New Engineering Thinking for a New Climate

作者：Webber Michael E^*

来源：Mechanical Engineering, 2016, 138(6): 28-33.

DOI：10.1115/1.2016-jun-1

<jats:p>This article emphasis the need for new engineering approaches to deal with increasing environmental challenges. The Paris Agreement calls on mechanical engineers to take the ongoing decarbonization trend and accelerate it. The challenge of the Paris Agreement differs from earlier energy transitions in an important way: this shift is being intentionally pushed along, rather than occurring accidentally as before. Handling the influx of power from intermittent sources such as wind and solar is going to require mechanical engineers to rethink the transmission and distribution system. The Paris Agreement gives unambiguous direction to mechanical engineers: develop better hardware, algorithms, and control systems to decarbonize the power sector. In the process of accomplishing the task, there are a great many benefits that will certainly result from it: generating electricity with greater efficiency, building a grid that is more robust and flexible, and preparing engineering graduates to have a larger impact on society.</jats:p>

• 出版日期2016-6