GREEN TECHNOLOGY

I. Green Technology

The 21st century has been called the "century of the environment."
Governments -and individual citizens - can no longer assume that social
challenges such as pollution, dwindling natural resources and climate change
can be set aside for future generations.

Through policy, research, education, incentives and forward-looking

relationships with industry, government can play a central role in building a green
future, community by community.

The prospects for success have never been greater. A dawning era of
creativity and innovation in "green technology" (also known as "clean
technology") is bringing the promise of a healthier planet - as well as the prospect
of growing businesses that can sustain its health. The excitement building around
this sector is reminiscent of the early years of the information technology
revolution.

The term "technology" refers to the application of knowledge for practical

purposes. The field of "green technology" encompasses a continuously evolving
group of methods and materials, from techniques for generating energy to non-
toxic cleaning products.

The present expectation is that this field will bring innovation and changes
in daily life of similar magnitude to the "information technology" explosion over
the last two decades. In these early stages, it is impossible to predict what "green
technology" may eventually encompass.

In 2009, the implementation examined the environmental regulations, power-

saving technologies, co-friendly components, and energy-saving manufacturing
processes. The use of environmental friendly components and materials;
achieving lower power consumption by using new components or technologies;
compliant with environmental regulations such as waste disposal; using
production processes that reduce energy and materials consumed; completely or
partially recyclable after useful life; or use of green or eco-friendly concepts in
product design, packaging methods or materials are stressed in the
implementation.

II. Examples of Green Technology in Buildings/Infrastructures

The most impressive feature of the new Bahrain World Trade Center is,
no doubt, the three massive wind turbines situated between the two towers
comprising the main building. Each of these 80-foot turbines projects from a
bridge between towers. The shape of the towers themselves channels and
accelerates air moving between them which will help the building generate even
more power.
 Architect David Fisher has proposed a plan for rotating towers that
produce all of their own energy through wind power. The Rotating Tower would
be built by stacking platters on a central concrete core with wind turbines located
between each of them. Each floor will rotate 360 degrees about once every 90
minutes; as the floors will rotate independently, they will create a constantly
changing silhouette in the sky. Inside the concrete core will be elevators,
emergency stairs and lobbies.
 As water becomes an even hotter commodity in the future, engineers are
looking for ways to ensure a continued supply of fresh water to meet the needs of
the world’s growing population. Charles Patton is tackling this problem with his
Seawater Greenhouse, a carbon-neutral desalination method which is being
incorporated into the design of the Teatro del Agua. This Theater of Water will
be a performing arts center in Spain’s Canary Islands. It works by coupling a
series of evaporators and condensers such that the airborne moisture from the
evaporators is then collected from the condensers, which are cooled by deep
seawater? The center will operate almost entirely on renewable energy.

III. Advantages and Limitations of Green Technology

Today, we are now aware of the effects of global warming. Fortunately, it’s
not too late and we can still change which is why many are pushing for green
energy technology sources.

The advantage of using green energy sources is that it is clean so it does

not emit anything harmful into the air which has an impact on the environment.
It is also renewable which means we will never run out of it unlike oil which is
expected to dry up in a decade or so.

Although green energy technology facilities are expensive to build, it

requires less maintenance so you don’t have to shell out a lot of money to
operate it. It can also bring economic benefits to certain areas even boost
tourism.

While these sound good, there are also some limitations in using such
green energy technology. While green energy sources can produce electricity,
how much it can generate is not consistent. This is because we have no control
of the weather so if a certain area relies on solar energy and there is a weather
disturbance, it will not be able to convert sunlight into electricity.

Building these facilities also requires a lot of land so we may have to cut
on farmland which is what many are concerned about if more wind turbines are
to be put up.

Another disadvantage is the fact that some of the green energy sources
cannot be installed in certain areas of the planet. But if you look at such
arguments, places that cannot use one form of green energy technology can be
substituted for another. If wind turbines need more space, they can be installed
near the coast instead of putting these on land. A study shows that you can
generate more electricity while these are placed out in the ocean water.

While the weather is something we cannot control, it is not everyday that

there is a weather disturbance so this too is not a big concern. If solar energy is
being used and the sun is covered, the emergency generators will be activated
and use up the energy that was stored from previously sunny days.

We can get it from green energy sources such as biomass, biodiesel,

geothermal, solar, water and the wind. These are things we have all around us
and all it takes is for someone to harness it instead of relying on traditional non-
renewable means to produce energy.

IV. Examples of Green Technology in Residential Homes

With the popularity of "green" products on the rise and the trend not
looking to slow down anytime soon, construction products and building
techniques that are friendly to the environment are seeing a rapid rise in sales.
Let's look at some of the green trends in construction:

• From The Ground Up

Green practices can be incorporated from the very beginning of the building
process from the concrete, masonry, beams, doors, windows, mechanical and
electrical systems, moisture and heat protection, finishes, appliances, pretty
much for any aspect of building, there are green options and choices that can be
made.

• Flooring

There are many green types of flooring now available. Wood flooring made
from wood that has been taken from old or disused buildings has gained more
popularity, since this is a smart way to recycle. For new flooring products, green
builders can now choose from green choices like cork, rubber and bamboo. New
linoleum products are also now available that can be recycled and are less toxic
than their predecessors.

• Carpet

Carpets are now available that are recyclable, use little or no toxic materials
in manufacturing and are also lower in cost. Carpet tiles are a very green choice
and are extremely easy to install and replace.
 • Goals of Green Building

The main goal of green building is not just to be friendlier to the environment,
but also be a healthier place to live for the home's occupants. In every aspect of
a green home, non toxic or less toxic materials are employed. Green homes will
also blend in better with their surroundings and use much less energy and water.

• Green Remodeling Trends

Not only is green home construction a hot area, green remodeling has also
come to the forefront. Existing homeowners can now incorporate green building
practices and materials when they are remodeling their homes. For example, in a
typical kitchen remodel, the appliances are all replaced. In the case of a green
home remodel, the appliances would all be replaced with energy star efficient
appliances thus saving energy and money at the same time. In the case of a
bathroom remodel, simply replacing a toilet with a newer model toilet will save
several gallons of water for each flush, which adds up to a significant water
savings over time.

Whether you choose to use green practices to build or remodel for cost
savings or environmental reasons, it's certain that green building is a trend that
will only continue to grow.

References:

http://www.green-technology.org
http://www.eetasia.com
http://weburbanist.com/
http://www.greenenergytechnology.org
http://www.thecompanymarketing.com
 A Research Study about Green Technology

Plate No. 7
Title: Green Technology

A Research Paper
Presented to
The Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering
Central Philippine University
Iloilo City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

In CE2201 (Building Design 2)

By
Sherry Louise Pagunsan
February 03, 2011