EME 810
Solar Resource Assessment and Economics

10.1 Learning Outcomes

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By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

  • describe how sustainability ethics can be included into project design as a motivating factor for Solar Project Development;
  • apply the four classes of benefits that are supplied by ecosystems: ecosystems services;
  • apply the concept of ecosystems services to renewable energy projects in rural and urban scenarios; and
  • become familiar with the context of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

What is due for Lesson 10?

This lesson will take us one week to complete. Please refer to the Course Calendar for specific time frames and due dates. Directions for the assignments below can be found within this lesson.

Lesson 10 Assignments
Required Reading:

J.R. Brownson, Solar Energy Conversion Systems (SECS), Chapter 1 - Introduction (Reread, with renewed focus on The Ethics of Sustainability and Ecosystems Services.)

J.R. Brownson, Solar Energy Conversion Systems (SECS), Chapter 11 - The Sun as Commons ("Framework: Systems Sustainability Assessment as LCA")

J.R. Brownson, Solar Energy Conversion Systems (SECS), Chapter 13 - Systems Logic of Devices: Optoelectronics ("PV Systems Integration and Simulation Tools")

Geoffrey Carr (Nov 21, 2012) "Sunny Uplands," The Economist.

Doubling Time (Wikipedia article, accessed on Nov. 14, 2013).

B. I. Cook, R. L. Miller, and R. Seager (2009) "Amplification of the North American Dust Bowl drought through human-induced land degradation." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. 106(13), 4997-5001.

D. Ervin, D. Brown, H. Chang, V. Dujon, E. Granek, V. Shandas, and A. Yeakley (2012). "Growing Cities Depend on Ecosystem Services," Solutions, Vol 2, No. 6. pp. 74-86.

Olgyay, V., & Herdt, J. (2004). "The application of ecosystems services criteria for green building assessment." Solar Energy, 77(4), 389-398. (available in Canvas)
Optional Reading:

"Ecosystems and Human Well-being: General Synthesis" (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment site page) (155 pg. report)

Ong et al. (2013) "Land-Use Requirements for Solar Power Plants in the United States," [13] NREL Technical Report: NREL/TP-6A20-56290. (supplemental reading)
HOMEWORK:

Learning Activity: Sustainability and Ecosystems Services Pitch (video)
YELLOWDIG:

Discussion Topic 1: Sambhar Lake Case Study

Discussion Topic 2: Ecosystem Impacts of Mega-Solar

Discussion Topic 3: Sustainability Ethics in Solar Development

Questions?

If you have any questions, please post them to the Lesson 10 General Questions thread in Yellowdig. I will check the forum regularly to respond. While you are in a discussion, feel free to post your own responses if you, too, are able to help out a classmate.