Preface

The development of sustainable energy solutions needs an integrated view. Therefore, with The Power of Design we intend to fill a void in existing literature at the intersection of innovation processes, sustainable energy technologies, product development, and user behavior. As such, we aim to offer a unique publication in “product innovation in sustainable energy technologies and energy efficiency” to support recent and new developments in this growing field of industrial design engineering and research.

Many publications have been written about product design and innovation, sustainable energy technology, or user interaction. However, a book that integrates these topics and that fulfills my own need to transfer knowledge to students as an educational instructor and research supervisor in the field of industrial design engineering has not yet existed.

So far books that relate to sustainable product design usually cover the design process and the sustainability of products in relation to their potential environmental effects. Other publications on sustainable design supply information about green buildings, architecture, urban planning, and ecological landscapes, whereas our interest typically focuses on products – ranging from consumer products and vehicles to building components – but not the building as a whole.

Apart from this, existing books on product innovation tend to focus on innovation management and didn't cover our need for information and theories that could enhance creativity and innovation inside the design process. If we look at publications about sustainable energy technologies, it can be concluded that they provide information about the physical functioning of the technologies and systems' engineering, whereas the integration of these technologies in products and situations is hardly covered.

Summarizing, we could not identify a book that touches the integration of sustainable energy technologies in a product context and the related entwining of product shaping and styling, user experiences, financial aspects, environmental impacts, and the eventual manufacturing, and application of these products.

Therefore, we decided to develop and write such a book based on past experiences with courses and projects in the field of industrial design engineering at University of Twente and Delft University of Technology. For the reasons mentioned in this preface, we hope to fill a void in the existing literature on the application of sustainable energy technologies in a product context.

Due to the book's methodological approach, the reader will be able to apply its information and examples to his or her own research projects or product design processes. Therefore, you could consider this work as a reference and practical guide. The work particularly targets third- and fourth-year students and postgraduates in energy and environment and product design and engineering programs, as well as master's students studying industrial design engineering, manufacturing engineering, sustainable energy technology, environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering. In addition it could be a practical guide for academic staff members involved in research, industrial design engineers, engineers in industry related to product development in sustainable energy technologies, consultants in the field of product development and sustainable energy, and architects.

We wish that the information and examples offered by The Power of Design will inspire the reader and initiate enthusiasm about the application of sustainable energy technologies in a product context, because we are looking forward to new and innovative products with integrated energy solutions that will reduce energy impacts in this Carbonaceous era of human history.

Angèle Reinders
Professor of Energy-Efficient Design
Design for Sustainability Program
Delft University of Technology
Department of Design, Production and Management
University of Twente