Frank C. Pao has spent more than twenty years as a leader in the fields of energy and technology. The stated mission of his organization Climate X Change is to focus on achieving an equitable zero-emissions economy through means of an advanced state policy. Sampan recently had the opportunity to ask Mr. Pao about this delicate balance between the urgency of saving the planet while dealing with the sometimes volatile and unpredictable nature of the human condition.
SAMPAN: One of the more interesting and refreshing elements of your new book For the Beauty of the Earth: Solutions to Net Zero Energy is that you don’t have a dire undertone. More often than not, the mass public is drawn towards apocalyptic images and frantic calls for change or else. We are certainly in a crisis situation, with July being the hottest month in recorded history, but your book is both informative and illuminating. How do you build and sustain hope for our future in the light of these dark climate times?
PAO: Right now, we are still highly dependent on fossil fuel despite the renewable energy resources available. On the positive note, recently, the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) has come up with incentives on converting sand to silicon which is a very important step. Hopefully, states like Massachusetts and New York will join together and set up a silicon processing plant which will slowly reduce our usage of fossil fuel. Meanwhile, we could start planning to deploy machineries to start manufacturing solar cells and make active energy materials like BIPV products. Another positive note is that in June, we started a Trans-Atlantic Climate Alliance between Europe and the US in order to speed up the development and deployment of solar technologies. Company representatives from New York and Massachusetts got together with representatives from Germany, Austria and Switzerland to see how we could exchange on technical know-how and expedite the situation on technical and manufacturing development in a massive way so that the Building Integrated Photovoltaic and Thermal products will be more affordable average household as well as help out on Climate Change.
SAMPAN: Is there a way you can distill the BITERS (Building Integrated Thermal Electric Roofing System) hybrid system into a practical, immediately understandable concept for our readers? It seems (as you put it in your introduction) that the goal is to make sure we rely less on the grid. If by “the grid” we mean an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers, who is improving and sustaining it? How old is it? Are innovators like yourself collaborating with FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) to make systems like BITERS reliable?
PAO: Yes, our grids are getting old and some of them are a bit outdated. In addition, transmission lines are costly. Moreover, as high as 30% energy is lost during transmission. In the Climate Change concerns, more horrific storms could be anticipated that will result in getting more power outages to homes and buildings that could be deadly to a lot of people especially in the winters. Nowadays, hacking is getting more prevalent especially from our adversaries like Russia or some domestic terrorists. Now is the time to learn more about solar technologies so that we know how to handle them in case there are problems. Meanwhile, it is important that the homes are well insulated and built to withstand heavy storms. We collaborate with certifying agents like UL, ETL and TUV. I am proud and happy to say that our BITERS are reliable because they have been around for over 15 years and with not a single complaint.
SAMPAN: You do an admirable job delineating how coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear power, and water have been used. What energy sources have yet to be accessed? Are there sources inadequately or improperly accessed?
PAO: Hydrogen is an important energy source especially when it is green. It is going to be one of the major sources of energy. Toyota and BMW are producing hydrogen cars. In Holland, they have bought a couple hundred of them for their taxis. At the current moment in the US, there are hardly any hydrogen fueling station infrastructures except in California. Filling up a tank of hydrogen is a lot faster than charging batteries. As to improperly assessing resources, fracking through obtaining fossil fuel is a concern that would affect pollution and the groundwater system due to chemicals used in the process. It is better not to do it instead start considering hydrogen and silicon which are abundant and clean. Hydrogen has a much higher energy density than fossil fuel.
SAMPAN: Some of the buildings profiled in Chapter 2 (Major Projects and Iconic Projects) are quite aesthetically beautiful, especially Seven Caltrans in California, Sunflower at night in Texas, the Umwelt Arena (especially its Sunflower) in Switzerland, How does a Frank Lloyd Wright perspective and feng shui factor into success based on your objectives?
PAO: On the Future House USA project, I was working with our marketing director, the late Louse Demetri. He was from Illinois and had seen quite a bit of Frank Lloyd Wright’s home. Then I spoke to him on the Chinese feng shui at home where entrance and exit, with high ceilings with a lot of natural light are important and where one hardly sees or feels any obstruction or discomfort. We decided there are some matches to Frank Lloyd Wright home designs that he had seen in Illinois. It is how we jointly made that statement.
SAMPAN: Could you please elaborate on some of the major innovations in the Green Cherokee Home in Raleigh, North Carolina? Everything from the subterranean elements (geothermal, rainwater catchment system) to the tree preservation seems focused on a holistic approach to net zero energy. Whether it’s with residencies, greenhouses, or transportation, it seems you’re following the old proverb of seeing the forest for the trees. How important is that for your mission?
PAO: Cherokee Home was designed by a world-renowned solar Technology architect William McDonough who had thought out all the natural. Our company, Atlantis Energy Systems Inc., mainly supplied the Sunslate and the thermal system. Aside from all the advanced systems and appliances, it is very important that a home is close to mother nature. We need them more than they need us and respect co-existence.
SAMPAN: Where do we go from here? You end your book with a classic line from Chaucer: “Time and tide wait for no man.” The Massachusetts Governor declared a migrant crisis state of emergency on August 8. There are so many people in need right now, here, throughout the country, and throughout the world. How have these needs put a strain on the grid? Are the political implications here too incendiary, or do you think there’s a clear path to serving human society and preserving (and even improving) our natural resources?
PAO: It is unfortunate that so many migrants have been shipped to northern states. Considering the size of our country, we should be able to handle it. Most southern states should be able take care of them instead of the north. Take Germany, considering having one third of our population, they managed to get one million into the country. A great portion of the potential immigrants could be good citizens. Our nation is a land of immigrants, and we all have to make the best out of it. As for housing availability, we should be thankful to our mayor and governor because they have started implementing rent control so that people will not be driven out of their homes. It is a great beginning, and we can do better.
Looking at the current political situation, fossil companies are continuing to get subsidies which should be slowly faced out while taking a much more active role on renewables. Let us hope we have the political will to do so.
Meanwhile, the Trans-Atlantic Climate Alliance is working hard in looking at advanced manufacturing machinery to automate the deployment of BIPV and BIPVT products so that they will be more affordable. The massive installation of these active building products could be beneficial to solving climate change. Though we might not be able to meet the UN deadline, it is better to be late than never. As to the strain of the grid, making individual homes and buildings as micro-grids would be one of the main solutions.
