Energy End-use Trilemma - Energy Efficiency, Thermal Comfort and Productivity - Post-COVID-19

As we emerge from the months of personal physical isolation to the gradual process of regaining productivity at work, we are likely to face numerous challenges in securing a workspace with reduced risks of infection. This presentation seeked to highlight the technical challenges and contradictions, with energy implications, in making our buildings and factories safe and comfortable.

Greener Pastures from the Sun: Solar Photovoltaic-Driven Irrigation in Qinghai Province

Valuable pasture lands in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are being degraded through overgrazing, conversion, and reduced levels of precipitation as a result of climate change. Qinghai Province is tackling this problem through the innovative use of solar photovoltaic (PV) power for irrigation; a solution that has enormous capacity for upscaling within PRC and throughout Asia.

Giving Kids a Head Start: The Impact of Early Commitment of Financial Aid on Poor Students in Rural China

Poor junior high students in the People’s Republic of China drop out of junior high or fail to matriculate into high school due to financial constraints. Introducing the early commitment for financial aid strategy may reduce dropout and increase high school matriculation among poor junior high students.

Increasing Land and Water Productivity at Community-Level Using Remote Sensing

This presentation introduces the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) as a remote-sensing model for evapotranspiration. Through SEBAL, crop production and irrigation information can be sent to farmers through the use of technology. To be able to fully utilize this model, however, would require the establishment of public-private partnerships.