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New England’s Evolving Electricity Landscape: A Renewable Energy Integration Study
The introduction of variable energy resources (VERs) like solar and wind into New England’s bulk electric power system necessitates fundamental changes to the grid’s operation. VER supplies are uncertain and intermittent thus requiring higher levels of operating reserves. We present the methodology and key findings of the 2017 ISO New England System Operational Analysis and Renewable Energy Integration Study (SOARES) commissioned by the ISO New England stakeholders to investigate the effect of several scenarios of varying generation mix on normal operating reserves. Insights into the emerging roles of curtailment, energy storage, and demand response as integral parts of normal balancing performance will also be covered.
Prof. Amro M. Farid joins the University of Massachusetts Transportation Center as an affiliated Researcher
Prof. Amro M. Farid gives invited lecture at UVIG
On April 27th, 2016, Prof. Amro M. Farid gave an invited lecture at the Utility Variable-Generation Integration Group (UVIG) Spring Technical Workshop held in Sacramento, CA. The presentation entitled: “Enterprise Control as a Holistic Assessment Method for Variable Generation & Demand Response Integration” featured many of the LIINES’ research on renewable energy integration assessment methodologies.
The presentation advocated the concept of “Power Grid Enterprise Control” which has been the subject of several recent blogposts. (See here and here). Traditionally, power system operation & control methods are conducted individually. In contrast, “Power Grid Enterprise Control” integrates these methods into a single simulation of how a power system enterprise behaves as a physical power grid tied to multiple layers of control, optimization and market behavior. Such an integrated approach provides techno-economic performance results of the power grid. Furthermore, it highlights trade-off decisions between technical reliability and cost performance. The presentation showed how enterprise control simulation can be used to study renewable energy, energy storage, and demand-side energy resources.
In depth materials on LIINES smart grid research can be found on the LIINES website.
Journal Paper Accepted at Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews – Job Creation Potentials and Skill Requirements in PV, CSP, Wind, Water-to-Energy and Energy Efficiency Value Chains
Job creation is a significant outcome of the development and deployment of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) technologies. With the complicated dynamics related to job creation in RE and EE technologies, this paper considers direct, indirect as well as induced employment opportunities resulting from various sustainable energy sectors.
This paper explores the factors affecting job creation, existing techniques for establishing the job creation potentials, and the required skill sets in the sustainable energy sectors namely; solar PV power, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), wind power, waste-to-energy, and energy efficiency measures. In addition, it provides case studies showcasing the variation of job creation in Germany, Spain, the United States, and the Middle Eastern region.
Figure 1: This figure represents available jobs within various renewable energy sectors. The figure was prepared by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) for the Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review 2015 IRENA Policy Day 9 June, 2015. Note that Solar Photovoltaic is the leading employer in the renewable energy sector.
For the RE sector, the study shows that available jobs and required skill sets heavily rely on the technology value chains of the specific industry. A further breakdown of the value chains allows for categorization of these jobs on account of their stability and permanency. On the other hand, jobs within the EE sector fall within educational awareness programs, energy efficient policies and regulations, and energy efficiency retrofitting which includes conducting energy audits and re-designing buildings to apply the necessary energy efficient measures.
The Input-Output matrix and Employment factor methods are considered in assessing the gross and net employment impacts of renewable energy deployment. The paper shows that employment factors vary widely based on the region studied, the size of the RE project, and the decomposition of the value chain. In this paper, employment potential is measured based on capacity installed, money invested or number of temporary and permanent jobs created per year.
The paper also provides a breakdown of skill types and levels required within the various sustainable energy sectors. Additionally, it outlines reasons for skill gaps within these RE sectors and provides recommendations on how to bridge such gaps. It observes that skill shortages or surpluses occur mainly due to poor coordination between RE development initiatives and skill providers such as educational institutions. Planning ahead within the RE and EE sectors to ensure better coordination is therefore, highly recommended.
As for the case studies, it is clear that the PV solar industry is at the forefront of job creation in the RE sector. This article shows the high growth potential of the solar PV industry and thus it’s greater opportunity for job creation. In the United States, energy efficiency strategies are predicted to create more than 4-billion job-years by 2030. Given the renewable energy targets and plans set forth by several countries in the Middle Eastern region, a lot of direct and indirect job opportunities are expected to be created in the coming years.
In analyzing the potential of job creation within the RE sectors, the article recognizes that indirect job losses resulting from phasing out fossil fuels, and the increasing electricity prices play a significant role in determining the actual net employment potential of the RE sector. On the other hand, this paper predicts the continued growth in job creation within the EE sector especially given the necessity for energy efficient measures to aid in curbing climate change.
Journal Paper Accepted at Journal of Enterprise Transformation – Axiomatic Design Based Human Resources Management for the Enterprise Transformation of the Abu Dhabi Healthcare Labor Pool
The LIINES Commitment to Open-Information
- Sharing all input datasets used to conduct the research for which no prior proprietary or security commitments have been made.
- Producing scientific publications in such a way that scientific peers can accurately verify & validate the work.
- Making the content of all conference, journal and book-chapter publications freely available in author preprint form. (Note: Most publishers allow self-archiving and open-distribution of author preprints).
LIINES Website: http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/liines
Energy-Water-Food Nexus Research Integral to the IEEE Smart Cities Conference
- The presentation entitled “Extending the Energy-Water Nexus Reference Architecture to the Sustainable Development of Agriculture, Industry & Commerce.” provided a high level overview of the types of couplings that exist not just within the energy and water infrastructure but also within end-uses in the agricultural, industrial, commercial, and residential sectors. Water and energy balance principles were used to systematically highlight the existence of trade-off decisions with the energy-water nexus.
- The presentation entitled “Extending the Utility Analysis and Integration Model at the Energy Water Nexus” featured LIINES research done in collaboration with the Water Environment Foundation (WEF). This work argued the need for integrated enterprise management systems within the water utility sector to support sustainable decision-making.
- The presentation entitled “The Role of Resource Efficient Decentralized Wastewater Treatment in Smart Cities” featured LIINES research done in collaboration with the German startup Ecoglobe. This work argued the need for resource-efficient decentralized wastewater treatment facilities as a key enabling technology in the energy-water-food nexus. It then presented Ecoglobe’s WaterbaseTM as such a technology.
A full reference list of energy-water nexus research at the LIINES can be found on the LIINES publication page: http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/liines
LIINES Website: http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/liines
IEEE Smart Cities Conference Establishes Itself as Premier Conference
LIINES Website: http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/liines
Searching for Smart City LIINES
- Smart Grids
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Smart Homes & Buildings
- Smart Transport
- Smart Environment,
- Smart Manufacturing & Logistics
- Open Data
- Smart Health
- Smart Citizens
LIINES Website: http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/liines
The All-New Dartmouth LIINES Website
LIINES Website: http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/liines