Kathryn Hinkelman: Loops, Links, and Low-Exergy: Rethinking Energy Design Through Nature’s Lens скачать в хорошем качестве

Kathryn Hinkelman: Loops, Links, and Low-Exergy: Rethinking Energy Design Through Nature’s Lens

How can ecosystems inspire better energy systems in the built environment? In this talk, we will explore how Ecological Network Analysis (ENA) can help us design more sustainable and resilient buildings and communities. By viewing energy systems as dynamic networks, we can uncover hidden links, reduce waste, and improve engineering design practices. To demonstrate, a simulation case study of an office building and data center will show how redesigning heating and cooling systems with nature-inspired principles can reduce energy use by 84%. Surprisingly, traditional efficiency metrics do not capture these improvements, but ENA can. To bridge gaps between ecology and engineering, this research leverages ecosystem biomimicry and introduces a new, exergy-based approach to ENA that accounts for energy quality and time-varying dynamics, offering a powerful tool for engineers, developers, and planners working toward a resilient energy future. Dr. Kathryn Hinkelman is an Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Vermont, where she develops sustainable, resilient, and equitable technologies for energy systems at the nexus of built and natural environments. Her specializations include numerical modeling and simulation, building energy and control systems, bio-inspired design, and life cycle assessment. She is a Phi Beta Kappa member, Department of Energy IBUILD Research Fellow recipient, and an affiliate of both CREATE and Gund. CREATE is an interdisciplinary research center focused on advancing the next generation of sustainable energy and autonomous systems. Intersecting technologies that enable resilient and responsive power, energy, and control systems, CREATE aims to solve critical problems facing our society today through fundamental and use-inspired research alongside industry, academic, and community partners. To learn more about Gund: https://www.uvm.edu/gund To learn more about Kathryn: https://www.uvm.edu/cems/cee/profile/...