Plenary lecture 4: approaching electrical equipments viability within industrial ecology framework

The main purpose of this approach is to highlight that an orientation towards the future industrial metabolism requires changes in human behavior and technical patterns. Industrial Ecology is an emerging framework within Sustainable Development. The concepts, tools and goals of Industrial Ecology had to be addressed, along with the understanding that Sustainable Development is not about certificates or licenses, it needs to be about the vitality of life on Earth. Definitely, the future needs for Sustainable Development include a human moral change through education, and an industrial metabolism shift through responsible practical actions. Based on the strong conviction that Nature has so far generated life, Industrial Ecology seeks for a new approach of the industrial systems, viewed not in isolation from the Nature surroundings systems, but in concert with them. Learning from the Nature means to look forward for an analogy of the technical systems created by humans with the natural ecological systems, defining this way the industrial ecosystems. Even the understanding of Nature will be always far above the human understanding, we should try to use our knowledge about the Universe in assessing the viability of the industrial systems according to the ecosystems patterns. These models will overview the relationships between various industrial systems, as well as the interactions with the environmental systems, further on directing to feedbacks creation within the "no waste webs". This study is focused on the electrical equipments issues, and encompasses the design and operation assessment in a way that respects the framework of Industrial Ecology. Although Science not clarified and unified technical and ecological viewpoints, to address meaningfully many of the problems facing humanity today, a set of conditions for the performance of sustainable electrical equipments must be formulated. Since exergy has a significant role to play in evaluating and increasing the efficiencies of electrical technologies and systems, this presentation goes on to adopt a dualist view, incorporating technical and environmental dimensions, to describe exergy applicability to electrical devices. Examples are used to illustrate, explain and interpret the use of exergy and embodied energy as tools to understand and minimize the environmental impacts, as well as to optimize the efficiency of material and energy use within the industrial ecosystems.