Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Sustainable Engineering Systems'

Many fisheries have significant challenges related to sustainable development, such as overexploitation and overcapacity in the fishing fleet. Overcapacity leads to increased pressure on fish resources, reduced profitability, and environmental problems such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and acidification fromfuel consumption. Sustainable management of the fish resources is an important objective in Norway, but overcapacity is a problem in several Norwegian fleet segments. Important issues in this respect are whether the traditional management models are able to deal with the capacity development, and whether the role of technology as a relevant discipline in fisheries management is underestimated.

The objective of this work has been to integrate a technological perspective into fisheries management in order to improve sustainability in the fishing fleet. The thesis work has been limited to the Norwegian fisheries in Norwegian territorialwaters. Since the main problems addressed in this thesis are sustainability and overcapacity, the system boundaries are limited to the fishing fleet. This means that the marine ecosystem in where the fishing vessels are interacting, is outside the thesis’ boundaries.

The main contributions of this thesis are:

• Development of a methodological framework that structures fisheries management decision-making, with main emphasis on improved sustainability in the fishing fleet.

• Clarification of the concept of sustainability in the Norwegian fishing fleet.

• Classification of attributes characterizing sustainability, and a performance evaluation of the different vessel groups in the cod-fishing fleet.

• Comparison of two cod-production systems, with focus on sustainability.

• Suggestions for how fisheries management can evaluate sustainability on a regular basis.

• Improved foundation for further research about sustainability in the fisheries. A lot of literature is collected and synthesized.

The framework developed is based on the systems engineering process. The nature of sustainability requires a systems perspective. There are different system analysis methods, but from a technological perspective, dealing with multidisciplinary tasks, systems engineering has been selected as the most feasible process. It has a strong focus on stakeholder needs and requirements, and it facilitates frequent evaluations of sustainability, which is important in order to assess management efficiency and goal achievement.

Problems regarding sustainability in the fisheries are not only caused by technological development, but have organizational challenges as well. However, in this thesis the focus is within the technological perspective. Systems engineering is not applied as an attempt to change the structure of fisheries management, but as means of suggesting a decision-making process that improves sustainability in the fishing fleet.

Fisheries management involves decision-making in situations often characterized by high risks and uncertainties, and it may be difficult to predict the outcomes of the decisions, for example, regarding sustainability in the fishing fleet. A number of tools that are available to support decision-making have been discussed and used in the thesis, such as cost-benefit analysis, risk acceptance criteria, life cycle cost (LCC), the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and Quality Function Deployment (QFD). Nevertheless, these tools do not provide “correct” answers; they have limitations, they are based on a number of assumptions, and their uses are based on scientific knowledge as well as value judgments involving political, strategic, and ethical issues. This means that these methods leave the decision-makers to apply decision processes outside the practical applications of the analyses, to which the framework offers guiding principles and structure.

The main outcome of using systems engineering principles in fisheries management, is that the framework offers a broader analytical perspective to fisheries management and sustainability, which acknowledge that sustainability cannot be distinguished fromthe context. Today, most input to fisheries management come from biology and economy, such as stock assessments and profitability analyses. In systems engineering, information from different scientific disciplines, for example, biology, social sciences, economy, and technology, are necessary input to the analyses and decision processes, because fisheriesmanagement is much more than bio-economics. Application of the systems engineering process in fisheries management, and the inclusion of technology, introduce new perspectives, new disciplines, and new stakeholders into the decision-making process in the fisheries.

Based on the framework developed in the thesis, the sustainability performance of the cod-fishing fleet has been evaluated. Sustainability in the fishing fleet may be characterized by seven attributes; accident risk, employment, profitability, quality, catch capacity, bycatch/selection, andGHGemissions/acidification. Indicators have been identified in order to measure the system performance within the attributes. The evaluation shows that there are differences in the performance of the vessel groups. These differences pose a major challenge to fisheries management in their decision-making regarding sustainability in the fleet. The smallest vessels have the lowest fuel consumption (kg fuel/kg fish), but they have a very high accident risk (FAR). The evaluation of cod fishing vs. cod farming shows that the potential growth in the cod farming industry may cause changes in the management system of the cod fisheries, such as a possible shift from the IVQ-systemof today to an ITQ-system.

The Norwegian fisheries management lacks frequent evaluations of its policies, and the information and data available about the fisheries are fragmented. Sustainability should be evaluated on a regular basis by use of performance indicators to determine if sustainability increases or decreases. For simplicity, the indicators could be aggregated into a sustainability index showing the overall system performance. Aggregation implies simplification and weighting of the indicators, which means that such an index should be used with care. Sustainability implies a long term perspective when taking decisions, because future generations will be affected. The performance evaluations can give indications of trends, which means that the results can be used to predict consequences in the future, based on the current development.

Paper I, II, III, IV and VI are reprinted with kind permission of Elsevier, sciencedirect.com

A major problem is looming in Saudi Arabia. The problem is a direct result of the ever growing volume of construction waste. Collecting construction waste firms are guilty of dumping waste on undeveloped lands creating a nuisance and public hazard. Landfills in major Saudi cities are nearing capacity. The facilities to sort out recyclable materials from construction waste are nearly non-existent. As a result, materials that could be recycled end up being lost in dumpsite or landfills. The cost of construction materials continues to rise with inflation. There exists opportunities to help contain construction costs, reduce landfill use, and make Saudi Arabia more ecologically compliant by applying a sustainable construction waste system. This opportunity exists in construction waste management system, and how to manage it? Providing a new or revised system will provide a more efficient and effective job in managing construction waste and will resolve many concerns for the citizens of major Saudi Arabian cities. This paper proposes how multiple problems will be solved by developing and implementing a sustainable system to recycle construction waste and use it in the construction sector. The solution that will be chosen will maximize revenue generation from recycling, provide needed materials to the construction industry for reuse, will minimize landfill use when compared to current methods, and will support a more "green" Saudi Arabia than the current system provides.

With increasing environmental awareness and natural resource limitations, researchers must begin to incorporate sustainability into their process and product designs. One target for green engineering is in reaction and separation design. This is typically done in a wasteful and often toxic manner with organic solvents and lack of recycle. The following thesis discusses alternatives to these costly separations by means of ionic liquids, benign extraction, separation with carbon dioxide, and near critical water. Ionic liquids are combined with carbon dioxide to induce melting point depressions of up to 124 degrees Celsius. Using this system as a reaction medium will offer control over the reaction phases while utilizing green solvents. Benign extractions are performed on both ferulic acid and on proteins from biomass by replacing alkaline solvents and costly protein separation techniques with simple liquid-liquid extraction. This means simpler systems and less waste than from previous methods. This thesis also discusses an opportunity for more efficient separation and recycle of a pharmaceutical catalyst, Mn-Salen. Using carbon dioxide with the organic aqueous tunable solvent system, the reaction can be run homogeneously and the product and catalyst separated heterogeneously, thus creating an extremely efficient process. Lastly, near critical water is used as an extraction and reaction medium by extracting ferulic acid from Brewers Spent Grain and then catalyzing its transformation to 4-vinylguaiacol. In this manner a simple, benign process is used to turn waste into valuable chemicals. Although somewhat different, each of the studied processes strives to eliminate waste and toxicity of many commonly used reaction and separation techniques, thus creating safe and sustainable processes.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xxiii, 306 p.; also includes graphics (some col.) Includes bibliographical references (p. 297-306). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

The protection of public health is the basis behind any waste management system while its sophistication is dictated by environmental impact concerns and constraints on the ideal solution. Waste management systems can and should be designed from a sustainable basis. This thesis examines the theoretical basis of sustainable waste management systems and explores their application in Trinidad and Tobago. The transformation of Trinidad's existing waste management system into one which is sustainable begins with a thorough characterization of the existing formal and informal waste management sectors. Their linkages are identified and understood, leading to recommendations towards the alteration of the existing policy/legislation basis, system structure and operations to create a sustainable system. The resources and expertise are in place to complete such a transformation and the resulting system will benefit the nation; converting an antiquated policy of environmental neglect into that which will provide for the earth and future generations.

Adequate energy supply has become one of the vital components of human development and economic growth of nations. In fact, major components of the global economy such as transportation services, communications, industrial processes, and construction activities are dependent on adequate energy resources. Even mining and extraction of energy resources, including harnessing the forces of nature to produce energy, are dependent on accessibility of sufficient energy in the appropriate form at the desired location. Therefore, energy resource planning and management to provide appropriate energy in terms of both quantity and quality has become a priority at the global level. The increasing demand for energy due to growing population, higher living standards, and economic development magnifies the importance of reliable energy plans. In addition, the uneven distribution of traditional fossil fuel energy sources on the Earth and the resulting political and economic interactions are other sources of complexity within energy planning. The competition over fossil fuels that exists due to gradual depletion of such sources and the tremendous thirst of current global economic operations for these sources, as well as the sensitivity of fossil fuel supplies and prices to global conditions, all add to the complexity of effective energy planning. In addition to diversification of fossil fuel supply sources as a means of increasing national energy security, many governments are investing in non-fossil fuels, especially renewable energy sources, to combat the risks associated with adequate energy supply. Moreover, increasing the number of energy sources also adds further complication to energy planning. Global warming, resulting from concentration of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, influences energy infrastructure investments and operations management as a result of international treaty obligations and other regulations requiring that emissions be cut to sustainable levels. Burning fossil fuel, as one of the substantial driving factors of global warming and energy insecurity, is mostly impacted by such policies, pushing forward the implementation of renewable energy polices. Thus, modern energy portfolios comprise a mix of renewable energy sources and fossil fuels, with an increasing share of renewables over time. Many governments have been setting renewable energy targets that mandate increasing energy production from such sources over time. Reliance on renewable energy sources certainly helps with reduction of greenhouse gas emissions while improving national energy security. However, the growing implementation of renewable energy has some limitations. Such energy technologies are not always as cheap as fossil fuel sources, mostly due to immaturity of these energy sources in most locations as well as high prices of the materials and equipment to harness the forces of nature and transform them to usable energy. In addition, despite the fact that renewable energy sources are traditionally considered to be environmentally friendly, compared to fossil fuels, they sometimes require more natural resources such as water and land to operate and produce energy. Hence, the massive production of energy from these sources may lead to water shortage, land use change, increasing food prices, and insecurity of water supplies. In other words, the energy production from renewables might be a solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it might become a source of other problems such as scarcity of natural resources. The fact that future energy mix will rely more on renewable sources is undeniable, mostly due to depletion of fossil fuel sources over time. However, the aforementioned limitations pose a challenge to general policies that encourage immediate substitution of fossil fuels with renewables to battle climate change. In fact, such limitations should be taken into account in developing reliable energy policies that seek adequate energy supply with minimal secondary effects. Traditional energy policies have been suggesting the expansion of least cost energy options, which were mostly fossil fuels. Such sources used to be considered riskless energy options with low volatility in the absence of competitive energy markets in which various energy technologies are competing over larger market shares. Evolution of renewable energy technologies, however, complicated energy planning due to emerging risks that emanated mostly from high price volatility. Hence, energy planning began to be seen as investment problems in which the costs of energy portfolio were minimized while attempting to manage associated price risks. So, energy policies continued to rely on risky fossil fuel options and small shares of renewables with the primary goal to reduce generation costs. With emerging symptoms of climate change and the resulting consequences, the new policies accounted for the costs of carbon emissions control in addition to other costs. Such policies also encouraged the increased use of renewable energy sources. Emissions control cost is not an appropriate measure of damages because these costs are substantially less than the economic damages resulting from emissions. In addition, the effects of such policies on natural resources such as water and land is not directly taken into account. However, sustainable energy policies should be able to capture such complexities, risks, and tradeoffs within energy planning. Therefore, there is a need for adequate supply of energy while addressing issues such as global warming, energy security, economy, and environmental impacts of energy production processes. The effort in this study is to develop an energy portfolio assessment model to address the aforementioned concerns. This research utilized energy performance data, gathered from extensive review of articles and governmental institution reports. The energy performance values, namely carbon footprint, water footprint, land footprint, and cost of energy production were carefully selected in order to have the same basis for comparison purposes. If needed, adjustment factors were applied. In addition, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) energy projection scenarios were selected as the basis for estimating the share of the energy sources over the years until 2035. Furthermore, the resource availability in different states within the U.S. was obtained from publicly available governmental institutions that provide such statistics. Specifically, the carbon emissions magnitudes (metric tons per capita) for different states were extracted from EIA databases, states' freshwater withdrawals (cubic meters per capita) were found from USGS databases, states' land availability values (square kilometers) were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, and economic resource availability (GDP per capita) for different states were acquired from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In this study, first, the impacts of energy production processes on global freshwater resources are investigated based on different energy projection scenarios. Considering the need for investing on energy sources with minimum environmental impacts while securing maximum efficiency, a systems approach is adopted to quantify the resource use efficiency of energy sources under sustainability indicators. The sensitivity and robustness of the resource use efficiency scores are then investigated versus existing energy performance uncertainties and varying resource availability conditions. The resource use efficiency of the energy sources is then regionalized for different resource limitation conditions in states within the U.S. Finally, a sustainable energy planning framework is developed based on Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) and Post-Modern Portfolio Theory (PMPT) with consideration of the resource use efficiency measures and associated efficiency risks. In the energy-water nexus investigation, the energy sources are categorized into 10 major groups with distinct water footprint magnitudes and associated uncertainties. The global water footprint of energy production processes are then estimated for different EIA energy mix scenarios over the 2012-2035 period. The outcomes indicate that the water footprint of energy production increases by almost 50% depending on the scenario. In fact, growing energy production is not the only reason for increasing the energy related water footprint. Increasing the share of water intensive energy sources in the future energy mix is another driver of increasing global water footprint of energy in the future. The results of the energies' water footprint analysis demonstrate the need for a policy to reduce the water use of energy generation. Furthermore, the outcomes highlight the importance of considering the secondary impacts of energy production processes besides their carbon footprint and costs. The results also have policy implications for future energy investments in order to increase the water use efficiency of energy sources per unit of energy production, especially those with significant water footprint such as hydropower and biofuels. In the next step, substantial efforts have been dedicated to evaluating the efficiency of different energy sources from resource use perspective. For this purpose, a system of systems approach is adopted to measure the resource use efficiency of energy sources in the presence of trade-offs between independent yet interacting systems (climate, water, land, economy). Hence, a stochastic multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) framework is developed to compute the resource use efficiency scores for four sustainability assessment criteria, namely carbon footprint, water footprint, land footprint, and cost of energy production considering existing performance uncertainties. The energy sources' performances under aforementioned sustainability criteria are represented in ranges due to uncertainties that exist because of technological and regional variations. Such uncertainties are captured by the model based on Monte-Carlo selection of random values and are translated into stochastic resource use efficiency scores. As the notion of optimality is not unique, five MCDM methods are exploited in the model to counterbalance the bias toward definition of optimality. This analysis is performed under “no resource limitation” conditions to highlight the quality of different energy sources from a resource use perspective. The resource use efficiency is defined as a dimensionless number in scale of 0-100, with greater numbers representing a higher efficiency. The outcomes of this analysis indicate that despite increasing popularity, not all renewable energy sources are more resource use efficient than non-renewable sources. This is especially true for biofuels and different types of ethanol that demonstrate lower resource use efficiency scores compared to natural gas and nuclear energy. It is found that geothermal energy and biomass energy from miscanthus are the most and least resource use efficient energy alternatives based on the performance data available in the literature. The analysis also shows that none of the energy sources are strictly dominant or strictly dominated by other energy sources. Following the resource use efficiency analysis, sensitivity and robustness analyses are performed to determine the impacts of resource limitations and existing performance uncertainties on resource use efficiency, respectively. Sensitivity analysis indicates that geothermal energy and ethanol from sugarcane have the lowest and highest resource use efficiency sensitivity, respectively. Also, it is found that from a resource use perspective, concentrated solar power (CSP) and hydropower are respectively the most and least robust energy options with respect to the existing performance uncertainties in the literature. In addition to resource use efficiency analysis, sensitivity analysis and robustness analysis, of energy sources, this study also investigates the scheme of the energy production mix within a specific region with certain characteristics, resource limitations, and availabilities. In fact, different energy sources, especially renewables, vary in demand for natural resources (such as water and land), environmental impacts, geographic requirements, and type of infrastructure required for energy production. In fact, the efficiency of energy sources from a resource use perspective is dependent upon regional specifications, so the energy portfolio varies for different regions due to varying resource availability conditions. Hence, the resource use efficiency scores of different energy technologies are calculated based on the aforementioned sustainability criteria and regional resource availability and limitation conditions (emissions, water resources, land, and GDP) within different U.S. states, regardless of the feasibility of energy alternatives in each state. Sustainability measures are given varying weights based on the emissions cap, available economic resources, land, and water resources in each state, upon which the resource use efficiency of energy sources is calculated by utilizing the system of systems framework developed in the previous step. Efficiency scores are graphically illustrated on GIS-based maps for different states and different energy sources. The results indicate that for some states, fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas are as efficient as renewables like wind and solar energy technologies from resource use perspective. In other words, energy sources' resource use efficiency is significantly sensitive to available resources and limitations in a certain location. Moreover, energy portfolio development models have been created in order to determine the share of different energy sources of total energy production, in order to meet energy demand, maintain energy security, and address climate change with the least possible adverse impacts on the environment. In fact, the traditional “least cost” energy portfolios are outdated and should be replaced with “most efficient” ones that are not only cost-effective, but also environmentally friendly. Hence, the calculated resource use efficiency scores and associated statistical analysis outcomes for a range of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources are fed into a portfolio selection framework to choose the appropriate energy mixes associated with the risk attitudes of decision makers. For this purpose, Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) and Post-Modern Portfolio Theory (PMPT) are both employed to illustrate how different interpretations of “risk of return” yield different energy portfolios. The results indicate that 2012 energy mix and projected world's 2035 energy portfolio are not sustainable in terms of resource use efficiency and could be substituted with more reliable, more effective portfolios that address energy security and global warming with minimal environmental and economic impacts.
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering
Engineering and Computer Science
Civil Engineering

Pollutants such as petroleum hydrocarbons are produced from various domestic, commercial and industrial sources. Releases of PAHs are increasing and automobile is one of the major sources. Pollutants from road runoff therefore pose a risk to surface waters if not managed. Sustainable Drainage systems (SuDs) design philosophy offers water management, water quality and biodiversity benefits over conventional drainage, by replicating natural systems and use cost effective solutions with low environmental impact. SuDs utilize a range of features and techniques such as source control (SC), site control and regional control. There is a need to increase the understanding of the fate of hydrocarbon pollutants in SuDs to improve designs and assess the risk posed by pollutant accumulations. The aim of this project was to monitor and evaluate the sources, occurrence and fate of hydrocarbon pollution in SuDs and conventional/hybrid drainage systems. Multiple sites for sampling and testing were used and via extensive monitoring (18 - 24 months) water and soil quality was examined. An Accelerated Solvent Extractor (ASE) was used for extracting hydrocarbons from soils and a Gas Chromatograph - Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS), was utilized to identify TPH and PAH concentrations for both water and soil samples. General water quality parameter tests were included in the monitoring to evaluate their influence on hydrocarbons. This study showed that the most abundant PAH compounds that were found in the particulate phase of the storm events runoff were PYR, FLAN, PHE, NAP and ANT and the PAHs with higher molecular weight showed higher tendency of accumulation in soils, while the higher concentrations of lower molecular weight PAHs were found dissolved in water. In general, high variability of PAHs in SuDs and conventional/hybrid drainage systems was seen but they varied below hazardous thresholds. In addition, no significant differences were seen between SuDs and conventional/hybrid sites in terms of hydrocarbon pollution, but water quality improvements were noticed in SC SuDs and treatment trains. Finally, the source identification of hydrocarbons varied between pyrogenic and petrogenic origin according to location and the complex and dynamic nature of SuDs and conventional/hybrid sites made the evaluation of these systems difficult.

The provision of water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure is an essential ingredient of cities. However, questions are being raised about the type and form of urban infrastructure, for economic and environmental reasons. Traditionally these techologies have offered linear solutions, drawing increasing volumes of water into cities and discharging waste at ever increasing levels, causing escalating stress on the environment. In addition the costs of water infrastructure provision and replacement, both in the developing and developed world, is becoming prohibitive. In response, a new paradigm has been called for and new solutions are emerging that have been labelled as Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM). This concept can be considered to consist of both technical and philosophical dimensions, and represents a new form of professional praxis. However, the adoption of these techniques and concepts is constrained by the inertia of the existing urban water systems. It is therefore argued that the introduction of any change must occur across a number of dimensions of the technoeconomic system of the city. These dimensions-artefacts and technical systems (i.e. the technology and knowledge systems), professional praxis and socio-political context (i.e. institutions, culture and politics) and biophysical realities and world views (i.e. the environment and underlying values) - provide a framework for analysis of the change process - both how it is occurring and how it needs to occur. This framework is used to illustrate the link between environment values and the process of technological innovation, and points to the need for the emerging values and innovations to be institutionalised into the professional praxis and socio-political context of society. Specifically, it is argued that a new form of transdisciplinary professional praxis is emerging and needs to be cultivated. A broad review of the literature, an evaluation of selected emerging technologies and three case studies are used to illustrate and argue this position. These examples show the potential economic, social and environmental benefits of IUWM and provide some insight into the potential which this approach has to influence the form and structure of the city and at the same time highlighting the institutional arrangements required to manage urban water systems.

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2019
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 118-125).
Estimates suggest that the world needs a 50% increase in food production to meet the demands of the 2050 global population (Tilman et. al. 2011). Cropland expansion is unlikely to be sufficient, and yield improvements that require more inputs may lead to more environmental damage. This work focuses on reallocating limited land and water resources to optimize cropping patterns. By combining optimization methods, surrogate modeling, global data sources, data assimilation, and hydrologic modeling, we identify opportunities for increasing food-crop production and cash-crop revenue, while maintaining sustainability constraints that limit cropland expansion and prevent groundwater depletion. We apply the framework in India's Krishna river basin and find that reallocating resources to meet or exceed current production can lead to 96% gain in net revenue as resources over an estimated current baseline. Resources in this case are moved to high-yielding cash crops. Imposing a self-sufficient southern diet which depends on rice reduces the gains to 77% while imposing a self-sufficient national diet with more emphasis on wheat eliminates all net revenue gains to the region. The approach described in this thesis, highlights the trade-offs between food production, cost and environmental impacts in achieving specified food-security objectives. This research contributes to the field in two ways: 1) it provides a novel method for combining remotely sensed data, surrogate models and optimization to understand agricultural trade-offs, and 2) it furthers the discussion on food and water security and sustainable resource management by demonstrating that resource reallocation with sustainability constraints provides revenue gains in certain situations.
by Anjuli Jain Figueroa.
Ph. D.
Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dissertation to obtain the Master degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Nowadays, organizations are required to be part of a global collaborative world. Sometimes this is the only way they can access new and wider markets, reaching new opportunities, skills and sharing assets, e.g. tools, lessons learnt. However, due to the different sources of enterprise models and semantics, organizations are experiencing difficulties in exchanging vital information via electronic and in a seamlessly way. To solve this issue, most of them try to attain interoperability by establishing peer-to-peer mappings with different business partners, or in optimized networks using neutral data standards to regulate communications. Moreover, the systems are more and more dynamic, changing frequently to answer new customer’s requirements, causing new interoperability problems and a reduction of efficiency. This dissertation proposes a multi-agent system to monitor existing enterprise systems, by being capable of detecting morphism changes. With this, network harmonization breakings are timely detected, and possible solutions are suggested to regain the interoperable status, thus enhancing robustness for reaching sustainability of business networks.

Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2009.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-109).
While some scholars continue to insist that the concept of sustainability is vague and unwieldy, this thesis seeks to explore multidimensional elements of sustainability and seeks to offer an integrative, transdisciplinary approach to policy design for its attainment. Sustainability and the related concepts of development, globalization, and economic and environmental justice are interwoven with technological, social and institutional change, and with trade as drivers of the transformation of industrial and industrializing societies. The discussion begins by an analysis of the dominant existing models of economic growth and innovation and advances to the effects of economic growth on sustainability. Included is an analysis of the limits of the GDP growth paradigm, the effects of growth on the developed and the developing world and the relationship between economic growth and ecological collapse. The focus of analysis then shifts from the domestic to the international. Trade and the International Financial System are examined both with respect to their primary theories and characteristics, but also in relation to their effects to sustainability. The discussion is then concluded by an examination of the different policy options and analytical tools that could be employed for a transition to a more sustainable economic model.
by Kyriakos Pierrakakis.
S.M.in Technology and Policy

Thesis (Ph.D)--Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010.
Committee Co-Chair: DesRoches, Reginald; Committee Co-Chair: Leon, Roberto T.; Committee Member: Craig, James I.; Committee Member: Goodno, Barry; Committee Member: White, Donald W. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

This thesis examines the existing frameworks for energy management in the brewing industry and details the design, development and implementation of a new framework at a modern brewery. The aim of the research was to develop an energy management framework to identify opportunities in a systematic manner using Systems Engineering concepts and principles. This work led to a Sustainable Energy Management Framework, SEMF. Using the SEMF approach, one of Australia's largest breweries has achieved number 1 ranking in the world for water use for the production of beer and has also improved KPI's and sustained the energy management improvements that have been implemented during the past 15 years. The framework can be adapted to other manufacturing industries in the Australian context and is considered to be a new concept and a potentially important tool for energy management.

Includes bibliographical references.
South Africa's developing cities are experiencing rapid urbanisation, particularly in the major metropolises. Infrastructural development is a prominent component of the South African economy, and has been allocated hundreds of billions of Rands by the budgetary council in the present political term of office (2009-2014).

Sustainable development has been in focus since late 1980’s and the Brundtland report Our Common Future. But the lack of a detailed common definition of sustainability makes the work for a sustainable urban development difficult. This literature review examines how Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS) and Decision Support Systems (DSS) can be used as tools to help achieve sustainable urban development with focus on the environmental aspect of sustainability. By reviewing former research within the subjects of GIS, RS, DSS and sustainable urban development, the wide potential of how to use GIS, RS and DSS in urban planning are presented. GIS and RS can be used to plan for water usage, actions to decrease air pollution and climate change adaption, and combined with a DSS, the software can help decision makers in the process of planning. Suggestion made are to implement the GIS and DSS early in the planning process, and to base action plan goals on what is realistic, in areas that are in greatest need of sustainability initiatives. There are vast amounts of research made within the subject of DSS and sustainable development, but there is a lack of consensus among the DSS developed, and many stays on the prototype level due to e.g. lack of data and hard to use software. Similar implications are experienced within the subject of GIS and sustainable development, but there are great potential of succeed, when the knowledge of GIS and DSS are spreading among planners and sustainability workers. One of the most important tasks of GIS users today is to inform and develop GIS to be more user friendly and easy to access data.

Water and energy are two of the most precious and essential resources which are inseparably connected; vital for the survival and well-being of humanity. Sustainable water resources and energy management emphasizes the requirement for a holistic approach in meeting the needs of the present and future generations. In order to indentify the needs and obstacles relating to water reuse and renewable energy initiatives, Hanson Formpave in partnership with The University of Edinburgh implement a five-year pilot project between May 2005 and June 2010. The research project addressed the use of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) such as permeable pavements systems (PPS) and integration of renewable energy tools such as geothermal heat pumps (GHPs). The research uses the novel and timely urban drainage system and focuses on water quality assessment when incorporated with GHPs. Twelve-tanked laboratory scaled experimental PPS were evaluated at The King’s Building campus (The University of Edinburgh, Scotland) using different compositions. Variations in designs included the presence of geotextiles layers and geothermal heating/cooling applications. The experimental rigs were examined for a two year period (March 2008 to April 2010). Two types of urban stormwater were used in the analysis; (i) gully pot liquor and (ii) gully pot liquor spiked with Canis lupus familiaris (dog) faeces. This urban wastewater represented the extreme worstcase scenario from a storm event, which can occur on a permeable pavement parking lot. The pavement systems operated in batch-flow to mimic weekly storm events and reduce pumping costs. Six PPS were located indoor in a controlled environment and six corresponding PPS were placed outdoors to allow for a direct comparison of controlled and uncontrolled environmental conditions. The outdoor rig simulated natural weather conditions whilst the indoor rig operated under controlled environmental conditions such as regulated temperature, humidity and light. The project assessed the performance of these pavement rigs with the integration of ground-source heating and cooling, standalone PPS and the abilities for water quality treatment from a physical, chemical and microbiological perspective. The performance efficiency of the GHP was measured by the energy efficiency ration (EER) for steady state cooling efficiency and the coefficient of performance (COP) for the heating cycle efficiency. Findings from the combined PPS and GHP system and standalone systems were able to significantly lower levels for all physiochemical and microbial water quality parameters in the range of (70-99.99%) respectively. Outflow concentrations for all pavement systems met the European Commission Environment Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC). The presence of geotextiles resulted in a significant reduction of contaminants when compared to PPS systems without (p <0.05). Photocatalytic disinfection with titanium dioxide (TIO2) was applied to the effluent from PPS for further treatment and polishing of the stormwater. After the photocatalytic disinfection, the water met the requirements for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) water recycling guidelines and the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for potable water consumption with regards to microbial contamination. An Energy and temperature balance was developed for two PPS using a 4th order Runge-Kutta numerical method to model the heat fluxes and energy balance within the pavement system. Machine learning techniques such as artificial neural networks (backpropagatioin feed forward neural networks) and self-organising maps (SOM) were applied and successfully predicted the effluent concentrations of nutrients, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and microbial pollutants. The overall outcome of this research is a significant contribution to the development of a new generable of sustainable and eco-friendly pavements. The research project proves scientifically that PPS is one of the most appropriate systems for GHP installation and does not affect its efficiency for water pollutant removal.

Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program; and, (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2008.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 92-94).
In today's fast-paced and turbulent global economy, the topic of risk management has gained significant interest in the business and academic world. However, in practice, risk management remains rather underdeveloped and often dealt with in an informal and reactive manner. To this end, we propose a comprehensive approach to supply chain risk management based on academic and business research and apply it to a company to develop a case study. We survey the state-of-the-art of supply chain risk management by exploring both the qualitative and quantitative sides of risk management in this thesis. We study in detail the reasons why risk is often neglected in organizations, and learn from several conceptual frameworks that have been proposed in the literature. On the more quantitative side, we explore tools that have been used or could be used for supply chain risk management, such as Decision Analysis or Real Options. We apply our proposed supply chain risk management framework to the case company, focusing primarily on qualitative methods. Data for the analysis is collected by way of semistructured interviews with business executives and relevant company documents. The results are presented to shed light on the current risk management practices at the company by highlighting their strengths and potential weaknesses. The research also draws from fields outside the normal realm of supply chain risk management. A policy perspective is taken to isolate important drivers of risk that lie beyond the direct control of organizations, such as political uncertainty and regulations. The objective is to promote a more proactive outlook in organizations to anticipate and exploit the uncertainty in the business environment. Similarly, a market perspective is used to articulate a novel way to uncover information asymmetry in the domain of risk management. Instead of simply pointing to asymmetry as an undesirable fact of business world, we propose two approaches that could be used for developing creative solutions, specifically, prediction markets and credit derivatives concepts. In conclusion, we argue that evolutionary risk management processes accompanied by a radical shift in business risk culture are required to achieve competitive advantage through supply chain risk management.
by Romain Lévy.
M.Eng.in Logistics
S.M.

Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2009.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 111-118).
Sustainability is one of the greatest challenges we are faced with. To be successfully addressed, a variety of stakeholders, including business, must be involved. With this in mind, this thesis seeks to further our understanding of how a firm's response to sustainability can, in addition to making business sense, be effective and sustainable. This inevitably entails dealing with the classic tension between "passion" and "process." Therefore, the thesis explores how a balance between these two may be found by examining IBM's extensive and long-sustained environmental management experience. IBM has a recognized record of environmental responsibility that has matured over almost 40 years, surviving periods of great difficulty for the company. Its environmental sustainability program and its commitment to corporate responsibility, a continuum from legal and compliance activities to engagements that help the company develop value-creation opportunities, is clearly strategic. Its efforts - a combination of activities that address immediate and future business pressures - are in tune with what the literature considers to be "best practice" in environmental corporate sustainability. IBM's experience confirms both the importance of nourishing an emotional commitment to sustainability and of establishing a process - in its case, an environmental management system - that enables the company to systematically identify and manage the environmental impacts of its operations.
(cont.) On the one hand, its long-sustained record of environmental commitment, combined with its dedication to being a recognized environmental leader, has instilled a strong passion for sustainability across the company's organizations and employees. On the other hand, IBM's pursuit of a demonstrable record of performance, combined with a commitment to continuous improvement, has led to the development of a carefully designed, effective environmental management system. IBM seems to have optimized the balance between passion and process through a commitment to scientific, fact-based, decision-making, which has allowed the company to design and implement goals and procedures that will have the most impact given its resources and footprint.
by Paulina Ponce de León Baridó.
S.M.in Technology and Policy

Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2018.
Thesis: S.M. in Transportation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2018.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 136-143).
With growing agreement that credible pathways to zero carbon electricity exist, many support the notion that widespread electrification of the transportation sector will be an essential strategy for meeting scientifically-based midcentury climate goals. While transit buses have a relatively small impact on greenhouse gas emissions, they have a larger impact on urban air quality, have commercially available in-service electric models, and have historically commercialized clean technologies that enabled deployment in the rest of the heavy duty vehicle sector. This thesis seeks to understand what factors hinder or enable transit agencies to go beyond initial pilots to largely or wholly electrify their fleets, with the goal of understanding potential policies and strategies that could accelerate such a transition, without inhibiting existing or expanded transit service that also plays a key role in reducing carbon emissions, in order to improve local air pollution and support accelerated electrification of trucks and other heavy duty vehicles. Using public transit fleets in California, Kentucky, and Massachusetts as case studies, this thesis utilizes quantitative total cost of ownership and well-to-wheels greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions analysis, and analysis of qualitative interviews with transit agency representatives to investigate the barriers, drivers, and potential solutions that could hinder or enable an accelerated yet sustainable transition to an electrified bus fleet. A total cost of ownership analysis reveals that electric buses may already be more cost effective than diesel buses in many case study utility service areas primarily due to fuel and maintenance cost savings, but are sensitive to key parameters such as annual mileage, electricity tariffs that vary widely by location, fossil fuel costs, policy context, and anticipated maintenance savings, and that cost savings from electric buses are likely to increase over time primarily due to anticipated reductions in battery costs and a faster increase in fossil fuel prices than electricity prices. While multiple agencies interviewed in California were planning to fully electrify their fleets, primarily due to political pressure and internal leadership, outside California where less supportive policies exist, fewer agencies were planning to procure additional electric buses, primarily due to high first cost and undesirable tradeoffs with maintaining or expanding transit service levels. Interview respondents reported other substantial barriers as well, such as oversubscribed discretionary grant programs, charging infrastructure costs, electricity costs, additional operational complexity, and performance uncertainty and risk, suggesting a need for multiple complementary policies to overcome these barriers and ensure agencies can transition to a new technology without impacting service. Important interventions identified include pursuing favorable electricity tariffs and electric charging infrastructure incentives through regulatory changes, and further leveraging limited public funds such as the Volkswagen settlement to develop low cost financing approaches similar to those utilized in the clean energy sector that can pledge anticipated operating savings to afford the incremental upfront cost. A set of complementary policies is then recommended to accelerate bus fleet electrification in each case study context, in order to achieve carbon reduction and air quality improvements for low income, urban communities without impacting transit service levels, and to help lead the way for the transition of other heavy duty fleets.
by Kelly Blynn.
M.C.P.
S.M. in Transportation

Thesis (S.M. in Engineering and Management, and, in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2011.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-150).
While most of the world's population resides in countries that are wealthy or developing, the rest reside in low-income and least developed countries (LDCs), left behind and growing more disconnected. At the same time, mobile phones are widely adopted in these underdeveloped areas and demonstrate potential for economic development. However, technological innovation and policies have often addressed narrow dimensions of poverty and development. Sustainable development, on the other hand, assesses the welfare of a country in its entirety. This then begs the question of how mobile telephony technology, given its pervasiveness, can be beneficial on a systemic and sustainable level. This document presents evidence that mobile phones can contribute to sustainable development in several ways. The focus is on selected countries in the sub-Saharan Africa region: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Nigeria, each of which is categorized as a LDC. The Sustainable Development framework is used to analyze data from case studies and existing technology, institutional and policy trends in the mobile telecommunication industry. The evidence from literature demonstrates that mobile initiatives focused on niche areas, such as banking and health, have benefited on the community level and improved operations within firms. Mobile industry policies have created a healthy system of innovation in these countries. However, environmental development has been secondary or even ignored. Thus, the recommendations focus on prioritizing sustainability, specific policies continuing diffusion and adoption, technology transfer mechanisms, increased robustness in data-tracking and countering external economic shocks. The data presented is not meant to be comprehensive nor complete. Consequently, suggested future work addresses short-term, mid-term, and long-term strategies. Specific areas include examining causal linkages for mobile phone adoption, designing technology initiatives around sustainability goals, and drivers that facilitate technology transfer. Mobile telecommunication technology offers real opportunities for development and growth in Africa. If the focus of development shifts from mere economic growth to sustainable development, countries can not only transform their economic fortunes but also enhance the quality of their environment.
by Alexander Shih.
S.M.in Engineering and Management, and, in Technology and Policy

Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2014.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 57-59).
Peru is one of the fastest growing countries in Latin America, thanks in part to industry fueled by generous endowments of hydro power capacity and natural gas reserves. However, investment in electricity generation capacity has not kept pace with the rapid increase in demand and threatens to stymie future economic growth. A flawed regulatory environment is to blame, and specific roadblocks to increased generation investments include a dysfunctional capacity payment system, low administratively determined gas prices, and structural barriers to investment in hydro. This thesis provides an overview of the design, functioning and historical context for energy regulation in Peru; identifies the key barriers to generation investment; analyzes two potential regulatory reforms; and recommends the specific reform that has the most promise for reigniting investment in hydro. Two reforms strike at the root of the current problem: The first, increasing the price of natural gas for power generators up to the economic netback value of LNG exports, would make hydro a viable investment but would hit consumers with very large increases in their electricity bills. An alternative approach, a reform to the capacity payment mechanism, could provide the same benefits in terms of drawing new generator investment but at a much lower cost to consumers. It would also offer benefits for regulatory discretion in the future evolution of the grid.
by Alex Cade Breckel.
S.M. in Technology and Policy

Thesis (MScEng (Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The thesis was initiated by a Consulting Engineering Company (KV3) as a research project to investigate various options in which the efficiency and energy utilisation of conventional air conditioning systems may be enhanced by using alternative and renewable energy. Initially, eight options had been identified and through a process of determining the degree of commercialisation the alternative options were reduced to three. These options, referred to as the sustainable cooling alternatives, are active mass cooling, night flushing and roof cooling system. The roof cooling system comprised a roof-pond, roof-spray, pump and storage tank. The roof cooling system was mathematically and experimentally modelled. The roof cooling experiment was performed under a variety of weather conditions with the roof-pond and storage tank temperatures continuously recorded. The experimentally recorded temperatures were compared to the temperatures generated by the theoretical simulation calculations for the same input and weather conditions. Good agreement was found between the mathematical and experimental model. The largest discrepancy found between the simulated temperature and the experimental temperature was in the order of 1 ºC. A one-room building has been assumed to serve as a basis to which the sustainable cooling alternatives could be applied to for theoretical simulation. The one-room building had four façade walls and a flat roof slab. Night flushing, active mass cooling and the roof cooling system were applied to the one-room building such that the room air temperature and space cooling load could theoretically be simulated. The theoretical simulations were also repeated for the case where the roof-pond and roof-spray were applied as standalone systems to the one-room building. The theoretical simulation calculations were performed for typical summer weather conditions of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Under base case conditions and for a room thermostat setting of 22 ºC the peak cooling load of the one-room building was 74.73 W/m². With the application of night flushing between the hours of 24:00 and 07:00, the room cooling load was reduced by 5.2% by providing 3.9 W/m² of cooling and reducing the peak room temperature by 1.4 ºC. The active mass cooling system was modelled by supplying water at a constant supply temperature of 15 ºC to a pipe network embedded in the roof slab of the one-room building. The sea may typically be considered as a cold water source for buildings situated at the coast. The active mass cooling system reduced the peak cooling load of the one-room building by 50% by providing 37.2 W/m² of cooling and reducing the peak room temperature by 6.7 ºC. When the roof-spray and roof-pond systems were applied as standalone systems to the oneroom building, the peak cooling load of the one-room building could be reduced by 30% and 51% respectively. This is equivalent to 22.3 W/m² of peak cooling by the roof-spray and 38 W/m² of peak cooling by the roof-pond. The roof-spray reduced the peak room temperature by 3.71 ºC while the roof-pond reduced the peak room temperature by 5.9 ºC. Applying the roof cooling system to the one-room building produced 46 W/m² of peak cooling which resulted in a 61.1% reduction in peak cooling load. The roof cooling system reduced the peak temperature by 8 ºC. By comparing the sustainable cooling alternatives, the roof cooling system showed to be the most effective in reducing the one-room building peak cooling load. Over a 24 hour period the roof cooling system reduced the net heat entry to the one-room building by 57.3%. In a further attempt to reduce the peak cooling load, the sustainable cooling alternatives were applied in combinations to the one-room building. The combination of night flushing and roof-spray reduced the peak cooling load by 36% while a combination of night flushing and active mass cooling reduced the peak cooling load by 55%. Combining night flushing with the roof-pond also yielded a 55% peak cooling load reduction. The combination of roofpond, active mass cooling and night flushing provided 51 W/m² of cooling which corresponded to a 68% reduction in peak cooling load. Utilising the sustainable cooling alternatives in a combination in the one-room building gave improved results when compared to the case where the sustainable cooling alternatives were employed as standalone systems. It is illustrated by means of a sensitivity analysis that the ability of the roof cooling system to produce cool water is largely influenced by ambient conditions, droplet diameter and roofspray rate. Under clear sky conditions, an ambient temperature of 15 ºC, relative humidity of 80%, a roof-spray rate of 0.02 kg/sm² and a roof-pond water level of 100mm, water could be cooled at a rate of 113 W/m². The roof-spray energy contributed to 28 W/m² whilst the night sky radiation was responsible for 85 W/m² of the water cooling. It must however be noted that the water of the roof cooling system can never be reduced to a temperature that is lower than the ambient dew point temperature.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die tesis is geïnisieer deur ‘n Raadgewende Ingenieurs Maatskappy (KV3) as a navorsingsprojek om verskeie opsies te ondersoek waarmee die effektiwiteit en energie verbruik van konvensionele lugversorgingstelsels verbeter kan word deur middel van alternatiewe en hernubare energie. Agt opsies is oorspronglik geïdentifiseer en deur middel van ‘n proses waarby die graad van kommersialisering van hierdie alternatiewe maniere bepaal is, kon die opsies verminder word tot drie. Hierdie opsies, ook verwys na as die volhoubare verkoelingsalternatiewe, sluit in aktiewe massa verkoeling, dakverkoeling en nagventilasie. Die dakverkoelingstelsel bestaan uit dakwater, ‘n dakspuit, ‘n pomp en ‘n stoortenk. Die dakverkoelingstelsel is wiskundig en eksperimenteel gemodelleer. Die dakverkoelingseksperiment is uitgevoer onder ‘n verskeidenheid van weersomstandighede. Die dakwater asook die stoortenk se water temperatuur is voortdurend aangeteken. Dieselfde weer- en insetkondisies is gebruik vir die simulasie berekening en die temperature van die stoortenk se water en die dakwater is vergelyk met die temperatuurlesings van die eksperimentele werk. Die temperature van die eksperimentele lesings het goed vergelyk met die temperatuur simulasie berekeninge. Die grootste verskil tussen die simulasie en eksperimentele temperatuur was in die orde grootte van 1 ºC. ‘n Een-kamer gebou is aangeneem om as basis te dien waarop die volhoubare verkoelingsalternatiewe aangewend kon word vir teoretiese simulasie. Die een-kamer gebou het uit vier buite mure en ‘n horisontale beton dak bestaan. Nag ventilasie, aktiewe massa verkoeling en die dakverkoelingstelsel is toegepas op die een-kamer gebou en die kamer se verkoelingslas asook die kamer se lugtempertuur is teoreties gesimuleer. Die teoretiese simulasies is ook herhaal vir die geval waar die dakwater and dakspuitstelsel apart aangewend is op die een-kamer gebou. Die teoretiese simulasie berekeninge is uitgevoer vir tipiese somer weersomstandighede vir Stellenbosch, Suid Afrika. Onder basisgeval omstandighede, waar die een-kamer gebou gesimuleer is, sonder enige volhoubare verkoelingsalternatiewe en ‘n termostaat verstelling van 22 ºC, is die piek verkoelingslas bereken as 74.73 W/m². Met die toepassing van nagventilasie tussen die ure 24:00 en 07:00 was die piekverkoelingslas van die kamer verminder met 5.2% deur 3.9 W/m² se verkoeling te verskaf en die piekkamer temperatuur te verminder met 1.4 ºC. Aktiewe massa verkoeling is gesimuleer deur water teen ‘n konstante temperatuur van 15 ºC te verskaf aan ‘n pypnetwerk, geïnstalleer in the beton dak, van die een-kamer gebou. Geboue geleë aan die kus kan tipies seewater oorweeg as ‘n bron van koue water. Aktiewe massa verkoeling het die piekverkoelingslas van die een-kamer gebou verminder met 50% deur 37.2 W/m² se verkoeling te verskaf en die piekkamer temperatuur te verminder met 6.7 ºC. Wanneer die dakspuit- en dakwaterstelsel aangewend is op die een-kamer gebou as enkel staande stelsels, is die piekverkoelingslas verminder met 30% en 51% onderskeidelik. Dit is ekwivalent aan 22.3 W/m² se verkoeling vir die dakspuitstelsel en 38 W/m² se verkoeling vir die dakwaterstelsel. Die dakspuitstelsel het die piekkamer temperatuur verminder met 3.71 ºC terwyl die dakwaterstelsel ‘n 5.9 ºC verlaging in piekkamer temperatuur tot gevolg gehad het. Die dakverkoelingstelsel het 46 W/m² se piekverkoeling verskaf wat ‘n 61.1% vermindering in piekverkoelingslas tot gevolg gehad het. Die ooreenstemmende piek temperatuur vermindering is 8 ºC. Deur die verskeie volhoubare verkoelingsalternatiewe met mekaar te vergelyk, word getoon dat die dakverkoelingstelsel die mees effektiefste manier is om die een- kamer se piekverkoelingslas te verminder. Oor ‘n tydperk van 24 uur het die dakverkoelingstelsel die totale energievloei na die een-kamer gebou met 57.3% verminder. In ‘n verdere poging om die piekverkoelingslas te verminder, is die volhoubare verkoelingsalternatiewe toegepas in kombinasies op die een-kamer gebou. Die kombinasie van nagventilasie met die dakspuitstelsel het die piekverkoelingslas met 36% verminder, terwyl ‘n kombinasie van nagventilasie en aktiewe massa verkoeling ‘n 55% vermindering in piekverkoelingslas tot gevolg gehad het. Die kombinasie van dakwater en nagventilasie het ook ‘n piekverkoelingslas vermindering van 55% teweeggebring. Die kombinasie van dakwater, aktiewe massa verkoeling en nagventilasie het 51 W/m² se verkoeling veskaf, wat ooreenstem met ‘n 68% vermindering in piekverkoelingslas. Deur die volhoubare verkoelingsalternatiewe in kombinasies toe te pas op die een-kamer gebou, kon beter resultate verkry word toe dit vergelyk is met die geval waar die volhoubare verkoelingsalternatiewe as enkelstaande stelsels toegepas is. Dit is geïllustreer deur middel van ‘n sensitiwiteitsanalise dat die vermoë van die dakverkoelingstelsel om koue water te produseer, beïnvloed word deur buitelug kondisies, waterdruppel deursnee en dakspuit massa vloeitempo. Onder die oop hemelruimteomstandighede, ‘n buitelug temperatuur van 15 ºC, ‘n relatiewe humiditeit van 80%, ‘n dakspuit massa vloeitempo van 0.02 kg/sm² en dakwatervlak van 100 mm, kon water verkoel word teen ‘n tempo van 113 W/m². Die dakspuit gedeelte het 28 W/m² bygedra terwyl die nagruim radiasie sowat 85 W/m² se verkoeling verskaf het. Daar moet egter kennis geneem word dat die water temperatuur van die dakverkoelingstelsel nooit verminder kan word tot onder die buitelug doupunttemperatuur nie.

Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Engineering, System Design and Management Program, Engineering and Management Program, 2016.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 99-101).
Online education is changing traditional models of learning both in schools and the outside world. The developments of learning pedagogies and technology have also contributed to the adoption of online education. Some benefits of online education include the immense variety of content, lower costs, higher flexibility, increased interaction, and easy access. This is substantiated by the steady rise in student enrollment and the use of either Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) or Blended Courses in institutions. However there is a growing sense of skepticism for MOOCs owing to low retention, and less control over the learning process and educators prefer the adoption of a blended model for their courses. The report details the research conducted leading to the selection of a blended learning approach for MIT's course in "Sustainable Energy" (1.818/2.65/10.391/11.371/22.811/ESD.166). The report outlines a design blueprint to create an online course. Some of the components of design are identifying the key tenets of learning that improve knowledge and skill, suitable learning pedagogies to transform the content for an online course, understanding the system behaviors, and our experimentation with the edX Platform. This end goal of this report is to create a template to help instructors and designers in creating an online course on the edX platform.
by Amrita Srivastava.
S.M. in Engineering and Management

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 2008.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-91).
High fixed costs and the emergence of globalization have forced traditional domestic automotive mass producers to the brink of bankruptcy. This thesis focuses on the global growth strategy of a Tier 1 automotive supplier and examines causal relationships between that strategy and the system stakeholders who execute and support it. The literature review examines current research to illustrate the benefit of approaching globalization with a process-driven, systems-based mindset. Current literature offers insight into improved financial measures that traditional mass producing firms can employ to streamline decision making and shift the mindset of leaders to engage employees, suppliers, and customers around a long-term systems based operating strategy. The thesis is based upon three core experiences the author had at American Axle to illustrate the importance of systems-based operations innovation. The literature review in conjunction with the internship experience is used to illustrate opportunities for American Axle to improve its operating strategy. The paper highlights traditional approaches currently used inside the company and offers solutions to change employee behavior throughout American Axle's global manufacturing system. The thesis examines behaviors, metrics, and results often seen in an absorption cost environment where there are weak operational controls and non-standard corporate scorecards. Using current research and professional industry experience, I will argue robust operational controls and metrics, aligned with an overarching systems approach that considers the long term implications of today's decisions, are essential components to the viable, long term success of any global enterprise.
Andrew P. Storm.
S.M.
M.B.A.

There is an immense need for sustainability due to global warming.  The Paris agreement drafted in 2015 and signed by 191 parties aims to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are required to be adopted and operational by 2030.  The 17 SDGs seek to bring stability, development, and improved lives and opportunities to all countries. The construction and real estate sector in the EU accounts for 36% of all CO2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption, and 1/3rd of all potable water usage.  Sustainability must be prioritized in all aspects of a building project and process, from concrete selection to HVAC system operation hours. This study investigates how energy and water systems can be designed sustainably and improve awareness to make more informed decisions about water and energy systems during the design process of the construction project. The results of this study are retrieved from the information gathered using the three research methods, literature- and case study, and interviews. The literature study examined current studies on sustainable water and energy systems. The case study took place at SPOR X, a construction site in Drammen, Norway, where Vestaksen Properties owns a soon-to-be BREEAM Outstanding solid wooden building. The interviews took place during the design stage with key personnel. The results from all three methods are matching. In order to achieve sustainability, the most important categories are material, transportation, and efficient equipment.  The other result from the studies is that using BREEAM certification will contribute to sustainability and reach the UN SDG. This study’s key result is that tap water, kitchen equipment, and irrigation all need effective water use to achieve sustainability in water system design. Key results regarding energy can be divided into two, the loss of energy and the utilization of energy. The building envelope must be airtight and well-sealed to reduce energy loss, and the use of water and energy must be efficient. More research for implementing water and energy systems in the integrated energy design is necessary for broader mapping of how water and energy can be integrated into the early stages of energy design. This study can be viewed as a contribution to this mapping. The study alone is not sufficient for giving all the answers regarding water and energy sustainability. However, it contributes by providing some possible answers in an increasingly important field of work having a significant effect on the future - an effect for the individual country and the world united by UNs SDG.

Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Technology and Policy Program, 2015.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 182-191).
With increasing population and per-capita capita waste generation, cities in India and other developing countries are seeking alternative strategies to manage the organic fraction of municipal solid waste in an effort to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase environmental performance. This thesis aims to explore the tradeoffs of various organic waste management strategies in the urban Indian context, specifically using a case study analysis of the waste system in the city of Pune. Door-to-door, primary, and secondary collection and four technologies for treating organics (landfilling, composting, anaerobic digestion, and pelletization) are analyzed with regard to cost and environmental performance. Because decentralized waste system architectures minimize transportation and allows wastepickers to maintain jobs, particular emphasis is made in this thesis to understand the cost and environmental implications treatment at a range of scales. To determine the quantity and composition of waste, we conducted waste audits of MSW that was collected from 2,650 households during two different seasons. Per-capita MSW generation in Pune was found to be 134, 309, and 401 grams/day for the lower, middle, and upper income residents, respectively. Of these totals, 80%, 66%, and 69% of the MSW was biodegradable. Given that middle and upper income residents generate 2.3 to 3 times what lower income residents generate, India can expect to see a significant increase in waste volumes as its population becomes wealthier. By comparing the spatial footprints of the technologies at a range of scales, it was found that pelletization of organic MSW (although it is not a fully developed technology) has great potential to reduce the spatial footprint of organic waste management. Cost modeling is used to identify the drivers of cost for each process and to identify the leastcost options. The cost per ton of waste managed using anaerobic digestion, composting, and pelletization decreases significantly with larger scale of treatment. Alternative organics management technologies used at small scales (less than 0.5 TPD) are more expensive than landfilling; however, if a facility of at least 0.5 TPD is used, anaerobic digestion is less expensive than landfilling. Pelletization and composting become less expensive than landfilling at the scale of 5 TPD and 200 TPD, respectively. Although the average cost of centralized organic waste systems is lower, the difference in cost between the lowest-cost decentralized systems and lowest-cost centralized systems was relatively small. A review of the relevant literature is used to identify the global warming impacts of organic waste processing. The global warming potential (GWP) of anaerobic digestion, pelletization, composting, and landfilling is estimated to be -51, -42, 38, and 510 kg CO-eq/ton, respectively. A city looking to minimize its contribution to global warming could achieve significant reductions in emissions by biodigesting food waste and peltetizing yard waste. Such systems would have a net greenhouse gas emissions savings of over 750 tons CO2-eq each year. Of the technologies assessed, anaerobic digestion (at scales of 5 TPD or larger) has the best combination of cost and GWP performance. However, because woody material cannot be digested, pelletization (at 10 TPD plants) has the best combination of cost and GWP performance specifically for handling yard waste. These findings suggest that for handling organic MSW, anaerobic digestion in combination with pelletization produces the best combination of cost and GWP performance.
by Rachel Martha Katims Perlman.
S.M. in Technology and Policy

Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2012.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 135-145).
The goal of this thesis is to develop a distributed control system for a smart grid with sustainable homes. A central challenge is how to enhance energy efficiency in the presence of uncertainty. A major source of uncertainty in a smart grid is intermittent energy production by renewable energy sources. In the face of global climate change, it is crucial to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and shift to renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. However, a large-scale introduction of wind and solar generation to an electrical grid poses a significant risk of blackouts since the energy supplied by the renewables is unpredictable and intermittent. The uncertain behavior of renewable energy sources increases the risk of blackouts. Therefore, an important challenge is to develop an intelligent control mechanism for the electrical grid that is both reliable and efficient. Uncertain weather conditions and human behavior pose challenges for a smart home. For example, autonomous room temperature control of a residential building may occasionally make the room environment uncomfortable for residents. Autonomous controllers must be able to take residents' preferences as an input, and to control the indoor environment in an energy-efficient manner while limiting the risk of failure to meet the residents' requirements in the presence of uncertainties. In order to overcome these challenges, we propose a distributed robust control method for a smart grid that includes smart homes as its building components. The proposed method consists of three algorithms: 1) market-based contingent energy dispatcher for an electrical grid, 2) a risk-sensitive plan executive for temperature control of a residential building, and 3) a chance-constrained model-predictive controller with a probabilistic guarantee of constraint satisfaction, which can control continuously operating systems such as an electrical grid and a building. We build the three algorithms upon the chance-constrained programming framework: minimization of a given cost function with chance constraints, which bound the probability of failure to satisfy given state constraints. Although these technologies provide promising capabilities, they cannot contribute to sustainability unless they are accepted by the society. In this thesis we specify policy challenges for a smart grid and a smart home, and discuss policy options that gives economical and regulatory incentives for the society to introduce these technologies on a large scale.
by Masahiro Ono.
S.M.in Technology and Policy

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division; in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, 2012.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 75-76).
Energy management in industrial facilities is becoming increasingly popular as firms attempt to become more environmentally responsible and reduce cost by improving operational efficiency. Raytheon is a leader in their industry in energy management, and they view the initiative as a way to become more competitive along with being environmentally responsible. The goal of this project was to develop a framework for achieving sustainable cost reduction in production operations through energy efficiency. The energy efficiency framework will build off the existing lean and six sigma tools and philosophies in an attempt to accelerate acceptance and deployment by using a common language and proven methods in the company and industry. A 1.6 million square foot manufacturing facility at Raytheon IDS consumed $13 million of energy (90% electric) in 2010, 75% of which was consumed directly by production equipment. The equipment is diffuse, highly specialized, and used in "high mix, low volume" manufacturing. The challenge with improving production energy efficiency in this environment is that it requires a combination of technology improvements, processes modifications, and changes in the way employees conduct their work every day. The project's success relied on cross-functional (i.e., operations, engineering, and facilities) engagement from senior management to front-line operators. To sustain results, energy performance metrics were designed to keep production area leaders engaged and allow management to set progressive goals over time and reward success. The proposed metrics use a combination of tracked energy use and a "best practice" scorecard that promotes proactive engagement. Lean "Energy Gemba Walks" were initiated to generate and manage best practices and to share knowledge among production areas. The implementation phase of the pilot project (October and November 2011) resulted in an 18% energy reduction compared with the average for the year. Meanwhile, production output and total labor hours were up 18% and 11%, respectively, during the pilot, while the product mix remained constant throughout the year. The improvements, if sustained, correspond to a $74,000 per year cost savings in the pilot area.
by Kurtis McKenney.
S.M.
M.B.A.

Increasing awareness of anthropogenic impacts on the planet has lead to efforts to reduce negative environmental impacts in product development for several decades. Benefits to companies who focus on sustainability initiatives have been put forth more recently, leading to many efforts to incorporate sustainability considerations in their product innovation processes. The majority of current sustainability considerations in industry constrain design space by emphasizing reduced material and energy flows across the product’s life cycle. However, there is also an opportunity to use awareness of sustainability to bring attention to new facets of design space and to drive innovation. Specifically there is an opportunity for product-service systems (PSS) to be a vehicle through which sustainability-driven innovation occurs. A framework for strategic sustainable development (FSSD) provides the basis for understanding sustainability in this work, and provides clarity with regard to how to think about sustainable products and service innovations. The “backcasting” approach included in this framework also provides insight into how incremental and radical approaches could be aligned within the product innovation working environment. This thesis explores how sustainability considerations can be better integrated into existing product innovation working environments in order to drive innovation processes within firms, with a specific emphasis on opportunities that occur as sustainability knowledge leads to innovation through a product-service system approach. It endeavors to contribute to both theory development within the emerging sustainable PSS design research area, and also to advance the state of practice within industry by connecting dots between the state of theory and the state of practice. Society’s opportunity to become more sustainable and industry’s desire for innovation in order to lead to or increase profitability are often in conflict. However, this thesis argues that knowledge of global social and ecological sustainability can be used to drive innovation processes, and that there are win-win opportunities that can often be achieved through a PSS approach. There is some, but not sufficient, support for the inclusion of sustainability considerations in the product innovation process, and even fewer tools to support the use of sustainability to drive innovation. In response, an approach to providing support that brings together the FSSD and various approaches to systems modeling and simulation is presented. Opportunities to use sustainability-friendly attributes of existing products through a PSS-approach are also presented.

Our planet stands before many great challenges, where climate change and urbanization are two of the major challenges. One of the challenges due to climate change is the increased amount of precipitation and of extreme rainfall, which creates a higher amount of stormwater within the urban areas and an increased risk of urban flooding. Urbanization and an increasing global population put pressure on the environment as more land is exploited and existing urban areas are further developed and densified. Urban areas are already under high pressure to handle the risks of climate change, therefore is climate change adaptation prominent to create more resilient and sustainable urban areas, where stormwater management is one of the challenges that need to be tackled. The aim of this study is to answers one main research question and three sub research question about enablers, barriers, and key factors regarding planning, designing, and implementing sustainable urban drainage systems in the built environment. The used methods are literature study research and multiple case study research. Five case study areas where studied to gather knowledge about areas that have implemented sustainable urban drainage systems. Lessons learned for each of the case study areas where gathered and connected to the literature and used to answer the research questions. The gathered knowledge from the literature and case studies where used to compile recommendations of how a sustainable urban drainage system could be planned and implemented at a pilot study area, which is Välsviken in Karlstad, Sweden. To be able to achieve a sustainable and resilient urban drainage system, that can handle the challenges of climate change and urbanization, it is important that the stormwater planning process is changing. It is crucial to implement facilities and systems that are sustainable, multifunctional, and flexible. The planning process needs to use planning and costing approaches that include flood mitigation and co-benefits, in the long-term and short-term simultaneously. Implementation of sustainable urban drainage systems also needs to be enabled in new areas or being retrofitted into already exploited areas. This could make it possible to create urban areas that are able to tackle the challenges of climate change and urbanization, and create multifunctional, sustainable, and flood mitigated urban areas.
Vår planet står inför många stora utmaningar, där klimatförändringar och urbanisering är två av dessa. En av utmaningarna med avseende på klimatförändringarna är den ökade mängden av nederbörd och extrema regntillfällen, vilka bidrar till större mängder dagvatten i urbana områden och en ökad risk för översvämningar. Urbaniseringen och det ökande antalet invånare globalt sätter press på miljön eftersom mer landyta exploateras och nuvarande urbana områden fortsätter att bebyggas och förtätas. De urbana områdena har redan stora utmaningar med att hantera riskerna med klimatförändringarna. Klimatanpassning är därför viktigt för att skapa mer resilienta och hållbara urbana områden, där dagvattenhanteringen är en av utmaningarna som behöver hanteras. Målet med denna studie är att besvara en övergripande forskningsfråga och tre underliggande forskningsfrågor om möjliggörare, barriärer och nyckelfaktorer gällande planering, design och implementering av hållbara urbana dagvattensystem i den bebyggda miljön.  Metoderna som användes var litteraturstudie och multipel fallstudie. Arbetet började med litteraturstudien och sedan genomfördes en fallstudie där fem områden som implementerat hållbara urbana dagvattensystem undersöktes. Lärdomar från varje område sammanställdes och kopplades samman med den andra litteraturen för att besvara forskningsfrågorna.  Utifrån litteraturen och fallstudierna sammanställdes rekommendationer för hur ett hållbart urbant dagvattensystem kan planeras och implementeras inom ett utvalt studieområde, vilket är Välsviken i Karlstad, Sverige.   För att åstadkomma ett hållbart och resilient urbant dagvattensystem, som kan hantera utmaningarna gällande klimatförändringar och urbanisering, är det viktigt att planeringsprocessen för dagvatten ändras. Det är viktigt att implementera anläggningar och system som är hållbara, multifunktionella och flexibla. Planeringsprocessen behöver använda planerings- och kostandsmetoder som inkluderar översvämningsanpassning och sidofördelar, både långsiktigt och kortsiktigt samtidigt. Man behöver också möjliggöra implementering av hållbara urbana dagvattensystem i nya områden eller anpassa områden som redan är bebyggda. Detta kan bidra till att skapa urbana områden som kan hantera klimatförändringarnas och urbaniseringens utmaningar, och skapa multifunktionella, hållbara och översvämningssäkrade områden.

Rural communities in developing countries are most vulnerable to the plight of requiring repeated infusions of charitable aid over time. Micro-business opportunities that effectively break the cycle of poverty in resource-rich countries in the developing world are limited. However, a strong model for global commerce can break the cycle of donor-based economic supplements and limited local economic growth. Sustainable economic development can materialize when a robust framework combines engineering with the generous investment of profits back into the community. This research presents a novel, systems-based approach to sustainable community development in which a waste-to-resource methodology catalyzes the disruption of rural poverty.

The framework developed in this thesis was applied to the rural communities of Cagmanaba and Badian, Philippines. An initial assessment of these communities showed that community members are extremely poor, but they possess an abundant natural resource: coconuts. The various parts of the coconut offer excellent potential value in global commerce. Today the sale of coconut water is on the rise, and coconut oil is an established $3 billion market annually that is also growing rapidly.

Since these current industries harvest only two parts of the coconut (meat and water), the 50 billion coconuts that grow annually leave behind approximately 100 billion pounds of coconut shell and husk as agricultural waste. Coconuts thus provide an opportunity to create and test a waste-to-resource model. Intensive materials analysis, research, development, and optimization proved that coconut shell, currently burned as a fuel or discarded as agricultural waste, can be manufactured into high-grade coconut shell powder (CSP), which can be a viable filler in polymeric composites.

This framework was modeled and tested as a case study in a manufacturing facility known as a Community Transformation Plant (CTP) in Cagmanaba, Philippines. The CTP enables local creation of globally viable products from agricultural waste. This researcher seeks to encourage the propagation of CTPs throughout developing communities worldwide, each profiting from its own waste-to-resource value.

From the mid-1970s and on, the contribution to air pollution of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides from gasoline passenger cars in the developed world has been reduced through co-evolution of regulation and commercial introduction of catalytic emission control technology, now part of hundreds of millions of cars, trucks and buses worldwide. This dissertation is a disaggregated study of the global introduction of catalytic emission control technology as a measure to reduce local air pollution. The introduction of the “three-way” catalyst for gasoline passenger cars is studied for four countries. Present innovation in diesel engine emission control is studied. Technological change is analyzed regarding the process of innovation, the innovation system and its stakeholders. Results are evaluated for implications for innovation and regulatory policy for coming environmental challenges. Automotive catalysis is an example of environmentally motivated innovation, including problem definition, public regulation, corporate market and non-market strategies, invention, variety, selection, technology transfer, mass diffusion and the ongoing coevolution of emission-abating policies and technical development. Common denominators for successful technological or market innovations is a participatory dialogue around structured and tiered regulatory roadmaps, international competition, support by international networks and conducive local public opinion. The near-global introduction of the three-way catalyst was complex and highly dependent on local context and conditions, suggesting that any general “global” innovation and regulation strategy to address present and future local or global problems must be reviewed with an understanding of local barriers and drivers for environmentally motivated innovation. Given the stakeholders and technical challenges of different technological regimes to mitigate climate change, it is concluded that increased fuel efficiency and the introduction of plug-in hybrids are possible trajectories for sustainable mobility.
Sedan mitten av 1970-talet har utsläppen av kolmonoxid, kolväten och kväveoxider från bensindrivna personbilar reducerats genom samordnad utveckling av lagstiftning och kommersiell introduktion av katalytisk avgasrening, som nu är en del av hundratals miljoner bilar, lastbilar och bussar över hela jorden. Denna avhandling är en disaggregerad studie av den i det närmaste globala introduktionen av katalytisk avgasrening för fordon, som åtgärd för att minska lokala luftföroreningar. Introduktionen av ”trevägskatalysatorn” för bensinbilar studeras i fyra länder. Pågående innovation för dieselavgasrening studeras. Teknisk förändring analyseras med avseende på innovationsprocessen, innovationssystemet och dess respektive intressenter. Resultaten används för att analysera konsekvenser för styrmedel för att åtgärda miljöproblem i vardande. Fordonskatalys är ett exempel på en miljömotiverad innovation, inklusive problemdefinition, lagkrav, företagens marknadsstrategier och marknadspåverkan, innovation, utbud och urval, tekniköverföring, storskalig spridning samt den fortlöpande ömsesidiga utvecklingen av teknik och policy för att reducera emissioner. Gemensamma nämnare för exempel på lyckosamma introduktionsprocesser är en inkluderande dialog kring etappvisa lagkrav, internationell konkurrens, stöd och samarbete i internationella nätverk samt en tydlig opinion för förändring. Introduktionen av trevägskatalysatorn var och är komplex och beroende av lokal kontext och regionala villkor. Kommande ”globala” teknikförändringar måste utvecklas med en förståelse för varje enskild nation eller marknad och dess specifika barriärer och drivkrafter för miljömotiverad innovation. Givet intressenter och tekniska utmaningar i olika teknologiska regimer med potential att reducera klimatförändringar är ökad bränsleeffektivisering och introduktion av s.k. plug-in-hybrider möjliga utvecklingsvägar för hållbar mobilitet.
Desde los años 70 y adelante, la contribución a la polución atmosférica de emisiones de monóxido de carbono, hidrocarburos y óxidos de nitrógeno proveniente de la combustión de los autos a gasolina, ha sido mitigado, por co-evolución entre regulación e introducción comercial de sistemas catalíticos de control de emisiones. Esos sistemas ahora forman parte de cientos de millones de autos, camiones y buses en todo el mundo. La presente tesis es un estudio desagregado de la introducción cerca de global de sistemas de control de emisiones catalíticos, como medida para reducir la contaminación atmosférica local. Se examina el proceso de introducción del convertidor catalítico “de tres vías” para autos a gasolina en cuatro países. Se estudia la innovación presente en el área de sistemas de control de emisiones de motores diesel. El cambio tecnológico es analizado viendo el proceso y el sistema de innovación y los distintos grupos de interés. Los resultados se usan para analizar las implicaciones en cuanto a innovación y política de regulación para enfrentar los desafíos medioambientales actuales. Catálisis automotriz es un ejemplo de innovación motivado ambientalmente, incluyendo definición del problema, regulación pública, estratégicas corporativas dentro y fuera de mercado, variedad, selección, transferencia de tecnología, difusión masiva y la coevolución continuo entre política de reducción de emisiones y desarrollo tecnológico. Denominaciones comunes para innovaciones exitosas, tecnológicas o de mercado, son un diálogo dinámico sobre planes de regulación estructurados en etapas, competición internacional, apoyo y coordinación de redes internacionales, y opinión local beneficiario. La introducción global del catalizador de tres vías fue compleja y altamente relacionada con el contexto local y condiciones locales, sugiriendo que estrategias “globales” de innovación y regulación para tratar los desafíos de hoy y mañana deben ser diseñados con entendimiento de factores locales a favor y en contra para innovación ambientalmente motivado. Dado los grupos de interés, los desafíos tecnológicos y las trayectorias presentes en el área de mitigación del cambio climático, se concluye que el aumento de uso eficiente de combustible y la introducción de vehículos híbridos enchufables (plug- in) son alternativas viables para el transporte sustentable.
(japanese) 1970年代の中頃から今日に至るまで，先進国においては，自動車触媒技術の導入と規制との相互作用によって、ガソリン乗用車から排出される一酸化炭素CO，炭化水素HC，窒素酸化物NOxによる大気汚染への寄与率は減少している。現在では、この自動車触媒はディーゼル乗用車、トラックやバスなどを含めて何億台もの自動車で使われている。 この論文は，各地域での大気汚染を解決する手段としての触媒の地球規模での導入に関する調査研究である。ガソリン乗用車への三元触媒導入の過程を４か国比較で行うと共に，現在取り組まれているディーゼル機関の排出ガス制御についても研究した。これらの例の技術革新について、その内容を、技術革新に係る利害関係者（ステークスホルダー）の観点から技術の変革について分析した。これらの結果から，将来の環境問題に対応するためのイノベーションと規制に関する政策への示唆を行なった。 自動車用触媒は，問題定義，規制，市場原理に基づくないしは市場原理に基づかない戦略，開発，多様性，選択，技術移転，技術普及，そして今もなお進化する排出ガス削減に関する規制（政策）と技術開発との相乗効果，等々を含んだ「環境保護に起因する技術革新」の良い例である。 技術革新、および普及の成功例に共通していることは， 1. 構造的かつ段階的な「目標へのロードマップ」を巡る相方向の会話， 2. 国際競争力， 3. 国際的ネットワークによるサポート， 4. 地域社会に支持された意見, 等が挙げられる。 三元触媒の導入はほぼ全世界に及ぶが，その過程は複雑で、地域（国）の事情に強く依存する。つまり、現在または未来の、各国（地域的）または地球規模の問題に焦点を当てた「世界的」技術革新や規制戦略は、地域よって異なる障害の存在や、環境保護の視点に立った技術革新を推進する潜在力への理解なしには成り立たないことを意味するのである。 気候変動を緩和するための様々な技術体系からの技術的挑戦および関係者（ステークスホルダー）の意見を考慮すると，燃費向上とプラグイン・ハイブリッドの導入が，交通部門における持続可能な発展への道のりであると言える。
QC 20100517

Sustainable infrastructure that is used and maintained by communities over time, and resilient to hazards, is sorely needed in developing countries where natural disasters cause disproportionate damages and mortality as well as impede development efforts. Shelter is universally recognized as a foundational element of disaster recovery; and while its ability to provide protection from the elements is a core function, it also affords broader social and economic benefits. Unfortunately, conventional approaches in post-disaster shelter reconstruction focus primarily on rapid and recognizable results over long-term outcomes, perpetuating pre-existing vulnerabilities and failing to provide acceptable standards of service. There exists a need to better understand how shelter recovery processes employed by stakeholders lead to eventual infrastructure system outcomes. This research longitudinally analyzed 19 humanitarian shelter projects following Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in the Philippines over a three-year period, seeking to answer the overarching research question of what combinations of coordination, stakeholder participation and training across project delivery phases lead to resilient and sustainable community infrastructure systems? A multi-method approach consisting of case study methods and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was employed to analyze the impact of combinations of project processes in leading to infrastructure outcomes. This research (1) identified key factors influencing inter-organizational coordination in post-disaster contexts; (2) identified types of household participation that arise in shelter projects and analyzed their impact on project outcomes; (3) identified methods of construction training used in shelter projects and their impact on household knowledge acquisition; and (4) analyzed combinations of coordination, participation, and training across the planning, design, and construction phases of shelter projects that led to infrastructure resilience and sustainability, in isolation and combination. The results contribute to understanding of shelter processes and organizing structures necessary for resilient and sustainable systems, building theory of reconstruction process pathways. Practically, findings can aid practitioners identify more effective modalities of delivering shelter assistance in post-disaster humanitarian response.

The development of sustainable and decentralized energy systems to support energy insecurities in rural communities is the pathway to the future. This thesis work was conducted within the framework of Renewable Community Empowerment in Northern Territories (RECENT), funded by the Northern Periphery and the Arctic Programme (NPA). The ultimate objective of the RECENT project has been to increase energy awareness in rural communities by utilizing the locally abundant energy materials. The thesis aimed to analyze and quantify the energy potentials from agricultural biomass and to determine the sustainability of the proposed solutions. Triangel resort is a yet to be established silence retreat center located at the suburb of Oulu, Finland, to which this thesis work sized the energy need of the cottages. The thesis work also carried out a financial feasibility in order to determine the viability of the biogas plant. As far as decentralized energy systems are concerned, the biogas plant would help to improve local energy self-sufficiency due to the absence of transmission losses. As part of the thesis work, a couple of research questions were formulated and critically examined during the experimental phase. These research questions were closely linked to the project core values: What are the sustainability-related issues on social, economic, and environmental factors of the biogas plant? Is the plant realistically capable of fulfilling the maximum energy demands of Triangel resort? In a quest to find the appropriate solutions to the questions, the thesis work was put in two main categories, the theoretical and experimental part. These two main chapters explained the critical issues related to the project. In the course of the theoretical part, a sustainable rural tourism experience was explored. The trends of renewable energy potentials in the Finnish energy sector was considered. Local energy situations including resources abundance in the Northern Ostrobothnia region was assessed. A general review of the anaerobic digestion process was done and compared with the Triangel biogas plant. The policy directives on bioenergy production, financial grants such as feed-in-tariffs, and environmental permits for biogas plants in Finland were reviewed. The experimental part began with a description of the pilot community thus, the existing and future situation at the studied location. Biomass availability at the Triangel resort was analyzed, and the biogas potentials were ascertained. The bioreactors were sized based on the feedstock availability and properties. The feedstocks to be used for the biogas plant in this thesis work were cow slurry expected from 50 cattle, energy crops to be harvested from 60 ha of farmland, and food waste from a hotel and the cottages. The overall feedstock quantity was estimated to be around 1000 ton/a, and a volume of about 3 800 m³/a. There are twenty cottages at the Triangel resort that comprise of ten smaller and ten larger ones, which are estimated to cover a total land space of about 1 350 m². The energy demand for heating the cottages to 50% and 100% occupancy were estimated to be 89 MWh/a, and 179 MWh/a respectively. The total electricity consumption of the cottages has been evaluated to be 36 MWh/a. The theoretical biomethane quantity of the feedstock was estimated to be 38 094 m³ annually, and the energy equivalence was evaluated to be approximately 380 MWh/a, for both heat and electricity. The energy production capacity of the biogas plant was expected to cover about 100% needs of the Triangel cottages. The sustainability assessment of the project showed an indication of environmental success. The investment payback period of the biogas plant was estimated to be around 8.4 years. The project was estimated to contribute to CO2 savings potential of about 87.3 tons/a, and a total of 1 700 tons reduction during the 20 years life cycle of the project
Kestävien ja hajautettujen energiajärjestelmien kehittäminen maaseutuyhteisöille energiavarmuuden tukemiseksi on polku tulevaisuuteen. Tämä opinnäytetyö tehtiin osana Renewable Community Empowerment in Northern Territories (RECENT) -hanketta, joka oli rahoitettu Northern Periphery and the Arctic Programme (NPA) -ohjelmasta. RECENT-hankkeen perimmäinen tavoite on ollut lisätä maaseutuyhteisöjen energiatietoisuutta hyödyntämällä paikallisesti runsaita energialähteitä. Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli analysoida ja mitata maatalouden biomassan energiapotentiaalia ja selvittää työssä ehdotettujen ratkaisujen kestävyyttä. Triangel-lomakeskus on Oulun maaseudulle perusteilla oleva hiljaisuuden keskus, jonka mökkien energiankulutusta tämä diplomityö mitoitti. Opinnäytetyö selvitti myös biokaasulaitoksen taloudellista toteutettavuutta sen elinkykyisyyden määrittämiseksi. Hajautettujen energiaratkaisujen osalta biokaasulaitos auttaisi parantamaan paikallista energiaomavaraisuutta siirtohäviöiden puuttumisen vuoksi. Kahta tutkimuskysymystä tutkittiin kriittisesti kokeellisessa osassa osana opinnäytetyötä. Nämä tutkimuskysymykset liittyivät läheisesti hankkeen ydinarvoihin: Mitkä ovat biokaasulaitoksen sosiaalisten, taloudellisten ja ympäristötekijöiden kestävyyteen liittyvät asiat? Onko laitos realistisesti kykenevä kattamaan Triangel-lomakeskuksen maksimienergiantarpeet? Opinnäytetyö koostuu kahdesta osasta, teoreettisesta ja kokeellisesta, jotta saatiin tarkoituksenmukaisia ratkaisuja esitettyihin kysymyksiin. Nämä kaksi osaa selvittivät hankkeelle kriittisiä asioita. Teoreettisessa osassa kartoitettiin kestävää maaseutumatkailumatkailua. Uusiutuvien energiamuotojen suuntauksia Suomen energiasektorilla tarkasteltiin, ja paikallista energiatilannetta arvioitiin, mukaan lukien energiavarojen runsaus Pohjois-Pohjanmaalla. Työssä tehtiin yleiskatsaus anaerobisen mädättämön toimintaan ja verrattiin sitä Triangelin biokaasulaitokseen. Lisäksi tarkasteltiin bioenergian tuotantoa koskevia poliittisia säädöksiä, taloudellisia avustuksia (kuten syöttötariffeja) sekä biokaasulaitosten ympäristölupia Suomessa. Kokeellinen osa alkoi pilottiyhteisön kuvauksella eli tutkittavan alueen nykyisen ja tulevan tilanteen selvittämisellä. Biomassan saatavuus Triangel-matkailukeskuksessa analysoitiin ja sen biokaasupotentiaali arvioitiin. Bioreaktorit mitoitettiin lähtöaineiden saatavuuden ja ominaisuuksien perusteella. Tämän opinnäytetyön biokaasulaitoksen käyttämiä raaka-aineita olivat lehmän liete, joka on odotettavissa 50 naudasta, energiakasvit 60 hehtaarin viljelyalueelta sekä ruokajätteet hotellista ja mökeistä. Raaka-aineen kokonaismäärän arvioitiin olevan noin 1000 tonnia vuodessa ja kokonaistilavuuden noin 3 800 m³ vuodessa. Triangel-lomakeskuksessa on kaksikymmentä mökkiä, kymmenen pientä ja kymmenen suurta, joiden arvioitiin olevan pinta-alaltaan yhteensä noin 1 350 m². Mökkien lämmitysenergian tarve 50% ja 100% käyttöastella olisi 89 MWh vuodessa ja 179 MWh vuodessa, vastaavasti. Mökkien kokonaissähkönkulutuksen arvioitiin olevan 36 MWh vuodessa. Raaka-aineen teoreettisen biometaanimäärän arvioitiin olevan vuosittain 38 094 m³ ja energiaekvivalentin noin 380 MWh vuodessa sekä lämmön että sähkön osalta. Biokaasulaitoksen energiantuotantokapasiteetin odotettiin kattavan noin 100 prosenttia Triangelin mökkien energiantarpeista. Hankkeen kestävyysarviointi osoitti hankkeen olevan ympäristön kannalta kestävä. Biokaasulaitoksen investointien takaisinmaksuaika oli arviolta noin 8,4 vuotta. Hankkeen hiilidioksidipäästöjen vähentämispotentiaalin arvioitiin olevan noin 87,3 tonnia vuodessa ja 1 700 tonnia hankkeen 20 vuoden elinkaaren aikana

Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Engineering, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Technology and Policy Program, 2017.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 79-89).
National commitments on the Paris Agreement on climate change interact with other global environment and sustainability objectives, such as the Minamata Convention on Mercury and the global Sustainable Development Goals. Understanding the interactions between climate change, air pollution, and sustainable development can help decision-makers identify more effective policies that can address environmental and economic goals simultaneously. To address environmental goals, I assess how mercury co-benefits (positive side effects that are peripheral to a policy's main goal) of a national climate policy in China could contribute to the country's commitments under the Minamata Convention. I examine climate policy scenarios in 2030 corresponding to various levels of carbon intensity reductions in addition to a business-as-usual scenario and an end-of-pipe control scenario that meets China's commitments under the Minamata Convention on Mercury. Economic analysis from a computable general equilibrium model of China's economy provides information on changes in economic activity resulting from the climate policy scenarios. Using the economic data from this model, I scale 2007 mercury emissions in a variety of sectors to 2030.
I then use a global atmospheric transport model to project changes in mercury deposition at the regional scale in China for each policy scenario. I find that climate policy in China can provide mercury emissions and deposition co-benefits similar to end-of-pipe control policies that meet the country's Minamata Convention commitments. To address sustainable development goals, I investigate the use of the Inclusive Wealth Index for evaluating the sustainability of climate policy in China on the basis of produced capital, natural capital, and human capital at the provincial level. I find that most provinces in China exhibit an increase in Inclusive Wealth under several climate policy scenarios, providing an alternative metric for monetizing policy impacts.
by Kathleen Mara Mulvaney.
S.M. in Technology and Policy

Thesis: S.M. in Engineering Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Engineering, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, 2016. In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT.
Thesis: M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2016. In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 76-78).
Demands for shorter lead times and smaller order quantities, a greater emphasis on sustainable sourcing, and better management of supply chain risks are challenges Li & Fung is addressing by reshaping its relationship with its vendor base. The current work seeks to develop a data-driven approach for vendor base rationalization and vendor engagement as part of a larger initiative within the company to move from transactional vendor relationships to ones of greater collaboration and support. The primary contribution of this project is to provide Li & Fung with a rationalization and engagement methodology that leverages vendor performance and capability data collected by Li & Fung, as well as the author's own on-site observations of vendors, to address three main topic areas: vendor evaluation, vendor selection, and vendor engagement. 1. Vendor evaluation addresses the question of how Li & Fung measures the performance of vendors. This is an important aspect of vendor rationalization because the performance parameters used to evaluate the vendors are the behaviors that are promoted. A balanced scorecard taking into account a variety of performance considerations is presented as the tool to evaluate vendor performance. 2. Vendor selection addresses the question of how Li & Fung decides which vendors to continue to do business with and to what extent. These are essential questions to answer because the strength of the supply chain depends on the strength of the links in that chain. Two data streams providing a holistic picture of a vendor's historical performance, production capacity, production capabilities, and engagement level are used to select the right mix of vendors fit for the business's needs. 3. Vendor engagement addresses the question of how to build vendor relationships in a way that provides mutual incentive and benefits in improving performance and profitability over time. Presented as the foundation for this relationship is a vendor engagement package, which includes an objective set of performance data to monitor the vendor over time. It is through this vendor engagement package that Li & Fung exercises its influence to commit vendors to improvement plans aligned with business goals. The short-term accomplishment of the work was to successfully implement the rationalization methodology on a pilot product category within an operating group to reduce the vendor base from 39 to 19 and to identify three vendors for strategic partnerships. The long-term accomplishment of the work was to provide a robust vendor rationalization and engagement methodology that can be improved upon over time and applied across the remainder of the product categories within the operating group.
by Jonathan Prout.
S.M. in Engineering Systems
M.B.A.

Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Engineering, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Technology and Policy Program, 2017.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 107-115).
Following UNEP's global assessment of nations' sustainable development in 2012 and 2014, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Inclusive Wealth Index (IWI) growth per capita has been negative. This study evaluates the extent to which the Inclusive Wealth Index is applicable to the nation. The study evaluates the method and makes new contributions for Saudi Arabia by adding components that had been omitted in the initial assessment, such as fisheries and minerals. The stocks for the fossil fuels had been changed to represent technically recoverable reserves, addressing the current paradox of increasing reserves. The global database sources are replaced with the local Saudi for 1999 until 2013. As a result, the new IWI is found to be closer to the 2014 report in absolute numbers and in comparable in the relative figures to the 2012 report, representing a still negative, unsustainable growth. The second part of the study looks at adapting the Inclusive Wealth Index to a subnational level, revealing large regional discrepancies between the Eastern Province and the Central regions, such as Mecca, Riyadh and Medina.
by Anna Turskaya.
S.M. in Technology and Policy

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 2009.
Includes bibliographical references.
The ramp up phase is always the most risky part of any project, especially with a product material the company and its partners have very little experience with. One result of this lack of experience is frequent engineering changes to address design corrections and improvements. High levels of change create uncertainty within both the supply chain and the engineering change management systems. Just as a supplier may not be able to meet production requirements, elements of the change process may not be sufficiently flexible to account for the level of change the project experiences during production ramp up. A study of Bus Solution Systems' (BSS) Super Hotel Coach (SHC) program change management system will show that unsuitable change management system processes can cause downstream delays just as unsuitable supply chain strategy can cause the same. This thesis details a situation where the SHC program's Materials Management Department (MMD) was having difficulty with visibility into the change management system. As a result of the situation, SHC MMD did not have the ability to order parts on time. The effect was that there were an increased number of parts needed for manufacturing jobs but were not in stock, and sometimes yet to be ordered. The ultimate result of this problem, and the multitude of other problems impacting the SHC not investigated in this thesis, was a bus program that was 2 years behind schedule in early 2009.
(cont.) This thesis aims to correct the SHC MMD engineering change visibility issue by examining the current state of the engineering change process through a shortage part case study and by applying supply chain management strategy principles to extract part ordering information from the SHC General Engineering Change Process earlier. This thesis also proposes a long term systematic solution that would help prevent shortages from occurring in the future. The intent of the recommendation is to reduce the chance of shortage occurrences so as to prevent further delay of the SHC program.
by Sean Fortin.
S.M.
M.B.A.

The early stages of a product’s design are a critical time for decisions that impact the entire life-cycle cost. Product designers have mastered the first generation; however, they currently do not have the ability to know the impact of their decisions on the multi-generational view. This thesis aims at closing the gap between total life-cycle information and the traditional design process in order to harbor sustainable value creation among all stakeholders involved. A framework is presented that uses a combination of a life-cycle costing methodology and an evolutionary algorithm in order to achieve a sustainability assessment for a true multi-generational component. An illustration of the implementation of the framework shows the value to current engineering scenarios. A foundation is also laid for the overall future vision of this work to utilize proper databases and existing design tools to evaluate the overall sustainability and life-cycle cost of multi-generational components.

Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2018.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 133-134).
The systems that we are attempting to build today are becoming increasingly complex, as we ask for more function, more performance, more robustness, more flexibility, and more interconnectedness. At the same time, design and implementation of these systems is becoming a highly collaborative process across countries, cultures and goals, driving an increase of interfaces, interaction, and concurrency of work, ultimately adding complexity to the way teams work. In the face of both increased product complexity and organizational complexity, project teams need to be equipped with processes and tools that enhance their individuals' and collective cognitive abilities. Recent developments in social science research about teamwork indicate that individual intelligence, personality, or skill, matter less than the pattern of idea flow in a team: the characteristics of higher performing groups are a large number of ideas, dense interactions, and diversity of ideas. Also, this body of research argues that the number of opportunities for social learning is often the largest single factor in company productivity. Social learning is learning happens when people learn from one another. How is this body of research relevant to engineering design teams? Can we think about social learning happening in multi-stakeholder, design workshops? What are the signals of social learning in such settings? Can we detect those signals and find patterns? This thesis project has initiated the development of a new class of teamwork experiments concerned with exploring the dynamics of engineering teams during the early stages of architecture selection in design of complex systems. In contrast to much of the teamwork research available, this class of teamwork research is model-based: teams engage in a design activity supported by a system of systems model of the problem, and product subject of design. Moreover, these series of experiments implement novel software user interfaces that include interactive visualization and passive collection of socio-metric data regarding design and experience. This research has been developed on a case study from the Japanese commercial maritime shipping industry in response to the new revision of IMO MARPOL Annex VI requirements setting limits on sulphur oxides and nitrous oxides emissions from ship exhausts. According to Japanese authorities, it is expected that the transition from the currently predominant use of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) to Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) will proceed, and LNG-fueled ships have already launched in part of North America and Europe where emissions control is advanced. In this transition, different stakeholders (incl. shipping operators, ship building companies, cargo owners, port operators, fuel suppliers, regulatory bodies and classification societies) might follow different strategies in order to fulfill these new regulatory requirements, and the associated choices will be in trade-off with other technology and business requirements. The design problem that teams face in this series of teamwork experiments consists in modifying a reference crude oil shipping system involving a tankers' fleet composed of Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), currently fueled with HFO and transporting crude oil from a supply port in the Persian Gulf to a delivery port in Japan. The design goal is to reduce SOx emissions and NOx emissions, while fulfilling shipping contracts, at the lowest possible cost. In the teamwork design challenge proposed, individuals representing various stakeholders and teams consider, enumerate, and evaluate feasible system architectures according to pre-defined system goals and performance metrics in a tradespace, whereby the Pareto frontier of non-dominated architectures is sought, and a set of preferred architectures is selected. During the design process, data is collected about key teamwork phenomena, such as attention allocation, decision, and learning. This series of experiments has been developed and piloted in collaboration with University of Tokyo and a committee of Japanese maritime shipping professionals over four workshop sessions between October 2017 and March 2018 at University of Tokyo in Kashiwa-no-ha (Japan), and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA). The pilot experimentation tested and rehearsed, between others, the viability of different versions of the design case, and the feasibility of proposed sensors for capturing teamwork phenomena. The pilot experimentation phase also served for prototyping the computer simulator that implements the system of systems model and the interactive visualization software user interface. The main experiment took place at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA). For the specific domain problem and solution set explored in these experiments, the results support the claim that higher-performing teams explore more options, analyze options from more viewpoints, and learn more, than lower performing teams. The experimental results also suggest that those teams with clear goals, learn more. This thesis project has also demonstrated that it is possible to sense and visualize learning cycles, including surprises (events that trigger reflection and reframing), as well as path-dependent sequences (course of action or moves) that lead a team to decision in the selection of a best option. Furthermore, it has been observed that social learning in diverse teams can be facilitated with computerized interactive visualization tools. These results suggest an enormous potential for "engineering" high-performance design teams at the meso-scale with collaborative machine-human systems. More pilots in industry cases could provide more data to support/ refute this proposition, and gradually transition into a more social and productive engineering experience for teams.
by Lorena Pelegrin Alvarez.
S.M. in Engineering and Management

It is likely that in the near future, energy engineering will be required to help society adapt to permanently constrained fuel supplies, constrained green house gas emissions, and electricity supply systems running with minimal capacity margins. The goal of this research is to develop an analytical approach for adaptive energy systems engineering within the context of resource and environmental constraints. This involves assessing available energy resources, environmental and social issues, and economic activities. The approach is applied to a relatively simple case study on Rotuma, an isolated Pacific Island society. The case study is based on new data from field work. A spectrum of development options is identified for Rotuma and a reference energy demand is calculated for each representative level. A spectrum of conceptual reference energy system models is generated for each energy service level with a range of renewable energy penetration. The outcome is a matrix of energy system investment and resource utilization for the range of energy service levels. These models are then used for comparative risk assessment. The result is an easily understood visual based investment and risk assessment for both development and adaptation to constrained resource availability. The results show a clear development opportunity space for Rotuma where needs and services are in balance with investment, local resource availability and environmental constraints.