Since there are no currently active contests, we have switched Climate CoLab to read-only mode.
Learn more at https://climatecolab.org/page/readonly.
Skip navigation
13comments
Share conversation: Share via:

Hanaa Rohman

Jan 21, 2015
09:52

Fellow


1 |
Share via:
Thanks for your detailed proposal! For the purposes of our contest, I recommend you strongly frame this idea in terms of how using algae-powered bioluminescent lamps can help mitigate the urban heat island effect. How would you measure their effectiveness? Is there a particular neighborhood in Cambridge where you would run a pilot? What mechanisms would you use to encourage use of the lamps? Best, Hanaa

Jacob Hollander

Jan 21, 2015
06:47

Member


2 |
Share via:
Proposal
contributor
Absolutely we will do some figures and update this but there is more to it than that, infrared heating tech specifically removes the need for heat absorbing materials, therefore reducing urban heat island effect in a directly measurable specific to this project. The algae lamps run free of electricity, remove c02 from the atmosphere at a rate of a ton per year, and create oxygen. All of these specifics add to reducing urban heat effect while dramatically contributing to improving the global climate. I made sure to contribute something that utilizes already proven technology. In particular for this project I would recommend outdoor installations of these lamps and infrared heaters (reduce humidity levels, reduce urban heat island effect) in public outdoor places such as universities, libraries, government buildings, city parks.

Jacob Hollander

Jan 21, 2015
06:52

Member


3 |
Share via:
Proposal
contributor
I provided links that dig into the inner workings and dramatic effects these lamps would have (reduces c02 levels per year more than any tree can) in the proposal. Would be happy to piece that information together more coherently.

Jacob Hollander

Jan 21, 2015
06:48

Member


4 |
Share via:
Proposal
contributor
There's way more technical knowledge necessary to explain how the most advanced infrared heaters work. But the gist is, the tech is used on NASA and international space craft and installations, it removes the need for traditional insulation altogether and certain forms of this tech are used to dry concrete slabs to make new streets and public sidewalks and so on. This is the tech they use throughout Germany. By building for sustain ability in this way, you are A) no longer using asphalt to build roads, which absorbs more heat than concrete and is not sustainable or environmentally friendly. B) Leading the way to overall more sustainable infrastructure such as below ground fiber optic power lines which exceed the standards for American infrastructure at large. C) fulfilling the obligations of this contest and simultaneously developing in a modular upgradeable and seamless fashion that support projects with the same strategy and goals.

Hanaa Rohman

Feb 3, 2015
11:04

Fellow


5 |
Share via:
Thanks for the clarifications! Don't forget to add these to your actual proposal before the deadline on Friday: "infrared heating tech specifically removes the need for heat absorbing materials, therefore reducing urban heat island effect in a directly measurable specific to this project. The algae lamps run free of electricity, remove c02 from the atmosphere at a rate of a ton per year, and create oxygen. All of these specifics add to reducing urban heat effect while dramatically contributing to improving the global climate." Best, Hanaa

Jacob Hollander

Feb 9, 2015
02:53

Member


6 |
Share via:
Proposal
contributor
I apparently missed the deadline, I wanted to change this more into a proposal about cheap sustainable buildings that would utilize a number of different technologies each contributing in a multitude of ways toward promoting and building a circular, supplemental green economy and having a notable positive effects on climate change b actually reducing cO2 levels and directly contributing to the Urban Heat Island Effect because these structures would be build without any kind of heat absorbing insulation material, but instead would utilize infrared heaters. But whatever the case is I care a lot more about people actually using all of this technology because it's already there and publicly available, in most cases they're simple systems you can install in your home on your own.

Climate Colab

Feb 18, 2015
12:16

Member


7 |
Share via:
Congratulations on making it to the Semi-Finals for the Urban Heat Island Effect contest. Please take into consideration the comments left by the judges and do please incorporate that feedback into your final proposal. We look forward to seeing your ideas finalized in the next iteration!

Jennifer Lawrence

Feb 18, 2015
10:38

Fellow


8 |
Share via:
Dear JaggedAllianceProductions: The CoLab had a typo in their previous message to you. The proposal revision period closes on March 1st, NOT the 31st. Below are your proposal's comments from the judging team. Thank you for participating! Judge 1: This idea is definitely appealing, but I'm confused by several aspects of it. I would love some clarification on those aspects in order to fully understand it. 1. I don't see the connection to reducing the urban heat island. While algae lamps would certainly reduce energy use and therefore global emissions (which is great), the impact on local heat islands would seem to be negligible. Can you explain the connection more clearly? 2. I'm not sure I understand the role of the infrared heating in the concrete. While concrete is (if light-colored) more reflective than asphalt and therefore absorbs less heat, would quick-drying it lead to more or less evaporative cooling than letting the concrete dry more slowly over time? Thanks! I look forward to hearing more about this. Judge 2: If not for the overuse of the word 'cheap', this could be the most interesting proposal. Cheap is an adjective and not something any municipality let alone Cambridge should invest in, and if this is a cheap system, I cannot condone it. However, if you can design a quality system that will be reliable over time, I am interested. What does it look like? Are there examples of it? How does it work and what is the maintenance of it? Are there hard metrics that show life cycle benefits that are better than standard electricity?

Jacob Hollander

Feb 19, 2015
06:53

Member


9 |
Share via:
Proposal
contributor
Well the main cause of urban heat island effect is the modification of land surfaces to store more short wave radiation, so anything ranging from asphalt streets to insulation used in buildings adds to this effect. The second main source is energy usage, so any kind of electronic device, especially large light fixtures that use a lot energy off the grid contribute to urban heat island effect. Effectively you are able to remove the two greatest contributors to urban heat island effect with this technology, which is readily available and you can already purchase. There's no need for testing it's effects are known. The lights obviously do not generate much heat as they are not electronic devices, but rather large aquariums full of bioluminescent algae. The infrared heating systems also simply do not contribute to urban heat island effect and they generate heat by reflecting infrared light. I don't have the configurations you're looking for because a) I'm not the developer of this technology, I am more of a tech evangelist. I haven't included any such plans to develop said technology because it already exists and wouldn't it make sense to use technology developed specifically to eliminate urban heat island effect for such a proposal? It is in this case only icing on the cake so to speak that these algae lamps significantly reduce carbon levels as well, to what degree that aspect would lower urban heat island effect I wouldn't know, although I can tell you to really know you'd have to know but that's not the point of the proposal, the point is introducing these and other sustainable building methods to eliminate the two largest causes of urban heat island effect. As for the word cheap, sorry I didn't proofread but let's not waste time arguing semantics, I'm talking about affordable, more economical in the long run methods for providing light and indoor heating, I don't mean cheap as in the way you are referring to it. Also, it is just one more added benefit of infrared heating technology that it is also used for many different causes as well such as for building concrete roads which are much more sustainable than the alternatives and also contribute to lowering urban heat island effect because they absorb less heat, albeit maybe in more negligible ways it is just one of many more sustainable building techniques that help to contribute to the whole. What I am aiming for here is practicality, rather than building some new system to counter effects of our unsustainable ways, simply start promoting the use of these technologies that directly help to eliminate main sources of the problem itself.

Jacob Hollander

Feb 19, 2015
06:14

Member


10 |
Share via:
Proposal
contributor
Sorry I meant to say to really know how much the aforementioned tech would help reduce urban heat island effect you would also have to be aware of the sources that are causing it and to which degree and the point of the proposal is promoting cleaner and much more sustainable tech and introducing more wide spread use of these technologies, which don't provide a simple band aid fix to the problem but rather can directly eliminate some major known causes of urban heat island effect.

Hanaa Rohman

Feb 23, 2015
11:31

Fellow


11 |
Share via:
Hi Jacob, Thanks for your continued work on this proposal! Be sure to update any clarifications you make in the comments to your actual proposal, which is what the judges will be reading. Best, Hanaa

Laur Hesse Fisher

Mar 4, 2015
09:14

Staff


12 |
Share via:
Dear proposal authors: The Finalist selection phase has been extended so Judges could finalize their comments. The Fellow team will be in touch with more details as they arise. Thank you for your patience and understanding. ~~ Laur Climate CoLab Project Manager

Climate Colab

Mar 6, 2015
12:57

Member


13 |
Share via:
Dear JaggedAllianceProductions: Thank you again for submitting a proposal to the UHI contest. While your idea is definitely creative and innovative, we have decided not to send it to the finals. Thank you again and good luck with your next contest. Sincerely, Jen