The groundbreaking of the Penn State Solar Farm in Franklin County signaled an advance in renewable energy use that both saved energy costs and lowered greenhouse gas emissions by Penn State. Clean energy will make a positive impact not only on the Penn State community but also inform residents of the state how to avoid climate change. However, there are still persistent needs to promote the awareness of our energy usage and the impact of our energy choices. If renewable energy is a long-term solution for a sustainable future, it should appear as something that we want to be engaged in and learn about it.
This project aims to develop a series of renewable energy art and design to provide an opportunity for the Penn State community and beyond to recognize the benefits of solar-based electricity generation through art and design. Renewable energy art and design is a relatively new type of art and design that generates or harnesses renewable energy for public art and city design. It connects art and design with ecological function. The funds from the Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE) Seed Grant enable the research team to explore strategies for team building and to produce ten to twelve pieces of renewable energy art and design that also support sustainable development goals. The various renewable energy art and design work designed by the interdisciplinary research team is exhibited at different venues, such as at the Woskob Family Gallery in downtown State College, PA. The exhibition enables us to visualize the sustainability and energy system in a meaningful and artistic way. In addition, interactive educational activities pertaining to the issues of climate change, the impact of energy usage and choices, and renewable art and design - organized in collaboration with the Sustainability Institute - take place during the exhibition. All of these activities contribute to enhancing the energy literacy of the Penn State Community and empowering their renewable energy adaptation.
Resulting Presentations
- Partner with Nature: Renewable Energy Art and Design. European Conference on Renewable Energy System. Kang, M., Choo, P., Logan, B., Padmakumar Renuka, A., & Soares, P. (2022). Istanbul, Turkey. [online]
- Renewable Energy Art and Design: A Framework for Solar Energy Education. Soares, P., Kang, M., Choo, P. European Conference on Renewable Energy System. Istanbul, Turkey. [online] (2022)
- Renewable Energy Art and Design, Woskob Family Gallery, State College, PA. Kang, M., Choo, P., Logan, B., Padmakumar Renuka, A., & Soares, P. (2022)
Resulting Awards
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2023 Indigo Design Award, 2023 Agency Winner, Gold Winner in Education for Social Change
