Get a head start on U-M's Climate Week by joining us for a solar-powered Science Café presented by Dr. Rohini Bala Chandran from the U-M Department of Mechanical Engineering and Shoshannah Lenski, Executive Director of Ann Arbor Sustainable Energy Utility (A2SEU).
The Sun’s energy is the driving force behind some of our most important energy technologies. While solar panels (arrays that convert sunlight to electricity) have become common in both urban and rural areas, solar-to-heat and solar-to-fuel conversion is still an emerging technology. Dr. Bala Chandran will share her latest research on understanding thermal radiation in solar–heat and solar–fuel applications using new experimental techniques and computational models.
Understanding how the Sun’s energy travels through radiative transport is vital to optimizing new technologies and developing long-term climate solutions. After those technologies have been perfected, the next challenge is implementation. In the case of Ann Arbor, that’s where A2SEU comes in. Shoshannah will provide the policy and implementation perspective on what it means to provide local, renewable and clean energy solutions.
Hors d’oeuvres will be served at 5:30 p.m., and the program begins at 6 p.m. Seating is limited, so come early.