Innovation Design: Energy and Sustainability – for iPod/iPhone

When you switch on a light or turn the heating on in your home, do you think about where that power has come from? In most of the world, we’re still burning harmful fossil fuels to create energy. However, throughout Europe a growing number of householders have decided to put the environment first, by switching to a “green tariff” with energy suppliers who can guarantee renewable, fossil fuel-free energy. This album explores the various ways in which innovative technologies – such as wind-farms, heat exchangers, photovoltaic panels and combined heat and power plants – provide the opportunity to revolutionise energy markets and turn whole communities and districts green. One town in Holland is a good example of a “suburban energy island”, where the solar-panelled buildings act as energy providers back to the main grid when they generate extra to spare. Altogether the tracks in the album inspire a new way of looking at designing modern living using a mix of technologies to ensure a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable future. You can find out more about innovation in design by exploring the albums “Design and Sustainability” and “Sustainable Communities”. This material is taken from The Open University course T307 Innovation: designing for a sustainable future.