Energy saving in research

high-resolution terminology - matching measurements at high-resolution

Energy saving in research

Description

Energy saving in research must rank as a priority of social responsibility — ever since the Club of Rome published the seminal book on The limits to growth (50 years ago; 1972), and even more so today in face of the global threat of climate change and the Ukraine war.

Energy saving in research does not and must not clash with quality in research. Publication of irreproducible results — the reproducibility crisis — is the most wasteful aspect of research in terms of resources including energy (more properly: exergy). Paywall journalism is wasteful in terms of financial resources, and dramatically increasing numbers of scientific publications must be considered as a pathway towards waste of energy [2].

Do scientists take responsibility for energy saving? Or does biomedical research merely find excuses? Scientific institutions in academia and industry must implement energy saving strategies to reduce waste according to the European Union's Energy efficiency directive, and to consume less energy (exergy) by using it more efficiently (Energy efficiency targets).

Besides large-scale strategies on energy saving in research — quality versus quantity — everybody's everyday contributions to energy saving counts: to cut greenhouse gas emissions, save biological and geological diversity, and improve equality across societies, genders, and counties.

Possible — important but too much neglected — contributions include:

• Recycle materials and reduce application of disposable items.
• Replace inefficient equipment (e.g. water baths) by efficient electronic Peltier temperature control.
• Turn off non-essential equipment; reduce energy-wasting stand-by modes; turn off computer screens and other equipment at the mains when not in use. The monitor consumes over half of the energy used by the average computer.
• Turn off the lights when you leave the lab during the day or at the end of every day.
• Reduce heating of the rooms to 19 °C, cooling of rooms to 25 °C. Apply energy-efficient heating and cooling strategies.

Reference: [1] Meadows DH, Meadows DL, Randers J, Behrens III WW (1972) The limits to growth; a report for the Club of Rome's project on the predicament of mankind. ISBN 0876631650 - »Bioblast link«; [2] Gnaiger E (2021) Beyond counting papers – a mission and vision for scientific publication. https://doi.org/10.26124/bec:2021-0005

Communicated by Gnaiger E 2022-07-25

Some links

Possible energy saving procedures include a long list - such lists can be found in and extended by several publications and institutional websites, e.g.:

• Woolliams J, Lloyd M, Spengler JD (2005) The case for sustainable laboratories: first steps at Harvard University. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 6:363-82. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676370510623856 — Laboratories typically consume 4‐5 times more energy than similarly‐sized commercial space. .. there are many opportunities for technical and behavior improvements within modern university laboratories that yield great energy savings. This is critical as laboratories are one of the most energy‐intense building types on a university campus.
• Krogstie J, Ståhlbröst A, Holst M, Jelle T, Kulseng L, Gudmundsdottir Á (2013) Using a living lab methodology for developing energy savings solutions. In: 19th Americas Conference on Information Systems, AMCIS, Chicago, IL:3872–9. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-32619 — An important factor when it comes to saving energy is human behavior, but knowing which approach that gives the most sustainable solution is difficult.
• https://escholarship.org/content/qt3mz1k09q/qt3mz1k09q.pdf
• https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=33170
• https://fens.sabanciuniv.edu/en/laboratory-safety/general-laboratory-safety/energy-conservation-laboratories

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