Design for commercialization (DFC): Amultidomain fea-sibility approach for the diffusion of renewableenergy technology

Abstract

Natural resources (coal, oil, and so forth) are used globally on such modern conveniences as transportation, industrial and energy production. Higher standards of living, rapid population growth, and technology, all contribute to an increased demand for energy. However, extracting, processing, and using these resources to generate it can cause environmental problems such as climate change, the disruption or destruction of ecosystems, a decrease in biodiversity and land, water, and air pollution. The question is not whether natural resources will be depleted, the question is when. Therefore, society needs to do a better job of preventing the depletion of natural resources, conserving energy, preventing pollution, and developing a more sustainable way of life. One path to achieve this goal is to increase the amount of renewable energy production and to expedite the development and commercialization of renewable energy technologies (RETs) which allow us to reduce the demand for natural resources drastically. However, RETs face several barriers to commercialization which have to be addressed for them to be commercially feasible. Design for Commercialization (DFC), is a proposed systems approach focused at the project level which could have a significant impact in facilitating the commercialization challenges of RETs. Moreover, the actual pace of RET deployment shows the need for this approach and its importance to the education community as part of any formal engineering program or engineering education in general.