for Fall 2010 semester (August 16 to December 31, 2010)
SPEAKING Enquiry * NIU Efficient and Sustainable Energy Initiative Prof. Kostic's 2010 Sabbatical Leave of Absence:
Sabbatical Leave approved by NIU and the Board of Trustees * Kostic 2010 Sabbatical Activities REPORT.pdf*Energy Initiatives
for Fall 2010 semester (August 16 to December 31, 2010)SPEAKING Enquiry * NIU Efficient and Sustainable Energy Initiative
Efficient and Sustainable Energy: Ecology and Energy Challenges
Energy Efficient and Sustainable Buildings
Innovative and Integral Building Technologies
I. Brief, Non-Technical Statement of Proposed Activity:
To develop new and substantially enhance professional competence and critical activities at NIU as related to research area of the Department of Energy (DOE)'s Building Technologies Program (BTP). The goal is to develop comprehensive activities and proposal(s), with objective to obtain funding for research and application of existing and new materials and methods for Retrofitting existing buildings, and to develop a proposal for funding of a model "Energy Efficient Building" on NIU Campus, which will integrate all available energy conservation practices and technologies with renewable energy sources, and may house interdisciplinary energy & environmental programs, including Master of Energy Science and Technology (MEST) program, to be developed. Such model energy building should employ proven and the "cutting-edge" comprehensive buildings' "green & sustainable" energy technologies and practices and develop new ones. The new "Energy Efficient Building" could be a Model Energy Landmark of the Northern Illinois Region, an inspiration for multidisciplinary "Energy & Environmental Sustainability" activities, education and outreach - in many ways to surpass objectives expressed in my prior energy initiatives.
II. Sabbatical Project Proposal Description:
We are in 'energy transition era' from fossil fuels to alternative (including nuclear) and renewable energy sources (including solar, biomass, hydro, wind, and geothermal). In this transitional era, the energy conservation (including energy storage) is the most "efficient" and thus the most viable option in initial and mid-range period, until alternative and renewable energy infrastructure is developed and matured, see my public statements:
► Energy consumption could be halved: Investing in national priorities,
Investing in national priorities
► Promoting_Energy_Conservation_Activities_for_Public Benefits,
Energy_Conservation_Public_Benefits.htm
With our Nation’s annual energy bill for residential and commercial buildings reaching $370 billion in 2005, the economic impacts of lowering energy use can be enormous. In support of national energy policy, the DOE Building Technologies Program (BTP) established a strategic goal to create technologies and design approaches that enable net-zero energy buildings (ZEB) at low incremental cost by 2025. Consistent with this goal the five-year key BTP research and development target states, “By 2010 develop technologies and design strategies that can achieve an average of 30 percent reduction in purchased energy use for new, small commercial buildings” [BTP]. We propose to contributes to reaching this goal by scientifically demonstrating advanced high performance building technologies and retrofitting NIU buildings for substantial improvement of energy efficiency. The proposed activities and development of a model Energy Landmark of the Northern Illinois Region, will be inspiration for multidisciplinary energy & environmental sustainability activities, education and outreach - in many ways to accomplish similar objectives expressed in my prior initiatives and strategic white papers:
► An Energy/Resource Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Initiative,
Energy Conservation Initiatives
► NIU Energy Initiatives: Importance and Freedom Field Potentials,
There will be more need for energy education at all levels along with energy technology development and applications, and NIU should participate and be proactive contributor to the national and global needs. A new Master of Energy Engineering programs have been developed at many institutions, like UIC (www.mie.uic.edu/programs/mee.htm) and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology's ETH-Energy Science Center (www.esc.ethz.ch; www.master-energy.ethz.ch), for example (See also Energy Strategy for ETH Zurich). Google search for "Master of Energy" returns more than half of million hits. More at: www.kostic.niu.edu/energy. The tangible outcomes include: (i) development of critical activities at NIU as related to research area of the Department of Energy (DOE)'s Building Technologies Program (BTP), including collaboration with NIU colleagues and external institutions; (ii) development of related expertise and professional competence, including technical publications in the buildings' energy conservation area; (iii) development of proposal(s), with objective to obtain funding for retrofitting existing buildings, and (iv) to develop a proposal for funding of a model "Energy Efficient Building" on NIU Campus, which will integrate all available energy conservation practices and technologies with energy renewable sources, and may house interdisciplinary energy & environmental programs, including Master of Energy Science and Technology (MEST) program, to be developed. Most of the above outcomes should be accomplished with proper collaboration and institutional support.
More at: www.kostic.niu.edu/energy and Sabbatical Leave of Absence Request *www.ornl.gov/sci/eere-Bldngs* Nature-Energy_Recycling-Recovery-(Wiki-Casten)* MKatSA>kacst * s-Links
► Kostic, M., Hybrid Heater - Cooler Chiller Integrator with Thermal Transformer (HHCCI‑TT) System for Efficient Heating, Cooling, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Number: 61/297,958 of 25 January 2010.(M-S)