Preface

Energy is a vital element in sustaining our modern society but the future of energy is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous; especially when facing a continuous drive to ensure a sustained and equitable access as well as mounting pressures to reduce its emissions. Traditional approaches in developing energy technologies have always been in isolation with distinct and unique contexts. However, we cannot afford to work in silos any longer. Future energy systems and their relationship with the society and the environment will have to be conceived, designed, developed, commissioned, and operated alongside and within contemporary geo-political, ethical, and socio-economic contexts. This has posed an unprecedented volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), where systemic and holistic approaches are often warranted. This book aims to focus on the VUCA of addressing the future of energy and environment by considering contemporary issues and insights from diverse contexts, viewed as a system, and anchored upon emerging and smart energy technologies.

*Green Energy and Environment* contributes to this on-going discourse and the role these energy technologies play in the society's effort to address climate change, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions in a holistic and inclusive manner, by considering green energy technologies' key roles along a critical path to decarbonization and responsible innovation.

*Green Energy and Environment* is a collection of timely efforts to address the complexity of developing energy technologies within these unprecedented contexts, each contributing to the main theme and the on-going discussion from diverse lenses and a holistic viewpoint. Topics covered in the book range from green electronics, techno-economic optimization of solar-only powered combined cycle power plants, a case study of hydrovoltaic materials for China, to circular economy of electro-chemical energy storage. Each chapter addresses an important aspect of energy technologies and serves as a vital building block towards constructing a timely and relevant body of knowledge on green energy and environment.

We hope you will find this book useful and the topics relevant. This book is a result of many months of hard work by all contributing authors, who have worked tirelessly and passionately. Without them, this work would not have seen the light of day. It is in this regard that we would like to acknowledge the professionalism and commitment from all chapter authors – thank you! We are also grateful to IntechOpen for this opportunity, and the Publishing Process Managers Lada Bozic and Danijela Pintur for their wisdom, friendship, encouragement, and assistance throughout the process of editing this book – thank you!

> **Eng Hwa Yap**  University of Technology Sydney, Australia

> > **Andrew Huey Ping Tan** KDU University College, Malaysia

**Chapter 1**

**Abstract**

Sustainable Advanced

Consideration

Manufacturing of Printed

Electronics: An Environmental

*Bilge Nazli Altay, Martin Bolduc and Sylvain G. Cloutier*

applications as a green, efficient, energy-saving, environmentally friendly manufacturing method. This chapter presents a general vision on green energy resources and then details printed electronics that consolidates green energy and

**Keywords:** additive manufacturing, printing, flexible electronics, functional inks,

Sustainable and renewable green energy and materials as an alternative to fossil

fuels that take millions of years to be developed have been the most important challenge for all industries to secure the future energy demands, environment, and human health [1]. Burning fossil fuels for energy, production and transportation of fossil fuel-based materials, industrial/agricultural activities, as well as growing population yield greenhouse gasses (GHGs) that trap heat in the atmosphere [2]. The GHGs remain in the air for various amounts of time, from a few to thousands of years, causing global heating and drastic changes in climate [3, 4]. Therefore, innovations in all fields are critically important to reduce the GHGs, unsustainable energy and material usage, cost, toxic waste, and pollution which are the potential

environment relative to traditional manufacturing system.

**1. Green energy, environment, and electronics**

risks on human health and environment [5].

subtractive manufacturing

**1**

Printing technologies have become a novel and disruptive innovation method of manufacturing electronic components to produce a diverse range of devices including photovoltaic cells, solar panels, energy harvesters, batteries, light sources, and sensors on really thin, lightweight, and flexible substrates. In traditional electronic manufacturing, a functional layer must be deposited, typically through a chemical vapor or physical vapor process for a copper layer for circuitry production. These subtractive techniques involve multiple production steps and use toxic etching chemicals to remove unwanted photoresist layers and metals. In printing, the same functional material can be selectively deposited only where it is needed on the substrate via plates or print heads. The process is additive and significantly reduces not only the number of manufacturing steps, but also the need for energy, time, consumables, as well as the waste. Thereby, printing has been in the focus for many

## **Chapter 1**
