Browsing by Subject "Decarbonization"
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Item Open Access An interdisciplinary assessment of alternatives for the decarbonization of the electric power sector: Integrating operations research and geospatial analysis to identify cost-efficient strategies for the energy transition(2022) Virguez, EdgarA cost-effective pathway towards net-zero electric power systems requires an extraordinary deployment of new solar and wind generation assets. This aggressive expansion driving unprecedented investment entails a fundamental understanding of the challenge ahead of us. This dissertation seeks to provide a multidisciplinary perspective of research questions that shine the light on rapid and cost-efficient strategies for the energy transition. Integrating operations research and geospatial analysis methods, the dissertation utilizes a multidisciplinary approach when addressing three questions.
First, the dissertation examines the role of battery energy storage technologies (i.e., utility-scale lithium-ion batteries) on reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of an electric power system while simultaneously achieving a reduction in carbon abatement costs. The study uses a cost-based production model (day-ahead unit commitment and a real-time economic dispatch) to simulate the optimal operation of all the generation resources in the largest vertically-integrated electric service region in the U.S. The study explores a multitude of configurations to identify optimal sizing of battery energy storage systems when paired with utility-scale photovoltaics.
Next, the dissertation studies the effect of incorporating high-resolution data when identifying suitable land for renewable energy projects over a geographically defined region. Using a python-based user-friendly siting tool implemented in ArcGIS Pro to perform suitability and cost analysis of utility-scale photovoltaic projects in North Carolina under three scenarios (representing conditions ranging from favorable to restrictive). The study finds that the land suitable for utility-scale photovoltaics reduces substantially when parcel-level data reflecting local land-use restrictions are incorporated. The study's findings highlight the necessity of integrating detailed land-use data that reflects local regulation (zoning ordinances) into siting models while simultaneously increasing their spatial granularity.
Lastly, the dissertation analyzes the benefits of weatherizing wind power farms enabling their operation under extreme climates (winter storms). The study uses global reanalysis data with operational information from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) during the 2021 winter storm Uri to simulate a continued operation of wind power farms under low-temperature environments. The study finds that the financial benefits that winterized wind turbines would have received during winter storm Uri would have outweighed the capital costs required to implement ice-accretion mitigation actions (before winter storm URI).
Item Open Access Decarbonization of Industrial Electronics(2024-05-26) Koga, Haru; Wargo, Jamie; Wu, YixuanWith rapid electrification accompanying the energy transition, there is an increasing demand for printed circuit boards, which power much of the essential technology in society like personal computers and smart devices. Our study focuses on decarbonizing the Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) process in the industrial electronics sector, aiming to mitigate its substantial greenhouse gas emissions. The team partnered with Terralytiq to use their Climate Tech Library dashboard to assess the carbon intensity of the PCBA manufacturing process. The project quantifies Scope 3 emissions, assesses energy consumption, and evaluates technology costs, providing strategies for emissions reduction by identifying effective decarbonization strategies, such as renewable energy integration and manufacturing optimization.Item Open Access Getting to Zero in Latin America: Decarbonizing the Building Sector by 2050(2021-04-21) Luna Iniguez, HectorLooking forward, the decarbonization of the building sector will be particularly important to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement. In Latin America, operational carbon from buildings, which results from the energy needed to operate systems and appliances, accounts for 21 percent of total carbon emissions. Embodied carbon, which results from all the emissions associated with building materials and construction processes, accounts for 11 percent of total carbon emissions. Thus, achieving net-zero carbon emissions in buildings will require a range of actions, policies, and technologies that reduce both operational and embodied carbon. In Latin America, the IDB is uniquely suited to support countries formulate national and local climate plans—and deploy projects related to the building sector—that are consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement. This report aims to inform the IDB on a range of strategies inside and outside the building sector that could achieve significant reductions in buildings' operational and embodied carbon.Item Open Access Leadership for Thriving: A Framework to Lead the Business Community to Sustainable Behaviors(2023-04-25) Olivares, MagdalenaClimate change is a complex problem whose solution is still far from being on track. Although we have advanced a lot in terms of knowledge and awareness of the problem, we are struggling to transition to sustainable actions. Corporations have the key to unleash a substantial potential contribution to facing this challenge moving forward. Developing new business models that move their operations away from current environmental damage is needed. Their potential to leverage their connections with consumers and other stakeholders, educating and influencing them to be part of the solution, and joining efforts to adjust lifestyles and preferences for sustainable consumption also presents a huge opportunity. For these challenges, corporations need to face the transition from a technical to an adaptative approach. But corporations are not prepared to run this challenge on their own; integrating the environmental impact in the business model requires the support of environmental experts. This research is based on the hypothesis that there is an opportunity to enhance sustainable behavior transformation by improving communication and collaboration between business and environmental professionals. With this purpose, the research was done through a qualitative comparative analysis that looks to contrast the perspective and resources those professionals have with respect to climate change, looking for the interconnection of joint possibilities that can be approached in a more collaborative manner. The ecological self maturity, nature experience, and knowledge of environmental professionals make them the best candidates to support corporate change. But there is a learning challenge for environmental professionals as well, since technical acumen is not enough to lead such large and complex adaptative changes in human systems in the corporate world. This framework aims at providing a tool for environmental professionals to effectively hone their skills to lead and communicate with corporate audiences and guide them towards effective actions to tackle environmental change. Leadership for Thriving combines this perspective of leadership and inspiring storytelling with the optimistic approach of the breakthrough movement of thriving, which inspires the examples and reflections of this proposal.Item Open Access Radical Decarbonization: A Guidebook for Centering Equity and Climate Justice in the Built Environment(2023-04-27) Sarveswaran, SunithaUrban centers are the intersection between climate and humanity. Home to an ever-growing portion of the world’s population, cities are at the forefront of climate change, contributing about a third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Urban populations face poor air quality, increased and prolonged heat waves, and infrastructural threats from rising sea levels and flooding from extreme storms. However, these impacts are not often felt equally among urban populations; inequities are embedded into the very design and structure of our built environments. While discourse often centers solutions for climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions, solutions addressing inequities in the built environment and how they are fundamental to climate solutions remain relatively unexplored. This research examines New York City as an example of an urban environment with strong policies for climate mitigation through a critical lens, analyzing the climate justice potential for the city’s goals. It aims to support practitioners in NYC’s built environment to center climate justice principles in their work, using decarbonization as an opportunity to address the embedded barriers to equity in the built environment. It incorporates qualitative data analysis through semi-structured interviews to identify the key practitioners in this work and determine the resources they require to center climate justice in decarbonization work. The result of this study is a guidebook to aid in this effort.Item Open Access The Future of Heating: Evaluating Options for Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island(2021-04-29) Lazinski, Chris; Lee, CherylNatural gas service to Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island is currently being supplemented by trucked-in liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet peak winter heating demand due to a pipeline capacity constraint. Projections to 2024 show gas demand increasing while pipeline capacity to the island remains constant. The majority of gas usage is directed to space heating, and therefore reducing the island’s space heating needs could bring gas consumption back in line with pipeline capacity. To prioritize solutions, a custom evaluation tool was constructed and technological solutions were evaluated over seven categories: time horizon, serving capability, costs, return, environment, regulatory environment, and stakeholder support. The results of this analysis show air- and ground-source heat pumps along with district heating systems as the most impactful and feasible technologies overall. These strategies were then divided into short-term and long-term options. Short-term recommendations include the deployment of electric air- and ground-source heat pumps. Long-term strategies include the deployment of geothermal district heating or seawater-based district energy based around large usage customers within population-dense areas.