RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT USERS-FRIENDLY ICT TOOLS Ion Visa* and Anca Duta** *Faculty of Technological Engineering, **Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, Eroilor 29, 2200 Brasov, Romania Tel/Fax: 0040 268 414690, [email protected]; [email protected] Socrates Kaplanis Technological Education Institute, M. Alexandrou 1, Koukouli Patras, 26334 Greece Tel: 0030 6103 19236, Fax: 0030 6103 1295, [email protected] Abstract - The use of ICT represents a powerful tool in education, research and in promoting the field of renewable energy systems for a efficient environment management. The paper presents the experience of the Brasov Centre for Sustainable Development who successfully integrates these activities. There is presented the general concept of the Low Energy Building and the role of the ICTs, focusing on the eLearning Tools developed through joint European projects. 1.

INTRODUCTION “Sustainable Development is a policy of the Old designed for the Young”

The future, even the near future, must be prepared to face the transition from the conventional energy sources (limited, hard accessible - and consequently expensive, major pollution factors) to the renewable energy sources which, based on sustainability principles, can fulfil the duality “clean energy – green environment”. At professionals’ level, a new concept is also emerging: “to interconnect the conventional energies with renewable energy systems (RES) in order to guarantee or even increase the comfort into the living spaces” leading to the development of the hybrid systems (co-generation, tri-generation). The Eastern European Countries (EEC) have seriously started to promote and implement RES and to address the complex issues of environment management (EM) only in the past decade. Therefore, there is a strong need for educational frames and patterns that must benefit on the already acquired experience in the forwarded countries. This experience must be critically evaluated, implemented considering the national characteristics and needs, and developed in order to bring these countries at the status of real exchange partners. Throughout Europe, the degree of RES implementation is very unevenly represented; in a country, the use of different types of RES (solar PV, solar thermal, passive solar design, small hydros, wind, biomass, etc.) is uneven spread, so the needs are different from one place to another. In Romania electricity out of hydropower plants is very well known although mainly on large rivers. The potential of small hydros is still not exploited and about 30% of it is located in the Brasov County. The biomass is used for methane production in some efficient plants, the use of the solar energy is in the beginning and there is basically only tradition related to the use of wind power.

So, although the sustainable development is a part of the national/regional strategy, there are many steps to be followed and the education needs, focusing on RES&EM are growing. There is a need, identified and expressed in many eastern European countries, for making the key professional bodies, the relevant authorities and the energy users in general aware of the benefits towards achieving sustainable development, at different levels (economical, environmental, quality influential) and in different sectors (domestic –rural and urban, agricultural and industrial). 2.

NEEDS ANALYSIS

Education, either formal or in the frame of both life long learning paradigm or in-service training, is the route to attend this goal considering the present state of art: - The European directives on the expansion of renewable energy generation ensure the continuation of the recent rapid growth in renewable energy devices for a better quality of the environment. Already, practical skill shortages in this sector are being identified and the expected growth will only exacerbate the situation. - There is an urge, coming from the social actors, asking for training and information on the various sectors of RES i.e. passive solar building design, photovoltaic generators, wind energy generators, small hydros, solar collectors for water and space heating, biomass, rational use of energy and energy savings also environmental management and control. Firstly stated at regional level (Transilvania, Romania) this situation was repeatedly found during the contacts with other EEC and EU representatives. The required activities in RES&EM are: developing own business or company; working as employee, providing training and guidance. There is a need of new tools and methods which, in order to be

effective, must be accessible, anchored in practical issues, easy to handle and with certain impact to this broad spectrum of beneficiaries. - All over Europe universities have developed training modules on RES in direct connection with EM at undergraduate, M.Sc. and Ph.D. levels. Different universities collaborating with us are leading names in this field (University of Zaragaoza - Spain, Delft University of Technology - The Netherlands, Fachhochschule Aachen - Germany, TEI-Patras Greece, Transilvania University of Brasov Romania), working in research and education projects but their training modules usually address to students. - An important link to the young people already existing in the working market is still weak. - The guidance in implementing RES for an effective and efficient EM is very unevenly represented in the partner countries in terms of the provided information and the categories of beneficiaries of these activities. - Education tools must address not only to the formal education levels and modules but also to people who willingly decided to improve their chances in the working market. Therefore, the training tools can/must provide self-training and evaluation sequences. - The development of the ICTs enables the access to these type of tools for very different beneficiaries so there is a need of a flexible training, regarding the level of knowledge, information and the methods of delivering it. - There are programmes/projects for continuos vocational training in RES or EM but an integrated approach of both these interconnected items is not well represented. This very brief review is the result of three sources: - the analysis of the national and European policies, regarding the RES and the environment; - the results of different educational preojects, closely related to RES and/or EM; - direct contacts with the possible beneficiaries of the new education programme. The analysis performed before starting our activities demonstrates: the need of trained young people, at different levels; - the necessity for information, training tools and innovative methods, for education technology transfer between the European countries with different levels of knowledge, experience and expertise; - the necessity to develop the frame for acquiring skills in order to process and to use the huge range of information; - the necessity to adapt the local/regional and national policies related to RES&EM, according to the European ones.

3.

STRATEGY

Training is no longer a “one-university” or a regional activity but in the Brasov county there is a good starting point: there are resources and there is a will, expressed at regional level, for promoting RES. There are transnational and RO programmes of the Transilvania University and of the Brasov County Council supporting the education for sustainable development. Based on this in November 2002 the Brasov Centre for Sustainable Development was formed in the Transilvania University in partnership with the Brasov County Council. The Centre promotes education and research activities based on local/regional/national and European partnerships. The Centre gathers the groups working in RES&EM and related fields and represents a link between the training provider and the beneficiaries: companies, authorities and bodies, decision makers and individuals. The development strategy of this Centre is based on two major ideas: - to promote the RES and EM considering the present state of art and the needs identified at regional/national levels; - to provide tools for promoting and implementing RES and developing the EM. In Fig. 1 there is schematically presented the implication and levels of collaboration developed by the Centre.

The Brasov Centre for Sustainable Development Regional level: Authorities, Companies, Education Institutions National level: Companies, NCSD, Research laboratories Decision and policy makers: The Parliament, the Ministries

European level: Universities, Training institutes, Research networks Companies, Advisory bodies and institutions European Commission

Fig. 1 Levels of implication of the Brasov Centre for Sustainable Development A complex concept was considered for uniting all the activities, “The Low Energy Building” that will be

described in the next paragraph along with the means and tools designed for implementing the strategy. 4.

on the studies and application of the use of solar systems in the built-in environment, Fig. 3

MEANS AND TOOLS

The Centre for Sustainable Development has planed all the activities based on a common concept: The Low Energy Building, Fig. 2

THE SOLAR LABORATORY

Solar radiation - measurements - monitoring; database

THE LOW ENERGY BUILDING

Solar Wind Components

Materials

Hydro Design Biomass Waste Recycling Prototyping &Testing

Systems’ Management

RES & EM Systems Energy

Save Efficiency

Research Activities

The Solar House

Technology

Training Documentation Consultancy Dissemination

Fig. 2 The Low Energy Building This model which is in fully development in the Brasov Centre for Sustainable Development, integrates extensively the updated technology and the use of ICTs. The groups working in the specialised Laboratories are not only users but also software creators. These represent one of the strong tools, along with the qualified personnel and the infrastructure. The following laboratories are part of this centre: The Solar Laboratory Gathering professors, researchers, undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students, the Solar laboratory has activities interconnected for the study and products development of solar thermal systems, PVs, hybrids and

PVs: - implementation - new types

Solar thermal Collectors: Design &implementation

Passive solar

ICT Tools: infrastructure design & engineering software eLearning

Fig. 3 The Solar Laboratory in the Centre for Sustainable Development The Solar House in development is the real environment in which all the activities of the Laboratory are performed. It is designed for hosting solar components (silicon PVs, flat and concentrating collectors) and contains research facilities for investigating new materials for PVs, for developing technologies for implementing the newly developed products. The Wind Laboratory The Romanian environment, especially in the Brasov County, is suitable for the small power wind turbines. The activities, based on the monitoring and feasibility studies, is orientated on the components design related to the: - resistance structure (tower and foundation); - mechanical transmission; power electronics. The use of specialised software and the development of the users-friendly interfaces is part of the activities’ laboratory.

The Hydro Laboratory Considering the potential of the inner rivers in the mountain and tourist region of the southern Transilvania, the group working in this laboratory focused on the development of practical orientated solutions related to the micro-hydro-power systems. There are tested the implementation options and the mechanical and power electronics solutions. In the latest fields the ICT Tools are well represented in terms of software. The Biomass Laboratory The use of organic and wood wastes largely represented in the area, represented the starting point in developing a research group focusing on the efficient use of biomass.

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at last but not at least – the design for low energy products.

Research The research represents one of the major activities of the Centre and is developed in the above-described laboratories and in a fully equipped CAD facility. It integrates experienced researchers with Ph.ds and student at under- and postgraduate studies. Working in collaboration with European similarly groups was the pass to reach the necessary quality and competitiveness. Training The Brasov Centre for sustainable Development is part of a university, so training occupies an important role in our strategy, Fig. 4:

The Laboratory for Wastes Recycling This laboratory is developing activities for two main directions: - plastics and rubber recycling, as one of the environmental problem that was not completely solved yet. The group is working in designing new products obtained using as rough materials mainly the synthetic wastes; - (waste)water treatment coupled with the use of RES as it is the case of the desalination systems using solar energy. -

TRAINING

Formal training

Secondary schools

The projects developed are focusing on: the promotion of the technologies able to implement/use RES; the research for developing and implementing materials with low energy content, of the intelligent materials; the design of assemblies, components and manufacturing techniques, appropriate for the research-resulted products; the management of the systems, both in terms of developing hybrids and command & control systems and in financial terms.

Prototyping and Testing The Centre’s prototyping workshop is responsible for the final step of the research activities: the construction, testing and optimisation of the prototypes to be delivered to the beneficiaries. The aim of an integrated approach RES&EM must consider the existing situation, of households and industries based on conventional energy. Therefore, the second group of activities in this division is related to the study of the buildings using conventional energy sources: - reducing the energy consumption in the already existing buildings (a real problem for the many concrete blocks in Romania); - eco-design; - intelligent energy solutions implemented in the new buildings (combining RES with solar architecture);

University

Post graduates: M.Sc., Ph.D.

Core and optional modules

Training modules Training lines (Final year) projects

Curricula on RES and EM Projects

Informal training Individuals

Companies

Legal bodies

Key factors

TOOLS: eLearning Educational and training software Unit for acquiring practical skills Library

Fig. 4 Training activities in the Centre

A Technological Transfer and Training Line, on RES&EM was the aim of the group of training activities developed by the Centre. Considering the need of informed people and trained specialists at various levels identified in the Needs Analysis periodically performed, we considered the necessity to act in and outside the university area, by providing different type of training. Most of these activities were/are developed in the frame of the European projects such as Socrates and Leonardo: - 1999/2002, Project Socrates / Erasmus / CDA Solar Energy: Technology and Management, (Coordinator – TEI Patras, Greece; Partner: Transilvania University) - 2000/2003, Project Socrates Comenius (87160 – CP – 1 – 2000 – 1 – RO – COMENIUS- C31) CHEMINC – Quality Improvement of the Chemistry Instruction Using Information and Communication Technologies (Co-ordinator: Transilvania University of Brasov) - 2002/2005, Project Leonardo da Vinci (RO/02/B/F/PP-141026) Renewable Energy Sources and Environment Management Friendly ICT Tools – RES&EM ICT Tools (Co-ordinator: Transilvania University of Brasov ) - 2003-2004, Project Leonardo da Vinci -Mobility Exchange of Competencies on renewable Energy Sources and Environment Management – ECO RES&EM (Coordinator Transilvania university of Brasov) - 2003-2004, Project Leonardo da Vinci – Practical Placement Training the students for promoting and implementing Renewable Energy Systems. Based on this projects there are already running courses on RES (in the Technological Engineering Faculty – Product Design section) and a new five year course of Industrial Environment Protection and Engineering had started in 2002/2003. Beginning with 2003/2004 a new M.Sc. course, certified by the Romanian Ministry of Education will start under the name Engineering Design and Management of the Renewable Energy Systems. These projects have two common parts: the theme focusing on RES&EM and the development, use and implementation of ICT Tools. One of the most important outcomes is an eLearning Tool, that is designed to be used at all the training levels described in Fig. 4. The e-Training represents a complex of innovative features: - Contains knowledge structures adapted to individuals background: on different level of knowledge (low, medium and high), on different level of interest (production, implementation, distribution, advise and guidance) on different subjects (solar, wind, hydro, biomass, tides and hybrids RES with conventional ES and EM); - It is easy to access: the products are designed to be user-friendly, accessible using ICTs, and parts of

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them will be developed in the native language of the partners countries; It is interactive: at individual level each beneficiary can adapt his/her training sequences to the needs and, at the project level, this tool proves its dynamic character by a continuos interaction with the progress in RES&EM and with needs coming from the working market; Integrates self-training sequences with collaborative activities. The general structure is described in Fig. 5

R.E.S.

Passive solar (building)

Production

Solar power (PV) Solar Energy (heat) Hydro systems Wind power turbines Biomass reactors

Implementation

Hybrid systems

Trading

Energy storage (Waste) Water Treatment …...

Consultancy

Fig. 5 The general structure of the eLearning tool. Considering it as an open instrument, this usersfriendly tool is open to permanent updating and reshaping to the beneficiaries’ and (working) market demands. Documentation and Consultancy The Centre offers documentation possibilities in terms of reference materials, in hardcopy and electronic form open to the members of the working groups, to the university students and to the specialists in the region. The eLearning tool represents primary step for information acquiring in the first two levels of complexity addressing to non-specialists. For deep studies, the information contained in it must be completed with supplementary sources existent in the library. Considering the gained experience, the Centre may also provide consultancy to individuals, companies and decision-makers in the fields of activity. For people training for consultancy, the 3rd level of the eLearning tool is a good start. Dissemination It is important to rise the awareness of population in order to create a market for the RES and to implement long-lasting strategies of EM. The Centre has developed a

coherent strategy, considering the regional/national needs, background and future development for promoting the use of RES, appropriate to each particular case. The use of ICTs is only in the beginning and is developing according to the development of the use of computers by the mass of population. Alternatively, seminaries, open days, public and media presentations are used and developed.

REFERENCES

5. INSTEAD OF CONCLUSIONS

3.

To promote a new field is not an easy task but with the appropriate tools, the chances are enhanced. It is necessary to combine training and research, to develop working groups integrating the experience of the elder with the imaginative work of the young, to address to the younger members of the society, while solving the problems of the adults. The filed of RES&EM was addressed to in the Brasov Centre for Sustainable Development by respecting the above observations. For a professional approach the use of ICT is compulsory and the paper describes how one can integrate them as a powerful mean at all the levels of activity. Further projects are going to bring the optimum solutions for the open problems or to the questions rising each day. We are also considering the integration of the experience coming from other Eastern European Countries, the development of joint European projects, the collaboration inside our region.

1. 2.

4.

Kaplanis, S., Visa, I., Duta, A., (2002) Renewable Energy Systems & Environment, pp. I-VIII, Ed. Univ. Transilvania, Brasov Visa, I., Duta, A., Bejan, V., Renewable Energy Systems and Environment Management Development in the Transilvania University, Education for Sustainable Development, In Press. Duta, A., Visa, M., Moraru, A., Sustainable Development via training. Case Study: Using ICT for training Chemistry Teachers, Education for Sustainable Development, In Press. Visa, I., Duta, A., (2002) Renewable Energy Sources and Environment Management Friendly ICT Tools, Leonardo da Vinci Project (RO/02/B/F/PP-141026)