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Sustainability?

“meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs”

When it comes to describing sustainability in our world, we need to be concerned about three
main areas of influence.

There are three interconnected spheres of sustainability that describe the relationships between
the environmental, economic, and social aspects of our world.

These spheres are a related set of concepts that, when taken together, can form a solid ground
from which major decisions and actions can be made.

Examples of such decisions could include land use planning, surface water management,
building design and construction, and even law making. When the concepts contained in the
three spheres of sustainability are applied to real world situations, everybody wins. Natural
resources are preserved, the environment is protected, the economy isn't harmed, and the quality
of life for our people is improved or maintained. Below is a diagram showing the three spheres
and how they are related.
Environmental Sustainability

 Since this project implement Solar system which converts sunlight directly into electricity
without moving parts, or maintenance without toxic pollution or global warming emissions.

 Human activity is overloading our atmosphere with carbon dioxide and other global warming
emissions. These gases act like a blanket, trapping heat. The result is a web of significant and
harmful impacts.
 Burning natural gas for electricity releases between 0.6 and 2 pounds of carbon dioxide
equivalent per kilowatt-hour (CO2E/kWh); Solar emits between 0.07 to 0.2. Increasing the
supply of renewable energy would allow us to replace carbon-intensive energy sources.
 It is completely free, safe and clean energy with no fuel and resulting no ambient pollution. It is
the most environmentally way to produce power directly from sunlight to produce electricity for
most household needs. In a truly sustainable environment, an ecosystem would maintain
populations, biodiversity, and overall functionality over an extended period of time. This
would promote equilibrium within our natural systems and seek to encourage positive
growth. Unnecessary disturbances like to the environment should be avoided whenever
possible. If there is a disturbance, it should be mitigated to the maximum practicable
extent. When decisions are made, one part of the discussion should always be the
environmental impacts of the proposed outcome or result.

There are several items that are directly related to environmental sustainability. One of the
concepts that is of the utmost importance is the proper management of our natural resources.
Using the Z-squared approach to sustainability, we can minimize our impacts to the environment.
In some cases we can even promote habitat restoration and preservation as means to negotiate
a successful solution to a problem.
- Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using
photovoltaics (PV), indirectly using concentrated solar power, or a combination. Concentrated
solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of
sunlight into a small beam. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the
photovoltaic effect [6]. Solar system converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving
parts, or maintenance, which is free and safe and clean energy with no fuel and with no
ambient pollution. This is the most environmentally way to produce power directly from
sunlight to produce electricity for most household needs. The amount of power a solar electric
system can collect depends on the natural energy resources at the applied location and on the
equipment installed to gather that energy. The comprehensive system consists of PV array,
inverter, voltage regulator, battery and battery charger [7]. In its simplest form, all that is
required for a solar power system is a panel to collect the sun's energy and a battery to store
that energy. When the sun is shining, the panel will produce a voltage higher than that of the
battery, causing the battery to be charged. Most panels will include a blocking diode (an
electrical component that will only allow electricity to pass in one direction) ensuring that the
battery does not discharge through the panel when the sun is not shining. A connection can
be taken from the battery to provide a low voltage direct current for use.
-
- Site selection for renewable energy implementation is the most important criteria in the
project. Our team decides to choose hybrid power sources project as the renewable energy
type able to supply electricity to the okra plantation farm in Selama, Perak. The hybrid power
sources consist of solar power and micro-hydro. After doing some research on the okra farm,
we found the farm is near the small river of Sg. Selama. Since the river is small and the water
flow rate is not enough to fulfil the electricity demand the solar power will be needed to
cover the rest.
- Selama Okra Plantation Farm is a quite good site for hybrid renewable power source (solar
energy and micro-hydro) because we can say that the farm is off the national grid. The farm
now uses 5kW petrol generator to power up their appliances. It will be useful for them to get
the electricity from hybrid renewable energy resources rather than using petrol generator
that cause them RM 40 and need to refuel every day. The weather in Selama, Perak always
hot in afternoon and heavy rain in the evening. The average peak sunlight is around 3.5
hours per day.
- Due to the high cost of distribution and associated transmission loss, grid power supply in
okra plantation in Selama is not economically viable. The off-grid electricity, which can be
generated by solar and hydro technology, provides the opportunity to expand the capacity of
rural electrification and has distinct advantages for the community of the plantation as a
costeffective strategy and reliable source of energy [10]. Currently, the plantation is powered
by diesel-generator energy system. This project is to implement hybrid power system which
is solar system and micro-hydro system since the running cost for diesel-generator is very
expensive and unaffordable. The weather forecast for Selama is uncertain every day [11].
Hence, with the implementation of micro-hydro system at Sungai Selama, the community is
hoping to get proper and continuous power generation since solar system will not be able to
generate power during rainy days. Sungai Selama has an excellent possibility in generating
energy from the river. The energy is needed to use for household appliances, fertilizer
sprinkles and pump. The power consumption for the households of the plantation is stated in
the table.
-

Economic Sustainability

 Stable Prices:-
 Renewable energy is providing affordable electricity across the country right now, and can
help stabilize energy prices in the future.
 Moreover, the costs of renewable energy technologies have declined steadily, and are
projected to drop even more. For example, the average price to install solar dropped more
than 70 percent between 2010 and 2017 [20].
 Although renewable facilities require upfront investments to build, they can then operate at
very low cost (for most clean energy technologies, the “fuel” is free). As a result, renewable
energy prices can be very stable over time.
 UCS analysis found that a 25-by-2025 national renewable electricity standard would
stimulate $263.4 billion in new capital investment for renewable energy technologies, $13.5
billion in new landowner income from? biomass production and/or wind land lease
payments, and $11.5 billion in new property tax revenue for local communities [17].

 There are many ways in which the use of solar energy can help stimulate the
economy of the affected areas
 With more people able to find employment as a result of the increased number of jobs
created by the development and operation of solar energy panels, more people would
have money to contribute the the nation's economy. Also, manufacturing solar energy
is less expensive than burning fossil fuels, which is the traditional method of
generating electricity.
 thus, if businesses or households decide to use solar energy to power electricity in
their homes or buildings, their electric bills can be substantially less than if they use
energy generated from fossil fuels. Over an extended period of time the financial
difference of cheaper electric bills can become quite significant, enabling families and
businesses to inject more of their money into the economy.

Similar to environmental sustainability, economic sustainability involves creating economic value


out of whatever project or decision you are undertaking. Economic sustainability means that
decisions are made in the most equitable and fiscally sound way possible while considering the
other aspects of sustainability. In most cases, projects and decisions must be made with the long
term benefits in mind (rather than just the short term benefits). Keep in mind that when only the
economic aspects of something are considered, it may not necessarily promote true
sustainability.

For many people in the business world, economic sustainability or growth their main focal point.
On the large scale (globally or even locally), this narrow-minded approach to management of a
business can ultimately lead to unsatisfactory results. However, when good business practices
are combined with the social and environmental aspects of sustainability, you can still have a
positive result that is for the greater good of humanity.

There are several key ideas that make up economic sustainability. For example, governments
should look to promoting "smart growth" through no-nonsense land use planning and subsidies or
tax breaks for green development. Strong financial support for universities, education programs,
and research & development is an important part of economic sustainability as well. In addition to
this, an emphasis should also be placed on other areas such as reducing unnecessary spending
and cutting red tape.

Social Sustainability

- Health :-
- Air Quality Improvements:-
- Significant public health benefits
- The air and water pollution emitted by coal and natural gas plants are linked to breathing
problems, neurological damage, heart attacks and cancer. Replacing fossil fuels with RE has
been found to reduce premature mortality and lost workdays, and it reduces oeverall
healthcare costs.
- Solar power systems generate electricity with no associated air pollution emissions. While
other Renewable source of energy such as geothermal and biomass energy systems emit
some air pollutants, total air emissions are generally much lower than those of coal and
natural gas fired power plants. The absence of air pullution contributes in the improvement
of air quality and decrease in diseases associated with pollutants.
- Sustainable source of energy:-
- By tapping from the free source of energy which is the sun, the electricity production from
other sources such as fossil fuel can be reduced. It is important to note that the use of fossil
fuel can be eliminated in the near future. Fossil fuel is exhaustive and one day will be
completeed depleted. This will jeopardize future generation needs. By encouraging the use
of Renewable source of energy such as the sun, the dependency on fossil fuel can be reduced
aand the available stock can be used for a longer time. With increaseing interest in the use of
solar power, the technology is being refined and the price per kWh of electricyt produced is
decreasing. People will benefit from this price fall without compromising the future
generation requirement of energy.
- Job and other economic benefits:-
- Compared with fossil fuel technologies, which are typically mechanized and capitap
intensive, the RE industry is more labor-intensive. This means that, on average, more jobs
are created for each unite of electricity generated from renewable sources than from fossil
fuels. The solar industry employs people on a part time or full time basis, including jobs in
solar installation, manufacturing and sales. Increasing RE has the potential to create still
more jobs. ( copy ayat 3 times job)
- In addition to the jobs directly created in the renewable energy industry, growth in re
industry creates positive economic ‘ripple’ effects. For example, industries in the re supply
chain will benefit and unrelated local businesses will benefit from increased household and
business incomes.
- RE projects therefore keep money circulation within the local economy, and in most
countries, RE electricity production would reduce the need to spend money on importing
coal, crude oil and natural gas friom other places. This will decrease the dependency of the
country on others regarding fossil fuel and can play as a leverage in negotiating fuel price for
import.
- Stable energy prices:-
- RE will provide affordable electricity across the country and can help stabilize energy prcies
in the future.
- The cost of RE technologies have declined steadily and are projected to drop even more. For
example, the avg price of a solar panel has dropped almost 60% since 2011. The cost of
generating electriciy from wind dropped more than 20% bertween 2010 and 2012 and more
than 80% since 1980. The cost of RE will decline even further as markets nature and
companies increasingly take advantage of economies of scale.
- While renewable facilities require upfront investments to build, once built they operate at
very low cost and for most technologies the fuel is free. As a result, re prices are relatively
stable over time. UCS’s analysis of the economic benefits of a 25 percent re electricity
standard found that such a policy would lead to 4.1 percent lower natural gas proces and 7.6
percent lower electricity prices by 2030.
- In contrast, fossil fuel prices can vary dramatically and are prone to substantial price swings.
For example there was a rapid increase in coal prices due to rising global demand before
2008, then a rapid fall after 2008 when global demands declined. Likewise, crude oil and
natural gas prices have fluctuated greatly since 2000. The increasing use of re such as solar
power will help to protect consumers when the fossil fuels prices spike. Many countries
including Mauritius spends millions on financial instruments to hedge themselves from the
fossil fuel price fluctuations. The millions can be spent on long term re investment that can
help save moneys to protect consumers from the uncertainties surrounding fossil fuel price.
- Reliable enerygy sytem:-
- Energy from solar power is less prone to large scale failure because thye are modular and not
centralized.
- They are spread over a large geographical area. A rpoblem in one location will not cut off
power over an entire region or country. Modular system has the advantage of staying
operational even if some of the equipement in the system is damaged. Renewable source of
energy is more resilient than coal, crude oil or natural gas power plants because they can
resist disruptive events. This will benefit the consumer who will not go through long periods
of blackouts when one of the power generation system is knocked-out.
 Solar panels help maximize the earth's resources and conserve energy. However,
many social benefits can result from the use of solar energy in the United States.
 For instance, workers are needed to plan the project, develop and implement the
project, build the solar energy plant, manage the equipment and operate the facility.
 Thus, many new jobs can be fulfilled by workers as a result of a city or state using
solar energy facilities to generate electricity for the area, and this would in turn help
decrease the unemployment rate of the given area.
 Health:-
 Generating energy from solar panels emits very little pollution into the air, and thus
solar energy is a much cleaner source of energy than the burning of fossil fuels.
Cities or areas that decide to use solar energy to power the buildings would thus
enjoy a cleaner quality of air in the region, which in turn can make the citizens and
workers in the area more healthy. Furthermore, studies indicate that burning fossil
fuels helps facilitate global warming. However, because solar panels emit very low
amount of hazardous pollution into the air, solar energy does not damage the
atmosphere or cause global warming. Thus, if areas decide to use solar energy to
generate electricity, the shift will help diminish the effects of global warming, such as
the sea levels rising and storms intensifying.
 renewable energy industry is more labor intensive
 Solar panels need humans to install them; and technicians for maintenance.
 This means that, on average, more jobs are created for each unit of electricity generated
from renewable source
 Other renewable energy technologies employ even more workers. In 2016, the solar industry
employed more than 260,000 people, including jobs in solar installation, manufacturing, and
sales, a 25% increase over 2015 [12].
 Increased support for renewable energy could create even more jobs. The 2009 Union of
Concerned Scientists study of a 25-percent-by-2025 renewable energy standard found that
such a policy would create more than three times as many jobs (more than 200,000) as
producing an equivalent amount of electricity from fossil fuels [15].
 In addition to the jobs directly created in the renewable energy industry, growth in clean
energy can create positive economic “ripple” effects. For example, industries in the
renewable energy supply chain will benefit, and unrelated local businesses will benefit from
increased household and business incomes [16].
 Local governments also would benefit from clean energy, most often in the form of property
and income taxes and other payments from renewable energy project owners. They may also
earn royalties based on the project’s annual revenues. Farmers and rural landowners can
generate new sources of supplemental income by producing feedstocks for the power
facilities.

Social sustainability is based on the concept that a decision or project promotes the betterment of
society. In general, future generations should have the same or greater quality of life benefits as
the current generation do. This concept also encompasses many things such as human rights,
environmental law, and public involvement & participation. Failing to put emphasis on the social
part of decision or action can result in the slow collapse of the spheres of sustainability (and
society as well).

One great example of social sustainability is the passing of the Clean Water Act in 1972 (and
amendments in 1977) and the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974. Overall, these sets of laws were
great pieces of legislation that set minimum water quality standards for both surface and drinking
water. This had the effect of positively promoting the health and well-being of everyone in
America. The clean water act also served to protect our nation's water supply by making it
essentially illegal to discharge pollutants in adjacent rivers, lakes, and streams. This period of
time in our nation also saw many other improvements in our environmental laws. All of these laws
(and other factors as well) lead to the overall betterment of society for Americans. The graph
below illustrates the correlation between the passing of this kind of legislation and the average life
expectancy for citizens of the United States.

Final Thoughts

For many people, the main concern in their lives is their overall well being and quality of life.
Think about how this relates to the economy and the environment. In a poor economy, people
experience a poor quality of life. The same also holds true for a poor environment. In a poor
environment, the impacts on quality of life are not always easily observable. However, it doesn't
take a trained individual to see how things such as polluted stormwater runoff, over-development
of floodplains, and the poor management of our scarce resources can have an affect on our
everyday quality of life. The three spheres of sustainability encompass many concepts which
explain how decisions and actions can have an impact on the overall sustainability of our world.

Putting into operation of 190 000 complex energy-efficient systems using renewable energy sources
in accordance with the project will provide: - to provide power for remote consumers and those not
having access to centralized networks; - to create the basis for wide implementation of energy supply
systems using RES designed for rural consumers, and for the transition to the RES in all possible cases
in the future; - to evaluate the demand in RES and their advantages for rural areas; - to identify
emerging challenges applied to the conditions of specific sites and areas; - to develop the optimal
combinations for different areas and various kinds of resources; - to develop the power supply
systems using RES taking into account the specific requirements of rural infrastructure and acquired
experience; - to create a normative and guidance base, to develop recommendations for the
equipment designing, implementation and sizing; - to give a start to an industrial production of
installations and systems, beginning with the introduction of individual samples, making the
advantage of international experience; - to launch a large-scale production of standard systems.

Oil Dependence
In the United States, factories that burn fossil fuels to generate energy and power for
homes and businesses rely on oil to generate the energy. As a result, the US is
dependent on oil that often comes from foreign nations to create the electricity, and
sometimes the money the US pays for foreign oil is used to harbor or support
terrorism. However, if the US adopted policies and implemented more solar energy
programs, not as much oil would be needed in the country and thus the amount that
the US purchases from foreign nations would be reduced. Therefore, the
dependence for foreign oil would be diminished if more households and companies
used solar energy to generate electricity instead of fossil fuels.

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