New Polymeric Solar Tile Design

塑料是地球上最持久的污染物之一，它正在加速气候变化。塑料在其生命周期的每一步都会产生排放，导致世界变暖。我们每年生产约3.35亿吨塑料，与全人类的总重量大致相同。到2020年，塑料的生产和焚烧将产生超过8.5亿吨的排放。对地球的影响将相当于189个燃煤发电站的发电量。目前，全球每年石油消耗量的4 - 8%涉及塑料。按照目前的速度，到2050年，这一比例将上升到20%。到那时，与塑料相关的排放量可能会上升到28亿吨以上，相当于615个发电站的发电量，占地球总碳预算的13%。我们制造的塑料越多，我们需要的化石燃料就越多，我们就越加剧气候变化和海洋破坏。每年有1300万吨塑料进入海洋，到2030年将翻一番。按照这个速度，到2050年，海洋中的塑料将比鱼还多。在英国，建筑物的运行占排放量的30%，主要来自供暖、制冷和用电。建筑物中的隐含能源比例已增加到能源消耗的40%以上。屋顶瓦片通常由混凝土制成，这是所有材料中碳足迹和环境影响最大的材料之一，并且寿命结束时可回收性较差。采购和生产是能源密集型过程，需要大量的化石燃料并消耗自然资源。仅用于生产混凝土的水泥就占全球排放量的约8%，这一贡献比中国和美国以外的任何国家都要大。唯一的材料是一个更大的温室气体来源，是煤，石油和天然气。太阳能电池板约90%的玻璃和7%的铝。这也是现有的两种对环境危害最大的建筑材料。玻璃的含碳量几乎是混凝土的10倍，而铝则超过115倍，这意味着太阳能电池板实际上会增加建筑物的碳足迹。我们的项目专注于帮助缓解这些领域，通过使用回收聚合物来取代收入静态，碳密集型建筑材料与轻质，创新的太阳能系统设计。

Plastic is one of the most persistent pollutants on Earth and it's accelerating Climate Change. At every step in its lifecycle, plastic creates emissions that are contributing to the warming of our world.We produce around 335 million tonnes each year, roughly the same weight as all of humanity combined.In 2020, the production and incineration of plastic is set to create more than 850 million tonnes of emissions. The impact on the planet will equate to the output of 189 coal-fired power stations.Currently, about 4-8% of annual global oil consumption involves plastics. At current rates, this will have risen to 20% by 2050.By then, plastic related emissions could rise to over 2.8 billion tonnes, equivalent to the output of 615 power stations, and be responsible for up to 13% of the planet's total carbon budget.The more plastic we make, the more fossil fuels we need, the more we exacerbate climate change and ocean destruction.13 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year, which is on course to double by 2030\. At this rate, by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish.In the U.K., the operation of buildings accounts for 30% of emissions, mainly from heating, cooling and electricity use.The proportion of embodied energy in buildings has increased to more than 40% of energy consumptionRoof tiles are typically made from concrete, which has one of the largest carbon footprints and environmental impacts of all materials and poor end of life recyclability. Sourcing and production are energy intensive processes, requiring large volumes of fossil fuels and depleting natural resources.Cement used to produce concrete is responsible for approximately 8% of the world's emissions alone, which is an even greater contribution than any country other than China or the US. The only materials that are a greater source of greenhouse gases, are coal, oil and gas.Solar panels are approximately 90% glass and 7% aluminium. These are also two of the most environmentally harmful construction materials in existence.The embodied carbon of glass is almost 10 times more than concrete, while aluminium is over 115 times more, meaning solar panels can actually increase the building's carbon footprint.Our project is focused on helping alleviate each of these areas, through the use of recycled polymers to replace revenue-static, carbon-intensive construction materials with a lightweight, innovative solar system design.