types of conventional PV farm racking solutions. To overcome these cost barriers, this study reports on the development of a new wood-based PV racking design. The open-source design consists of a hinge mechanism, which reduces mechanical loading and enables wood to be used as the main structural material, and is the first of its kind. This open-source vertical wood-based PV rack is (i) constructed from locally accessible (domestic) renewable and sustainable materials, (ii) able to be made with hand tools by the average farmer on site, (iii) possesses a 25-year lifetime to match PV warranties, and (iv) is structurally sound, following Canadian building codes to weather high wind speeds and heavy snow loads. The results showed that the capital cost of the racking system is less expensive than the commercial equivalent and all of the previous wood-based rack designs, at a single unit retail cost of CAD 0.21. The racking LCOE is 77% of the cost of an equivalent commercial racking system using retail small-scale component costs, and is 22%, 34%, and 38% less expensive than commercial metal vertical racking, wood fixed tilt racking, and wood seasonal tilt racking costs, respectively. Overall, wooden vertical swinging PV racking provides users with a low-cost, highly available alternative to conventional metal vertical racking, along with a potential increase in energy yield in high wind areas thanks to its unique swinging mechanism.
Research Interests:
Mechanical Engineering, Design, Photovoltaics, Biomaterials, Renewable Energy, and 14 moreIndustrial Design, Sustainable Development, Energy, Energy and Environment, Environmental Sustainability, Design Mechanics, Solar Energy, Wood Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Design, Open Source Hardware, Wood Technology, Opensource Hardware, Agrivoltaic, and Photovoltaic Applications In Built Environment
This study aims to quantify the techno-economic potential of using solar photovoltaics (PV) to support heat pumps (HP) towards the replacement of natural gas heating in a representative North American residence from a house owner's point... more
This study aims to quantify the techno-economic potential of using solar photovoltaics (PV) to support heat pumps (HP) towards the replacement of natural gas heating in a representative North American residence from a house owner's point of view. For this purpose, simulations are performed on: (1) a residential natural gas-based heating system and grid electricity, (2) a residential natural gas-based heating system with PV to serve the electric load, (3) a residential HP system with grid electricity, and (4) a residential HP+PV system. Detailed descriptions are provided along with a comprehensive sensitivity analysis for identifying specific boundary conditions that enable lower total life cycle cost. The results show that under typical inflation conditions, the lifecycle cost of natural gas and reversable, air-source heat pumps are nearly identical, however the electricity rate structure makes PV costlier. With higher rates of inflation or lower PV capital costs, however, PV becomes a hedge against rising prices and encourages the adoption of HPs by also locking in both electricity and heating cost growth. The real internal rate of return for such prosumer technologies is 20x greater than a long-term certificate of deposit, which demonstrates the additional value PV and HP technologies offer prosumers over comparably secure investment vehicles while making substantive reductions in carbon emissions. Using the large volume of results generated, impacts on energy policy are discussed, including rebates, net-metering, and utility business models.
Research Interests:
Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Economics, Energy Economics, Photovoltaics, and 14 moreRenewable Energy, Energy, Building Integrated Solar Energy Technologies, Energy and Environment, Renewable energy resources, Solar Energy, Prosumption, Heat Pumps, Net Zero Energy Buildings, Applied Energy, Mechanical Engineering-HVAC, Evaluating energy consumption in residential buildings in terms of climatic factors, Heating, and HVAC / Building Services
Popular agrivoltaic systems use photovoltaic (PV) farms for pasture grazing animals. In general, these agrivoltaic systems do not reduce the capital cost of a PV farm and in some cases can increase it. To overcome this challenge this... more
Popular agrivoltaic systems use photovoltaic (PV) farms for pasture grazing animals. In general, these agrivoltaic systems do not reduce the capital cost of a PV farm and in some cases can increase it. To overcome this challenge this study investigates the potential for retrofitting existing animal fencing on farms to have dual use for vertical-mounted monofacial PV racking. Specifically, this study catalogs types of fences and wind load calculations classified under Risk Category I are run through a new python-based Open Source Wind Load Calculator to determine the viability of fence-based racking throughout the U.S. The base shear force for all the fences are calculated for a range of wind loads from 80mph to 150mph (129 km/h to 241 km/h) and the results are mapped to indicate the number of PV modules between the vertical fence poles a fence can tolerate in a specific location. The results show the required fence type including post and battens in a given area for sheep, goats, pigs, cows, and alpaca to be used for agrivoltaics. Overall, at least one PV module between posts is acceptable indicating a new agrivoltaic system potential that as little as $0.035/kWh for racking on existing fencing. Although the yield for a vertical PV can range from 20 to 76 % of an optimized tilt angle depending on azimuth, the racking cost savings enable fence-retrofit agrivoltaics to often produce lower levelized cost electricity. Future work is necessary to determine the full scope of benefits of vertical PV agricultural fencing on a global scale.
Research Interests:
Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, and 15 moreSystems Engineering, Sustainable Development, Renewable energy resources, Environmental Sustainability, Sustainable Design, Renewable Energy Systems, Photovoltaics Research, Solar Energy, Photovoltaic, Local Building Materials, Fencing, Wind loads, Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), Agrivoltaic, and Photovoltaic Applications In Built Environment
The life cycle of plastic is a key source of carbon emissions. Yet, global plastics production has quadrupled in 40 years and only 9 % has been recycled. If these trends continue, carbon emissions from plastic wastes would reach 15 % of... more
The life cycle of plastic is a key source of carbon emissions. Yet, global plastics production has quadrupled in 40 years and only 9 % has been recycled. If these trends continue, carbon emissions from plastic wastes would reach 15 % of global carbon budgets by 2050. An approach to reducing plastic waste is to use distributed recycling for additive manufacturing (DRAM) where virgin plastic products are replaced by locally manufactured recycled plastic products that have no transportation-related carbon emissions. Unfortunately, the design of most 3-D printers forces an increase in the machine cost to expand for recycling plastic at scale. Recently, a fused granular fabrication (FGF)/fused particle fabrication (FPF) large-scale printer was demonstrated with a GigabotX extruder based on the open source cable driven Hangprinter concept. To further improve that system, here a lower-cost recyclebot direct waste plastic extruder is demonstrated and the full designs, assembly and operation are detailed. The <$1,700 machine’s accuracy and printing performance are quantified, and the printed parts mechanical strength is within the range of other systems. Along with support from the Hangprinter and DUET3 communities, open hardware developers have a rich ecosystem to modify in order to print directly from waste plastic for DRAM.
Research Interests:
Electrical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Design, and 15 moreIndustrial Design, Recycling, Waste recycling, 3D printing, Materials Science and Engineering, Recycled Materials, Open Source Hardware, 3d Printer, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, Extrusion Processing, Opensource Hardware, RepRap, Materials Processing, Plastic waste, and 3D Printing Process
Canada has committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by increasing the non-emitting share of electricity generation to 90% by 2030. As solar energy costs have plummeted, agrivoltaics (the co-development of solar photovoltaic... more
Canada has committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by increasing the non-emitting share of electricity generation to 90% by 2030. As solar energy costs have plummeted, agrivoltaics (the co-development of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and agriculture) provide an economic path to these goals. This study quantifies agrivoltaic potential in Canada by province using geographical information system analysis of agricultural areas and numerical simulations. The systems modeled would enable the conventional farming of field crops to continue (and potentially increase yield) by using bifacial PV for single-axis tracking and vertical system configurations. Between a quarter (vertical) and more than one third (single-axis tracking) of Canada’s electrical energy needs can be provided solely by agrivoltaics using only 1% of current agricultural lands. These results show that agrivoltaics could be a major contributor to sustainable electricity generation and provide Canada with the ability to render the power generation sector net zero/GHG emission free. It is clear that the potential of agrivoltaic-based solar energy production in Canada far outstrips current electric demand and can, thus, be used to electrify and decarbonize transportation and heating, expand economic opportunities by powering the burgeoning computing sector, and export green electricity to the U.S. to help eliminate their dependence on fossil fuels.
Research Interests:
Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, Climate change policy, Sustainable Development, Energy Policy, and 14 moreAgriculture, High Energy Physics, Energy and Environment, Environmental Sustainability, Land-use planning, Photovoltaics Research, Canada, Solar Energy, Land Use, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Carbon Emissions, Green and Sustainability Practices, Agrivoltaic, and Sustainable Food & Farming
Greenhouses extend growing seasons in upper latitudes to provide fresh, healthy food. Costs associated with carbon-emission-intensive natural gas heating, however, limit greenhouse applications and scaling. One approach to reducing... more
Greenhouses extend growing seasons in upper latitudes to provide fresh, healthy food. Costs associated with carbon-emission-intensive natural gas heating, however, limit greenhouse applications and scaling. One approach to reducing greenhouse heating costs is electrification by using waste heat from cryptocurrency miners. To probe this potential, a new quasi-steady state thermal model is developed to simulate the thermal interaction between a greenhouse and the environment, thereby estimating the heating and cooling demands of the greenhouse. A cryptocurrency mining system was experimentally evaluated for heating potential. Using these experimental values, the new thermal model was applied to the waste heat of the three cryptocurrency mining systems (1, 50, and 408 miners) for optimally sized greenhouses in six locations in Canada and the U.S.: Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, California, Texas, and New York. A comprehensive parametric study was then used to analyze the effect of various parameters (air exchange rate, planting area, lighting allowance factor, and photoperiod) on the thermal demands and optimal sizing of greenhouses. Using waste heat from cryptocurrency mining was found to be economically profitable to offset natural gas heating depending on the utility rates and Bitcoin value in a wide range of scenarios.
Research Interests:
Agricultural Engineering, Energy Economics, Servers (Computer Science), Sustainable agriculture, Energy, and 15 moreAgricultural Economics, Agriculture, Energy and Environment, Agriculture and Food Studies, Sustainable Design, Energy efficiency, Greenhouses, Greenhouse Technology, Linux Servers & VPS Servers, Bitcoins, Bitcoin, Waste Heat Recovery, Cryptocurrency, Sustainable Food & Farming, and Bitcoin Mining
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) including Au-Pink, Au-Orange, Au-Purple, Au-Blue were synthesized using chemical reduction method, their optical and morphological properties were characterized and they were used in PV devices. The active layer... more
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) including Au-Pink, Au-Orange, Au-Purple, Au-Blue were synthesized using chemical reduction method, their optical and morphological properties were characterized and they were used in PV devices. The active layer of dye-sensitized solar cells having titanium dioxide (TiO2) solid microsphere (MS) made up of nanoparticles granules were coated with AuNPs. This Au-TiO2 MS hybrid DSSC boosted light harvesting, charge separation, and improved the charge transportresulting in an improvement of both short circuit current and open circuit voltage. The power conversion was boosted 16% compared to the control photoanode of TiO2 solid microsphere. Further enhancement in the short circuit current was observed during the incorporation of both Au and Ag, bimetallic nanoparticles in the TiO2 matrix. An overall photo to electron conversion efficiency of 8.73% was obtained due to the plasmoniccooperation effect of TiO2-Ag-Au hybrid structures, which is 65% increase over pure TiO2 DSSCs. The local electrified intensity enhancement around the individual Ag, Au nanoparticles and plasmonic coupling of the Ag-Au combination have been used to explain these results with finite-difference time-domain simulation.
Research Interests:
As Alberta increases conventional solar power generation, land-use conflicts with agriculture increase. A solution that enables low-carbon electricity generation and continued (in some cases, increased) agricultural output is the... more
As Alberta increases conventional solar power generation, land-use conflicts with agriculture increase. A solution that enables low-carbon electricity generation and continued (in some cases, increased) agricultural output is the co-locating of solar photovoltaics (PV) and agriculture: agrivoltaics. This review analyzes policies that impact the growth of agrivoltaics in Alberta. Solar PV-based electricity generation is governed by three regulations based on system capacity. In addition, agrivoltaics falls under various legislations, frameworks, and guidelines for land utilization. These include the Land Use Framework, Alberta Land Stewardship Act, Municipal Government Act, Special Areas Disposition, Bill 22, and other policies, which are reviewed in the agrivoltaics context. Several policies are recommended to support the rapid deployment of agrivoltaics. Openly accessible agrivoltaics research will help optimize agrivoltaic systems for the region, and can be coupled with public education to galvanize social acceptability of large-scale PV deployment. Clearly defining and categorizing agrivoltaics technology, developing agrivoltaics standards, making agrivoltaics technology-friendly regulations and frameworks, and developing programs and policies to incentivize agrivoltaics deployment over conventional PV will all accelerate the technology’s deployment. Through these measures, Alberta can achieve conservation and sustainability in the food and energy sectors while simultaneously addressing their renewable energy and climate-related goals.
Research Interests:
Agricultural Engineering, Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, Sustainable agriculture, Energy, and 13 moreEnergy Policy, Renewable Energy Policies, Agriculture, Integrated Renewable Energy System, Energy and Environment, Renewable energy resources, Photovoltaics Research, Canada, Solar Energy, Alberta, Agrivoltaic, Sustainable Food & Farming, and Public Policy
Inspiring stories of communities coming together to harness their own solar energy, and how you can do it too! Free open access complete book for how to do DIY solar photovoltaic systems. The sun lands on us with incredible power. Yet we... more
Inspiring stories of communities coming together to harness their own solar energy, and how you can do it too! Free open access complete book for how to do DIY solar photovoltaic systems.
The sun lands on us with incredible power. Yet we often find ourselves without sufficient power for our needs. This book is for anyone looking for inspiration and capability with small-scale solar power in order to meet their needs. We focus on small-scale, but the learnings in this book can be applied to large-scale micro-grids or even larger solar farms. That said, our focus will be mostly on off-grid systems that are 1 kW or smaller. Some specific examples include:
- A small home in a financially rich country
- A few homes in a financially poor country
- School rooms and community spaces
- Isolated loads like electric gates, pumps, and telecommunications equipment
- A tiny home or van life
- Glamping and backpacking equipment
- Emergency supply, e.g., powering an oxygen machine during a power outage
- Zombie-apocalypse equipment
- Laptop and cellphone chargers
- Solar entrepreneurship devices
To Catch the Sun emphasizes adaptability and iteration to meet your needs. It is one of the few photovoltaic books to cover very small systems with and without batteries, in a global context, for everyday designers everywhere.
This book can also be utilized in curriculum so that students have context for learning about electricity, power and energy, photovoltaics, spreadsheets, and basic math concepts.
There are many resources and professionals out there to help in building larger systems. This book will mostly focus on the small-scale, distributed, resilient systems that you can build yourself. In addition, this book is meant to be a deep knowledge starting point. Ultimately, you might find a video online that is exactly what you want to build. This book can help you determine what to build, what to avoid, and assess if the video is accurate. Building a deeper and broader understanding will help you leverage the most current research, resources, blogs, YouTube videos, etc., so that you can adapt to your, and your community’s, specific needs.
This book is for anyone looking to build solar projects and knowledge:
- Students and teachers. Especially high school and undergraduate university levels in science, math, engineering, environmental and social justice, and technical fields.
- Community organizers and builders looking to build solar projects.
- Entrepreneurs and inventors looking to build solar products.
- Families looking to learn together!
The sun lands on us with incredible power. Yet we often find ourselves without sufficient power for our needs. This book is for anyone looking for inspiration and capability with small-scale solar power in order to meet their needs. We focus on small-scale, but the learnings in this book can be applied to large-scale micro-grids or even larger solar farms. That said, our focus will be mostly on off-grid systems that are 1 kW or smaller. Some specific examples include:
- A small home in a financially rich country
- A few homes in a financially poor country
- School rooms and community spaces
- Isolated loads like electric gates, pumps, and telecommunications equipment
- A tiny home or van life
- Glamping and backpacking equipment
- Emergency supply, e.g., powering an oxygen machine during a power outage
- Zombie-apocalypse equipment
- Laptop and cellphone chargers
- Solar entrepreneurship devices
To Catch the Sun emphasizes adaptability and iteration to meet your needs. It is one of the few photovoltaic books to cover very small systems with and without batteries, in a global context, for everyday designers everywhere.
This book can also be utilized in curriculum so that students have context for learning about electricity, power and energy, photovoltaics, spreadsheets, and basic math concepts.
There are many resources and professionals out there to help in building larger systems. This book will mostly focus on the small-scale, distributed, resilient systems that you can build yourself. In addition, this book is meant to be a deep knowledge starting point. Ultimately, you might find a video online that is exactly what you want to build. This book can help you determine what to build, what to avoid, and assess if the video is accurate. Building a deeper and broader understanding will help you leverage the most current research, resources, blogs, YouTube videos, etc., so that you can adapt to your, and your community’s, specific needs.
This book is for anyone looking to build solar projects and knowledge:
- Students and teachers. Especially high school and undergraduate university levels in science, math, engineering, environmental and social justice, and technical fields.
- Community organizers and builders looking to build solar projects.
- Entrepreneurs and inventors looking to build solar products.
- Families looking to learn together!
Research Interests:
Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, Open Access, Energy, Self-Sufficiency, and 15 moreEnergy and Environment, Solar, Renewable energy resources, Environmental Sustainability, DIY culture, Solar Energy, Open Source Hardware, Do It Yourself (DIY), Solar PV, Solar PV Systems Installation, Opensource Hardware, Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), Photovoltaic Power Systems, Photovoltaic Applications In Built Environment, and Free Text Books
The relatively sudden widespread attention of the concept of distributed manufacturing with 3-D printing is largely due to the development of open-source 3-D printers. One that could make its own parts, radically increased innovation... more
The relatively sudden widespread attention of the concept of distributed manufacturing with 3-D printing is largely due to the development of open-source 3-D printers. One that could make its own parts, radically increased innovation rates and shrunk the costs of 3-D printers. Proprietary
3-D printers prior had cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and the least expensive sold for $20,000. Today an open source 3-D printer costs $160 and dozens of 3-D printers from different companies cost under $200. Several studies showed consumers could easily profit by 3-D printing their own products (even if the printers cost more than $1000). The number of
open source designs people can make profitably for themselves is growing exponentially. This short chapter discusses on approach to protecting this freedom to fabricate.
3-D printers prior had cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and the least expensive sold for $20,000. Today an open source 3-D printer costs $160 and dozens of 3-D printers from different companies cost under $200. Several studies showed consumers could easily profit by 3-D printing their own products (even if the printers cost more than $1000). The number of
open source designs people can make profitably for themselves is growing exponentially. This short chapter discusses on approach to protecting this freedom to fabricate.
Research Interests:
Intellectual Property, Digital Fabrication, Open Innovation, Intellectual Property Rights, 3D printing, and 9 moreDigital Design and Fabrication, Intellectual Property / Monopoly, Freedom, Open Source Hardware, 3d Printer, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, Opensource Hardware, RepRap, and 3D Printing Process
Inspiring stories of communities coming together to harness their own solar energy, and how you can do it too! Download a free copy of the ebook at tocatchthesun.com
Research Interests:
Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, Energy, Solar Cell, Solar, and 15 moreRenewable energy resources, Environmental Sustainability, Photovoltaic Materials, Renewable Energy Systems, Photovoltaic Solar Cells, DIY culture, Solar Energy, Solar Power, Photovoltaic Cell, Do It Yourself (DIY), Renwable sources of energy, solar PV power plants, Solar Panel, Photovoltaic Applications In Built Environment, and Renewable Energy and Climate Change
The solar photovoltaic (PV) market continues to grow rapidly throughout the world [1] offering the promise of enabling humanity to utilize sustainable and renewable solar power technology to run society [2]. As the PV industry has grown,... more
The solar photovoltaic (PV) market continues to grow rapidly throughout the world [1] offering the promise of enabling humanity to utilize sustainable and renewable solar power technology to run society [2]. As the PV industry has grown, the costs have dropped to the point that with favorable financing terms, it is clear that PV has already obtained and surpassed grid parity in specific locations [3]. Now it not uncommon to have solar power be the less expensive option (lower levelized cost of electricity) for both homeowners and businesses [3]. This is driving a positive feedback loop, where additional growth is expected. The cumulative global market for solar PV is expected to triple by 2020 to almost 700 GW, with annual demand eclipsing 100 GW in 2019 [1]. This growth is accompanied by an explosion of solar jobs [4]. Solar workers have outnumbered coal workers in the U.S. for some time, but now their ranks have swollen to surpass even the oil and gas industry [4,5]. The remarkable and sustained growth of the PV industry may tempt the solar PV scientist to sit back and relax: perhaps with a congratulatory pat on the back for a job well done. However, our work is not complete. Fossil fuels still make up over 80% of all energy use in the U.S., for example [6], and are still growing worldwide as the resultant climate destabilization. This climate alteration has 'committed to extinction' 15 -37% of species in investigated
regions and taxa by 2050 using relatively optimistic mid-range climate-warming scenarios [7]. As the late Professor Smalley has pointed out, our challenge as PV researchers is not to be content with GWs of PV production, but we must obtain terrawatt (TW) levels to eliminate fossil fuel combustion and enable a safe and stable global climate [8]. Meeting these goals by scaling what we have done will not be easy, as others have shown this would place a significant demand on the current and future supply of raw materials (chemical elements) used by those technologies [9]. To meet these needs, we still have much to do to advance the next generation
of photovoltaic materials and solar cell devices [10], to further reduce costs to enable more rapid diffusion of solar energy throughout the globe. This book covers some of the materials, modeling, synthesis, and evaluation of new materials and their solar cells, which can help us reach the goal of a sustainable solar-powered future [2].
regions and taxa by 2050 using relatively optimistic mid-range climate-warming scenarios [7]. As the late Professor Smalley has pointed out, our challenge as PV researchers is not to be content with GWs of PV production, but we must obtain terrawatt (TW) levels to eliminate fossil fuel combustion and enable a safe and stable global climate [8]. Meeting these goals by scaling what we have done will not be easy, as others have shown this would place a significant demand on the current and future supply of raw materials (chemical elements) used by those technologies [9]. To meet these needs, we still have much to do to advance the next generation
of photovoltaic materials and solar cell devices [10], to further reduce costs to enable more rapid diffusion of solar energy throughout the globe. This book covers some of the materials, modeling, synthesis, and evaluation of new materials and their solar cells, which can help us reach the goal of a sustainable solar-powered future [2].
Research Interests:
The rise of collaborative consumption, peer-to-peer systems, and not-for-profit social enterprise heralds the emergence of a new era of human collectivity. Increasingly, this consolidation stems from an understanding that big-banner... more
The rise of collaborative consumption, peer-to-peer systems, and not-for-profit social enterprise heralds the emergence of a new era of human collectivity. Increasingly, this consolidation stems from an understanding that big-banner issues—such as climate change—are not the root causes of our present global predicament. There is a growing and collective view that issues such as this are actually symptoms of a much more vicious, seemingly insurmountable condition: our addiction to economic, consumption, and population growth in a world of finite resources.
Nanotechnology and Global Sustainability uses nanotechnology—the product of applied scientific knowledge to control and utilize matter at atomic and molecular scales—as a lens through which to explore the interrelationship between innovation, politics, economy, and sustainability. This groundbreaking book addresses how stakeholders can actively reshape agendas to create positive and sustainable futures through this latest controversial, cross-sectoral technology. It moves beyond issues of efficiency, productivity, and utility, exploring the insights of 22 contributors from around the world, whose work spans the disciplines of science and the humanities. Their combined knowledge, reinforced with various case studies, introduces an exciting prospect—how we can innovate without economic growth.
This new volume in the Perspectives in Nanotechnology series is edited by Dr. Donald Maclurcan and Dr. Natalia Radywyl. Dr. Maclurcan is a social innovator and Honorary Research Fellow with the Institute for Nanoscale Technology at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Dr. Radywyl is a social researcher and Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She is also an Adjunct Research Fellow in the Faculty of Life and Social Sciences at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne. This book is written for a wide audience and will be of particular interest to activists, scholars, policy makers, scientists, business professionals, and others who seek an understanding of how we might justly transition to sustainable societies.
Nanotechnology and Global Sustainability uses nanotechnology—the product of applied scientific knowledge to control and utilize matter at atomic and molecular scales—as a lens through which to explore the interrelationship between innovation, politics, economy, and sustainability. This groundbreaking book addresses how stakeholders can actively reshape agendas to create positive and sustainable futures through this latest controversial, cross-sectoral technology. It moves beyond issues of efficiency, productivity, and utility, exploring the insights of 22 contributors from around the world, whose work spans the disciplines of science and the humanities. Their combined knowledge, reinforced with various case studies, introduces an exciting prospect—how we can innovate without economic growth.
This new volume in the Perspectives in Nanotechnology series is edited by Dr. Donald Maclurcan and Dr. Natalia Radywyl. Dr. Maclurcan is a social innovator and Honorary Research Fellow with the Institute for Nanoscale Technology at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Dr. Radywyl is a social researcher and Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She is also an Adjunct Research Fellow in the Faculty of Life and Social Sciences at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne. This book is written for a wide audience and will be of particular interest to activists, scholars, policy makers, scientists, business professionals, and others who seek an understanding of how we might justly transition to sustainable societies.
Joshua M. Pearce. “Sharing Free Knowledge to Save Humanity”. In How To Save Humanity, J. Alexandersson (editor) (2015). http://howtosavehumanity.com
Research Interests:
Feeding Everyone No Matter What presents a scientific approach to the practicalities of planning for long-term interruption to food production. The primary historic solution developed over the last several decades is increased food... more
Feeding Everyone No Matter What presents a scientific approach to the practicalities of planning for long-term interruption to food production.
The primary historic solution developed over the last several decades is increased food storage. However, storing up enough food to feed everyone would take a significant amount of time and would increase the price of food, killing additional people due to inadequate global access to affordable food. Humanity is far from doomed, however, in these situations - there are solutions.
This book provides an order of magnitude technical analysis comparing caloric requirements of all humans for five years with conversion of existing vegetation and fossil fuels to edible food. It presents mechanisms for global-scale conversion including: natural gas-digesting bacteria, extracting food from leaves, and conversion of fiber by enzymes, mushroom or bacteria growth, or a two-step process involving partial decomposition of fiber by fungi and/or bacteria and feeding them to animals such as beetles, ruminants (cows, deer, etc), rats and chickens. It includes an analysis to determine the ramp rates for each option and the results show that careful planning and global cooperation could ensure the bulk of humanity and biodiversity could be maintained in even in the most extreme circumstances.
The primary historic solution developed over the last several decades is increased food storage. However, storing up enough food to feed everyone would take a significant amount of time and would increase the price of food, killing additional people due to inadequate global access to affordable food. Humanity is far from doomed, however, in these situations - there are solutions.
This book provides an order of magnitude technical analysis comparing caloric requirements of all humans for five years with conversion of existing vegetation and fossil fuels to edible food. It presents mechanisms for global-scale conversion including: natural gas-digesting bacteria, extracting food from leaves, and conversion of fiber by enzymes, mushroom or bacteria growth, or a two-step process involving partial decomposition of fiber by fungi and/or bacteria and feeding them to animals such as beetles, ruminants (cows, deer, etc), rats and chickens. It includes an analysis to determine the ramp rates for each option and the results show that careful planning and global cooperation could ensure the bulk of humanity and biodiversity could be maintained in even in the most extreme circumstances.
Research Interests:
Food Science, Food Safety, Asteroids, Food Security and Insecurity, Food Engineering, and 25 moreComets, Food and Nutrition, Survival Analysis, Sustainable Water Resources Management, Food Chemistry, Catastrophe Modeling, Food Process Engineering, Food Processing, Food Microbiology, Food Science and Technology, Food Security, Survival, Nuclear Disarmament, Survivalism, Survival after Death, Preppers, Catastrophes, Catastrophism, Catastrophe Risk Assessment, Catastrophe Theory, Nuclear War, Global Catastrophic Risk, Food Processing and Preservation, Survival Skills, and Supervolcanoes
"Open-Source Lab: How to Build Your Own Hardware and Reduce Scientific Research Costs details the development of the free and open-source hardware revolution. The combination of open-source 3D printing and open-source microcontrollers... more
"Open-Source Lab: How to Build Your Own Hardware and Reduce Scientific Research Costs details the development of the free and open-source hardware revolution. The combination of open-source 3D printing and open-source microcontrollers running on free software enables scientists, engineers, and lab personnel in every discipline to develop powerful research tools at unprecedented low costs.
After reading Open-Source Lab, you will be able to:
>Lower equipment costs by making your own hardware
>Build open-source hardware for scientific research
>Actively participate in a community in which scientific results are more easily replicated and cited
After reading Open-Source Lab, you will be able to:
>Lower equipment costs by making your own hardware
>Build open-source hardware for scientific research
>Actively participate in a community in which scientific results are more easily replicated and cited
Research Interests:
Materials Science, Technology, Science Education, Open Access, Open Source Software, and 24 moreCollaboration, Science, Design of Experiments, Collaboration Technology, Open Innovation, 3D printing, Additive Manufacturing, STEM Education, Free Software, Microcontrollers, Arduino, Software Libre, Open Source Hardware, 3d Printer, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, Open-Source Hardware, Scientific Research, Free Tool, Planning of Experiments, Insitu and laboratory testing, RepRap, Laboratory Experiments, Open Source Technologies, and Tecnologías Libres
A solution to this general problem of access to critical information for sustainable development is the growth of open source appropriate technology.
Research Interests:
All twenty-five communities in Nunavut are dependent on the use of imported diesel fuel for their electricity, which results in environmental, social and economic problems. This chapter critically analyzes the technical viability of... more
All twenty-five communities in Nunavut are dependent on the use of imported diesel fuel for their electricity, which results in environmental, social and economic problems. This chapter critically analyzes the technical viability of renewable energy technologies (RETs) to mitigate some of the damage done by diesel in three case-study communities in Nunavut: Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet, and Resolute Bay. RETs are screened for available data, potential energy output and economic impacts of RET systems of equivalent peak power to current diesel plants are determined using numerical simulation. These impacts are quantified for the RET system by: i) percent of diesel generated energy saved, ii) amount of diesel fuel reduced, iii) the economic savings from unused diesel fuel, and iv) greenhouse gas emission reduction potential. The results are then discussed and conclusions are drawn about the specific RET viability of solar photovoltaic and wind power systems in Nunavut.
Research Interests:
A comprehensive introduction to nanotechnology and its potential global implications, this book critiques the latest developments relating to the environment, health, water and food, as well as potential implications for global trade,... more
A comprehensive introduction to nanotechnology and its potential global implications, this book critiques the latest developments relating to the environment, health, water and food, as well as potential implications for global trade, labor and marginalized populations. It presents ideas for improving technological appropriateness, including transitioning to new methods of knowledge assessment and co-creation, novel approaches to innovation that truly engage 'the poor', multilateral regulatory mechanisms that serve wider interests, and ways to overcome the global dilemma of knowledge commodification resulting from intellectual property rights regimes.
Our particular chapter looks at the use of open source methods to make approppriate use of nanotechnology.
Our particular chapter looks at the use of open source methods to make approppriate use of nanotechnology.
Research Interests:
It is challenging to 3-D print functional parts with known mechanical properties using variable open source 3-D printers. This study investigates the mechanical properties of 3-D printed parts using a commercial open-source 3-D printer... more
It is challenging to 3-D print functional parts with known mechanical properties using variable open source 3-D printers. This study investigates the mechanical properties of 3-D printed parts using a commercial open-source 3-D printer for a wide range of materials. The samples are tested for tensile strength following ASTM D638. The results are presented and conclusions are drawn about the mechanical properties of various fused filament fabrication materials. The study demonstrates that the tensile strength of a 3-D printed specimen depends largely on the mass of the specimen, for all materials. Thus, to solve the challenge of unknown print quality a two step process is proposed, which has a reasonably high expectation that a part will have tensile strengths described in this study for a given material. First, the exterior of the print is inspected visually for sub-optimal layers. Then, to determine if there has been under-extrusion in the interior, the samples are massed. This mass is compared to what the theoretical value is using the densities provided in this study for the material and the volume of the object. This provides a means to assist low-cost open-source 3-D printers expand the range of object production to functional parts.
Research Interests:
Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, 3D printing, Additive Manufacturing, Rapid Prototyping, and 9 moreMechanical properties, Mechanical Properties of Materials, 3d Printer, Distributed Manufacturing, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, Fused deposition modeling, RepRap, Tensile Strength, and 3D Printing Process
The world is facing a climate emergency. We must reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and their export and, instead, develop renewable and efficient energy. Electrification of heating with heat pumps can radically reduce natural gas use,... more
The world is facing a climate emergency. We must reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and their export and, instead, develop renewable and efficient energy. Electrification of heating with heat pumps can radically reduce natural gas use, electrical vehicles cut the need for oil, and energy efficiency and renewable energy can help shoulder the greater demand this electrification causes, while cutting coal and natural gas use, carbon emissions and resultant climate destabilization. Free and open source hardware design has proven to be an effective method to increase innovation and decrease costs of equipment and products over a wide range of industries. It can accelerate practical action and the implementation of policies and strategies to reduce our use of coal, oil and gas. In this presentation the power of open source will be explained to show how it can improve the performance and decrease the costs of decarbonization technologies. This presentation will end with a description of the HardwareX special issue on Open Source Decarbonization for a Sustainable World (www.journals.elsevier.com/hardwarex/forthcoming-special-issues/special-issue-on-open-sourcedecarbonization-for-a-sustainable-world).