what is Technology and Innovations?
technological innovation system is a concept developed within the scientific field of innovation studies which serves to explain the nature and rate of technological change.[1] A Technological Innovation System can be defined as ‘a dynamic network of agents interacting in a specific economic/industrial area under a particular institutional infrastructure and involved in the generation, diffusion, and utilization of technology’.[2]
The approach may be applied to at least three levels of analysis: to a technology in the sense of a knowledge field, to a product or an artifact, or to a set of related products and artifacts aimed at satisfying a particular (societal) function’.[3] With respect to the latter, the approach has especially proven itself in explaining why and how sustainable (energy) technologies have developed and diffused into a society, or have failed to do so.
- Actors: Actors involve organizations contributing to a technology, as a developer or adopter, or indirectly as a regulator, financier, etc. It is the actors of a Technological Innovation System that, through choices and actions, actually generate, diffuse and utilize technologies. The potential variety of relevant actors is enormous, ranging from private actors to public actors, and from technology developers to technology adopters. The development of a Technological Innovation System will depend on the interrelations between all these actors. For example, entrepreneurs are unlikely to start investing in their businesses if governments are unwilling to support them financially. Visa-verse, governments have no clue where financial support is necessary if entrepreneurs do not provide them with the information and the arguments they need to legitimate policy support.
- Institutions: Institutional structures are at the core of the innovation system concept.[9] It is common to consider institutions as ‘the rules of the game in a society, or, more formally, (...) the humanly devised constraints that shape human interaction’.[10] A distinction can be made between formal institutions and informal institutions, with formal institutions being the rules that are codified and enforced by some authority, and informal institutions being more tacit and organically shaped by the collective interaction of actors. Informal institutions can be normative or cognitive. The normative rules are social norms and values with moral significance, whereas cognitive rules can be regarded as collective mind frames, or social paradigms.[11] Examples of formal institutions are government laws and policy decisions; firm directives or contracts also belong to this category. An example of a normative rule is the responsibility felt by a company to prevent or clean up waste. Examples of cognitive rules are search heuristics or problem-solving routines. They also involve dominant visions and expectations held by the actors.[12][13]
- Technological factors: Technological structures consist of artefacts and the technological infrastructures in which they are integrated. They also involve the techno-economic workings of such artefacts, including costs, safety, reliability. These features are crucial for understanding the feedback mechanisms between technological change and institutional change. For example, if R&D subsidy schemes supporting technology development should result in improvements with regard to the safety and reliability of applications, this would pave the way for more elaborate support schemes, including practical demonstrations. These may, in turn, benefit technological improvements even more. It should, however, be noted here that the importance of technological features has often been neglected by scholars.[14]
The structural factors are merely the elements that make up the system. In an actual system, these factors are all linked to each other. If they form dense configurations they are called networks. An example would be a coalition of firms jointly working on the application of a fuel cell, guided by a set of problem-solving routines and supported by a subsidy program. Likewise, industry associations, research communities, policy networks, user-supplier relations etc. are all examples of networks.
An analysis of structures typically yields insight into systemic features - complementarities and conflicts - that constitute drivers and barriers for technology diffusion at a certain moment or within a given period in time.
What is conservation of Energy?
The conservation of energy is a fundamental concept of physics along with the conservation of mass and the conservation of momentum. Within some problem domain, the amount of energy remains constant and energy is neither created nor destroyed. Energy can be converted from one form to another (potential energy can be converted to kinetic energy) but the total energy within the domain remains fixed.
Thermodynamics is a branch of physics which deals with the energy and work of a system. As mentioned on the gas properties slide, thermodynamics deals only with the large scale response of a system which we can observe and measure in experiments. In rocketry, we are most interested in thermodynamics in the study of propulsion systems and understanding high speed flows.
On some separate slides, we have discussed the state of a static gas, the properties which define the state, and the first law of thermodynamics as applied to any system, in general. On this slide we derive a useful form of the energy conservation equation for a gas beginning with the first law of thermodynamics. If we call the internal energy of a gas E, the work done by the gas W, and the heat transferred into the gas Q, then the first law of thermodynamics indicates that between state "1" and state "2":
What is conservation of environmental protection?
Environmental Law is a complex combination of state, federal, and international treaty law pertaining to issues of concern to the environment and protecting natural resources. For example, environmental laws often relate to issues such as pollution of soil, air, or water; global warming; and depletion of oil, coal, and clean water.The Ghana Environmental Protection Agency (EPA Ghana) is an agency of Ghana's Ministry of Environment, Science Technology and Innovation, established by EPA Act 490 (1994).[1] The agency is dedicated to improving, conserving and promoting the country’s environment and striving for environmentally sustainable development with sound, efficient resource management, taking into account social and equity issues. It oversees the implementation of the National Environment Policy.[2] EPA Ghana's mission is to manage, protect and enhance the country’s environment and seek common solutions to global environmental problems. Its mission is to be achieved through an integratedenvironmental planning and management system with broad public participation, efficient implementation of appropriate programmes and technical services, advice on environmental problems and effective, consistent enforcement of environmental law and regulations. EPA Ghana is a regulatory body and a catalyst for change to sound environmental stewardship.
The Examples of conservation of energy.
- The Law of Conservation of energy says that energy cannot be created. So what does that mean? It means that if the 8 ball is now in motion, it took energy from the cue ball, which means that the cue ball has now lost energy, and will be traveling slower, and if they hit at the right spot (since they are approximately equal in mass) the cue ball can even come to a complete stop upon collision.
- If you shoot the cue ball at a stationary ball (let's call it the 8 ball) across the table, the cue ball has Kinetic Energy, where as, the 8 ball has only potential energy.
- When the cue ball collides with the 8 ball, the kinetic energy will transfer from the cue ball to the 8 ball, sending the 8 ball in motion. Now that the 8 ball is in motion it has Kinetic energy which is a change of form.
- When playing pool, the cue ball is shot at a stationary 8 ball. The cue ball has energy. When the cue ball hits the 8 ball, the energy transfers from the cue ball to the 8 ball, sending the 8 ball into motion. The cue ball loses energy because the energy it had has been transferred to the 8 ball, so the cue ball slows down.
The examples of conservation of environmental protection.
- Use compact fluorescent light bulbs: It is true that these bulbs are more expensive, but they last much longer and they can save energy and in the long term your electricity bill would be reduced.
- Donate:
You have tons of clothes or things you want to get rid of. If they are still usable, give them to someone who needs them. You may also choose to give them to associations. These associations may sell them and collect a little money. Not only will you protect the environment, but you will also contribute to a good cause. - Turn off your devices:
When you do not use a house device, turn it off. For example, if you don't watch TV, turn it off. Turn off the light when you leave a room (even if you intend to return.) It's an easy habit to take up which will help you save a lot of money. - Walk or cycle:
Driving is one of the biggest causes of pollution. If you want to use your car, ask yourself the following question: do I really need my car? Walk or use your bike if the journey is a short one. - Detergent:
Follow the recommended dose of detergent to wash your clothes or dishes. - leaky faucets:
Watch leaky faucets, which can cause a significant increase in the the water bill. An average of 120 liters of water can be wasted due to a dripping faucet. - Rainwater:
Think of recovering rainwater. This water can be used for different purposes.
The Examples of Technology.
Imagine your smartphone as your primary source for study materials. This company has created an app that allows students to organize their coursework, store notes and flashcards, and share their materials with other students.
Study Blue’s main attraction is that it is mobile. Whether standing in line for coffee, riding the train, or waiting at the dentist, a student can easily access their class work and prepare for an exam. The social aspect also helps students find other people studying similar subjects, capitalizing on a different set of notes and study guides.
2. Lore
The new startup is using a Facebook type platform- riding the wave of what works- and tailoring it for education. This social network allows professors and students to communicate, follow one another, and discuss class work and lectures.
In addition to the social aspect, it allows for document uploads, calendar sharing, and a grade book option. So why is this better than Facebook? Simply put, social networks aren’t always the best place to develop academic networks. Students can follow their professors and interact with them without worrying about that compromising photo from a crazy weekend party.
3. Celly
Teachers are continually fighting against the ever-growing list of distractions that a smart phone offers to bored or shy students in the back of the room. But Celly is a text-messaging network that allows anyone to create a network anywhere- at a rally, event, in the classroom, or on a field trip using smartphones.
Teachers that have used this in their classrooms have noted that those who normally never speak up…do. It forces students to write their thoughts clearly and concisely. Rather than fighting the tide against texting, instructors are using it for academic purposes.
The Examples of Innovations.
Proppants for non conventional oil and gas drilling and exploration
Proppants are agents that keep rock fractures open to make non-conventional oil and gas field exploitation possible. They are widely used to drill for shale gas in North America. The spread of horizontal drilling and multiple fracturing, in addition to the growth in energy needs, is resulting in high demand for proppants. This market is expected to grow sharply, at approximately +8% per year (+3% of ceramic proppants growth in 2013).
Imerys identified the potential of this market several years ago and has allocated substantial research efforts. The Group has filed 14 patents in this ar®, the rod shape of which helps to increase the productivity of wells without the need to use polluting additives. In 2011, Imerys launched the construction of a production unit for ceramic proppants, which was commissioned at the end of the year.
ea, and in 2008, launched a small unit of a highly innovative proppant, Propynite
Carbon for the Li-Ion battery
A Li-ion battery stores energy through the reversible exchange of lithium ions between a negative electrode comprised of specific carbon products such as graphite, and a positive electrode made from various metallic oxides and conductive additives such as carbon black.
Proppants are agents that keep rock fractures open to make non-conventional oil and gas field exploitation possible. They are widely used to drill for shale gas in North America. The spread of horizontal drilling and multiple fracturing, in addition to the growth in energy needs, is resulting in high demand for proppants. This market is expected to grow sharply, at approximately +8% per year (+3% of ceramic proppants growth in 2013).
Imerys identified the potential of this market several years ago and has allocated substantial research efforts. The Group has filed 14 patents in this ar®, the rod shape of which helps to increase the productivity of wells without the need to use polluting additives. In 2011, Imerys launched the construction of a production unit for ceramic proppants, which was commissioned at the end of the year.
With the purchase of PyraMax Ceramics LLC in April 2013, Imerys acquired ownership of an industrial complex based in Wrens (Georgia, USA) dedicated to manufacturing ceramic proppants from bauxitic kaolins. Construction of this plant with forecast capacity of 225,000 tons was completed at the end of 2013 and its ramp-up is planned for 2014. With this development, Imerys is tripling its proppants production capacity and enhancing its local reserves of bauxitic kaolin.
Carbon for the Li-Ion battery
A Li-ion battery stores energy through the reversible exchange of lithium ions between a negative electrode comprised of specific carbon products such as graphite, and a positive electrode made from various metallic oxides and conductive additives such as carbon black.
Imerys Graphite & Carbon activity is the world leader in carbon black, which represents a market of approximately 2,500 tons per year. Reversible ion storage in the negative electrode is made possible by a special carbon for which the market is ten times larger in volume terms than that of carbon black in the positive pole. The most common technical solution consists of natural graphite that is made spherical by an energy-intensive mechanical process with a low material yield and is then coated and impregnated with asphalt. As these products are considered harmful, the industry is developing alternatives. In 2005, the Graphite & Carbon activity offered a solution that, in an improved form, led to the introduction of a new product in 2011.
Launched in 2012, C-NERGY™ ACTILION-1 is an active graphite product used for the negative electrode of Li-ion batteries. The market has considerable potential as electronic products are likely to grow + 7% per year, while the Li-ion battery carbon market could grow by 30-40% per year in volume terms, according to several studies.
In 2013, the Graphite & Carbon activity doubled production capacity of its Willebroek (Belgium) carbon black plant in response to the rise in demand from mobile energy and conductive polymers segments; this production facility has been operating since the end of 2013 and should progressively ramp-up in 2014.