Futureproof: Solar Fields Future Technician
Future Narrative
It's hard to believe I’ve been doing this job for six years. Thankfully, these new maintenance backpacks hold and power everything we need during a panel field service shift. My pack's nearly silent compressor cools the air that flows throughout my cooling jacket and chills the plates in my heat-exchanging wrist cuffs. The equipment runs off my pack’s flexible solar panels and a small battery all day. It produces enough filtered drinking water to keep me hydrated for an entire shift. I think this job is here to stay with all this new kit. Some might even call it futureproof.
Cooling wrist plate of SOL-ICE personal climate management system
Version 1.0 of SOL-ICE cooling jacket
Version 1.0-3 of the SOL-ICE power, cooling and water production pack
Technology
As solar energy costs continue to fall, a workforce with new capabilities and needs will maintain our next-generation clean energy infrastructure. Advances in solar power will help the energy grid and power personal climate management equipment. Organizations will benefit from embracing design thinking to prototype and explore viable technologies needed to meet the needs of a new workforce. This often involves initially integrating off-the-shelf technology as a proof of concept, as shown in version 1.0 of the solar technician cooling jacket and power backpack. Iterations and refinement are needed and, in this case, resulted in the production version of the SOL-ICE (Solar Occupation Lifeline - Individual Cooling Equipment) system.
Note that the production version of SOL-ICE (shown in use on the solar technician above) reduced the original prototype volume by 43%, part count by 78%, and weight by 67%.
Implications
As global warming continues, technological innovation will be required to safeguard the health and comfort of those who perform new roles in extreme environments.
Related Concepts and Research
www.coolingcuff.com/science
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_water_generator
An article documenting the effectiveness of fan-attached jackets on www.nature.com
Futureproof is a series of occasional provocations illustrating possible future paths for technology and culture. Think postcards from the future.