1)Sustainability Area: Energy

Problem: According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Building Sector consumes nearly half (47.6%) of all energy produced in the United States. Seventy-five percent (74.9%) of all the electricity produced in the U.S. is used just to operate buildings. Globally, these percentages are even greater.

Accordingly, one key way to reduce GHG as a whole is to work for CO2 emissions produced by the building sector by transforming the way buildings are designed, built, and operated.

The United States Department of Energy announces the “Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative” to reduce the net energy usage of all newly-constructed business buildings by 2030 and all business buildings by 2050. It is expected that a large energy-saving market will be established in the future.

In this situation, Gradation Blind was developed by a Japanese manufacturer of curtain tracks, TOSO Co., Ltd., which reduces building lighting energy by 34%, taking natural day light efficiently into office buildings.

2) Technology/ Deployment

With Gradation Blind, natural daylight is drawn into the office interior optimally.
Reflecting light onto the ceiling ensures even distribution of natural daylight to areas far inside the room.

With normal blind, opening slats to let in natural daylight increases interior brightness, but causes glare from windows and computer screens. The environment is not optimal for office workers.

By making natural day light efficiently, you can realize 34% cost-cut for lightning energy.

The Gradation Blind was deployed as one of energy conservation building demonstration technologies at ZEN (Zero Energy Nanotechnology) building of SUNY Poly and started demonstration test for realizing Net Zero Energy Building in March, 2016.

Source1: http://www.toso.com/news/2011/201109.html

Source2: http://architecture2030.org/buildings_problem_why/

3) Stakeholders:

• Building owner (Both business/residential)
• Real estate industry
• Interior design industry
• Office workers and resident as a product user

<Comment on Solar Powered Aircraft >

At this timing of second test, the solar plane reached a maximum altitude of 19,000 feet, but for future, longer flights, the plan is to reach up to 28,000 feet during the day, then descend to about 5,000 feet at night, converting altitude into distance until the sun comes back up to recharge the batteries.

UNI:mt3170

Fall 2017 – Week 5