Energy Technologies as Power Storage and Generation towards the Business Model in Sustainable Society

Energy security and CO2 reduction are one of the most important issues as well as food matter in the 21st century. Power storage and power generation will contribute to solution of these issues. Electrochemical storage of Li-ion batteries is widely applied in mobile applications, and the new application for automobile using has been actively developed and partially realized. And the Li-ion battery storage in smart grid systems is also expected. Automobile use and storage use have large market size same as the size of memory semiconductor. For these diverse applications, material research and development are key technologies. From power generation, Solid Oxide Fuel Cell and Dye Sensitized Solar Cell are much expected as new technology devices. The business model is important to realize these new devices considering the value compared with the existing methods.

Present and Future of Phase‑Selectively Disordered Blue TiO2 for Energy and Society Sustainability

Titanium dioxide(TiO2)has garnered attention for its promising photocatalytic activity,energy storage capability,low cost,high chemical stability,and nontoxicity.However,conventional TiO2 has low energy harvesting efficiency and charge separation ability,though the recently developed black TiO2 formed under high temperature or pressure has achieved elevated performance.The phase-selectively ordered/disordered blue TiO2(BTO),which has visible-light absorption and efficient exciton disassociation,can be formed under normal pressure and temperature(NPT)conditions.This perspective article first discusses TiO2 materials development milestones and insights of the BTO structure and construction mechanism.Then,current applications of BTO and potential extensions are summarized and suggested,respectively,including hydrogen(H2)production,carbon dioxide(CO2)and nitrogen(N2)reduction,pollutant degradation,microbial disinfection,and energy storage.Last,future research prospects are proposed for BTO to advance energy and environmental sustainability by exploiting different strategies and aspects.The unique NPT-synthesized BTO can offer more societally beneficial applications if its potential is fully explored by the research community.

Establish Rational Ecological Man to Construct the Harmonious Society

Rational Ecological Man （REM） is the integration of government, enterprise and the public, which plays an important role in our society. This paper firstly clarifies the definition of REM and regards that REM differs essentially from Rational Economic Man. Subsequently, the.paper analyzes the signi＇ficance of establishing REM to construct the harmonious society. Finally, the paper provides some specific suggestions on how to establish REM.

Potential of contemporary earth-sheltered buildings to achieve Plus Energy status in various European climates during the heating season

This study investigates the potential of contemporary Earth-Sheltered Buildings to contribute to sustainable societies by achieving Plus Energy Building status during the heating season.The buildings analyzed are intended to house a four-member family(102.5 m^(2)).The house is equipped with a ground source heat pump,geothermal vertical probes,floor heating panels,an energy recovery ventilator,and building-integrated photovoltaic panels installed on the exposed building wall.The numerical analysis(using EnergyPlus software)was carried out for nine European sites covering five different climatic zones(namely:southern,Atlantic,continental,alpine,and northern climate)and three latitude belts spanning Europe from south to north.Buildings above 65°N(northern and alpine climate)could not achieve Plus Energy status with 20% efficient BIPVs.With 15% efficient BIPVs,the building above 59°N(northern climate)was incapable of achieving this as well.Regarding the monthly time step,the buildings in the southern and Atlantic climates with 15% efficient BiPVs were able to produce an energy surplus every month,as was the building in theAlps with 20% efficientBIPVs.