Browsing by Subject "Energy efficiency"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 68

Open Access
A Bottom-up Approach to Setting a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target for Charlotte, North Carolina
(2011-04-28) Brewer, Shannon; Martin, Emily; Thompson, Lisa
In 2007, Charlotte’s City Council passed a resolution directing City staff to: (1) Inventory City Operations Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions; (2) Establish aggressive and realistic GHG emission reduction targets; (3) Create an action plan; (4) Prepare a cost-benefit analysis; and (5) Adopt a budget to meet the emission reduction targets. The objective of this project is to update the inventory of GHG emissions from City operations and recommend a GHG emissions target, based on research into best practices as well as economic and technical feasibility. Several considerations are important to the City in the selection of a GHG emission reduction target. First, many other cities have set ambitious emission reduction targets that appear unlikely to be met by their respective target dates. Charlotte does not want to set an unattainable target that fails to consider technical and economic feasibility. In addition, the City hopes to set an example for the community by setting an aggressive target and by making consistent and visible progress towards reducing emissions. First, we interviewed a number of peer organizations, including other municipalities, universities and corporations. The purpose of this stage of our project was to investigate how comparable organizations set GHG emissions reduction targets and to document best practices for climate action planning. Our findings suggest that there is no accepted process for choosing a GHG emissions reduction target and many organizations set targets with little or no analysis into the economic or technical feasibility of achieving that target. The remainder of our work focused on identifying potential GHG reduction projects for the City and determining alternate emissions reduction scenarios. We decided on a bottom-up approach (starting with individual business units before creating an organization-wide strategy) to fit with Charlotte’s unique decentralized structure. Potential greenhouse gas reduction projects were identified through collaboration with five of the City’s key business units. These projects were incorporated into different scenarios based on several key factors. Using these scenarios as a basis, we believe that the most likely GHG emissions reduction that the City can achieve under current financial, technical, and political constraints is approximately 1% per year.
Open Access
A CASE STUDY ON BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURES AT W.E. HUNT RECREATION CENTER, TOWN OF HOLLY SPRINGS
(2021-12-04) Tan, Hui Chien
The Town of Holly Springs, located in Wake County of North Carolina, is interested in improving energy efficiency in municipal operations and facilities to offset increasing energy consumption and utility costs that are a substantial contributor to the Town’s budget. The purpose of this Master’s Project is twofold: a) to examine energy use in the Town; and b) to explore passive energy efficiency measures, particularly tree shade effect on annual energy consumption, for the most energy-intensive building owned by the Town. Quantifying the energy conservation benefits of trees in the urban environment adds value municipal tree planting efforts. This study utilized the eQuest energy simulation software to evaluate a series of proposed energy efficiency measures (EEM) on consumption and financial savings. The study concluded with recommendations on which EEMs to pursue based on savings generated.
Open Access
A Roadmap to the New Rural Electric Cooperative Business Model
(2017-04-27) Chen, Patrick; Metz, Kerri; Nanavati, Shaina; Way, Jesse; Yang, Jingqi
In North Carolina today, rural electric cooperatives provide electricity to 26% of the state’s population. Conducted for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), this project aims to assess the services that these cooperatives could offer their members as a means of improving their business model. Through a convenience and snowball sampling approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with ten organizations. After performing an NVIVO analysis, we identified the criteria of affordability, reliability, and customer satisfaction as the key variables that cooperatives use when assessing service options. Our research revealed continued to reveal the benefits, challenges, and priorities of these cooperatives in offering a range of services to their customers. While each cooperative in North Carolina is unique, we have recommended services they should offer based on their individual priorities and the readiness of each service to be implemented.
Open Access
A Strategy to Increase Energy Efficiency Investment in Public Housing
(2013-04) Kochanowsky, Amy
This document proposes a strategy for Environmental Defense Fund to increase energy efficiency investment in public housing. Improving the energy efficiency of public housing buildings represents a tremendous opportunity to decrease energy consumption nationwide. In 2010, PHA-paid energy expenditures totaled more than $1 billion, a similar magnitude to the $3.6 billion the U.S. Department of Defense spends on energy consumption in its facilities. Reduced energy use results in cost savings for public housing authorities (PHAs) and the federal government, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides utility subsidies to PHAs and oversees their work. Working with HUD, many housing authorities have used energy performance contracts to perform energy efficiency retrofits. These contracts will continue to be an important tool to enable housing authorities to invest in energy efficiency. As a leading environmental nonprofit, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has a significant role to play in helping PHAs across the country to invest in energy efficiency.Some housing authorities have already performed energy efficiency retrofits; many others have not yet become involved in programs to reduce energy use. EDF can work with housing authorities of varying levels of experience to help increase investment in energy efficiency nationwide. If EDF is successful in its strategy, it should expect to see housing authorities of all sizes using locally- or context-appropriate funding models to invest in energy efficiency. Working with public housing authorities, HUD, and partner organizations, EDF has the ability to help decrease our nation’s energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy use. These efforts can increase national awareness of the importance of making the country’s affordable housing stock more energy efficient. Implementing the strategy outlined here will help EDF improve the climate, preserve affordable housing for those who need it most, and demonstrate the significance of public housing.
Open Access
A Toolkit for Identifying Energy Savings at Colleges and Universities
(2012-04-26) Davis, Eliza
Across the country college and university leaders are beginning to recognize the financial and reputational benefits of saving energy and “going green”. However school administrators and other campus leaders face institutional, behavioral, and economic barriers to identifying energy-saving opportunities on their own. To address these challenges a “toolkit” was developed to help college and university leaders identify energy-saving upgrades and programs, calculate project costs and savings, and communicate the value of these investments to key stakeholders. The toolkit includes a menu of energy efficiency projects appropriate for college and university campuses as well as detailed explanations of how to calculate the expected project costs and savings. This resource walks users through the process of benchmarking and tracking campus energy use over time and introduces key calculations to consider for all energy investments such as net present value, payback period, and avoided greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally the toolkit addresses the importance of education and engagement for successful adoption of energy efficiency programs. Finally, the toolkit includes two case studies about identifying energy-saving projects at universities in North Carolina. This is a free and accessible guidebook designed for use by school administrators, faculty, staff, and students who want to identify ways for their institutions to save money, reduce energy use, and cut greenhouse gas emissions. The toolkit can be used as an alternative to hiring an energy consultant or enrolling in a green building certification program or as a complementary resource for an institution that already plans to take these steps. The author hopes that the use of this toolkit will encourage community dialogue on environmental issues and will inspire a lasting commitment to sustainability on college and university campuses.
Open Access
Aligning NYISO's Carbon Pricing with Existing Climate Policy
(2019-04-24) Stutt, Jordan
States across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic have implemented particularly ambitious policies to deploy clean energy and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the electric sector. These policies create a challenge for the region's electric grid operators, who must oversee the achievement of clean energy and climate targets while ensuring grid reliability and maintaining cost-effective electric service. To harmonize those objectives, three of the region’s grid operators have considered incorporating the cost of CO2 emissions into their competitive wholesale electricity markets. This project examines the effects of the carbon pricing policy proposed by NYISO (New York's grid operator) and offers recommendations on how such a policy could be designed to maximize low-cost emissions reductions and help to achieve the state's existing climate and clean energy objectives.
Open Access
AN ANALYSIS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AND CARBON OFFSETS AT DUKE UNIVERSITY
(2015-04-24) Kazarov, Elena; Baehr, Ellis; Tan, Jing; Zhang, Yee; Brasovan, Ashley
Many universities globally are embarking on voluntary efforts to become climate neutral to combat global warming. In 2007, Duke University adopted a goal to be climate neutral by 2024. The Office of the Executive Vice President established the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative (DCOI) in June 2009 to develop the University’s strategy for meeting its carbon offset goals. As the client for this report, the DCOI charged Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment Masters team with preparing a purchasing guide to aid in its strategy. The paper analyzes the options considered by Duke to meet its carbon neutrality goals, which include: reducing on-campus emissions through improving energy efficiency; buying carbon offsets on the market; creating carbon offsets through local projects; purchasing Renewable Energy Credits; and developing renewable energy resources on-campus. The final product sets forth a recommended strategy to meet the carbon offsets goals, including a timeline of purchases and an overview of costs. Given the University’s role as an institution motivated by both financial and non-financial goals, such as education and economic benefits to the local community, combinations of purchasing options are presented in three portfolios: the cheapest portfolio, the portfolio yielding the greatest co-benefits to the community and university, and the portfolio balancing costs and benefits. The cheapest portfolio recommends energy efficiency through behavioral changes on campus; purchased methane capture offsets; and methane capture offsets generated through local projects. The balanced portfolio recommends on-campus renewable energy (a Duke-owned solar PV system); forestry offsets purchased from local vendors; and Green Source Rider renewable energy (an experimental program implemented by the Duke Energy utility designed to give non-residential, energy-intensive customers the option of offsetting some or all of their energy consumption from new load with renewable energy). The highest co-benefits portfolio recommends Duke-developed forest offsets and Duke-developed methane capture offsets. A sensitivity analysis examines potential changes in the policy landscape that would affect the purchasing decisions favorable to Duke, including a price on carbon; changes in the cost of renewable energy; and a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard.
Open Access
An Economic & Environmental Analysis of the JetBlue Airways Ground Support Vehicles: A Proposed Implementation of a Cleaner-Burning Fleet
(2015-04-23) Lindenfeld, Sara; Tran, Michelle
JetBlue Airways Corporation, a Fortune 500 company based in New York City, is an airline that services 87 destinations across the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America. From 2010 to 2014, JetBlue has made its overall operations increasingly more energy efficient, resulting in an 8.3% decline in greenhouse gas emissions intensity ratio (metric tons CO2-eq per 1,000 revenue ton miles flown), which has also saved the company millions of dollars in operating costs. As JetBlue continues to enhance its efforts to couple sustainability with economic value, a logical next step was to evaluate JetBlue’s ground fleet for potential improvement. Our analysis focused on ground support operations at JetBlue’s Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York. Responsible for 13,800 metric tons of CO2-eq emissions, the function of ground support equipment (GSE) vehicles is to service the aircraft between flights. Our study included the three most used vehicle types—bag tug, belt loader, and push back tug—as they offered the largest opportunity for savings. Our study explored the economic and environmental opportunities associated with replacing current gasoline and diesel-powered GSE vehicles with electric vehicles, also called eGSE. This report first provides background on JetBlue Airways, its environmental impacts, and the airline’s sustainability program. It provides general emissions trends within the transportation sector before narrowing in on ground vehicles, where it details their specific function and describes emissions standards that apply to off-road GSE. The report then details the first step within our analysis in which we review JetBlue-provided GSE data, including a system-wide inventory and ground fuel expenditures dataset by airport. This report summarizes this data by describing the composition of JetBlue’s JFK ground vehicles by function, quantity, and energy inputs. We then consider energy reduction strategies for the GSE fleet by describing available alternative fuel sources and evaluating relevant efforts by other airlines and airports. The next stage of our analysis consisted of interviews with JetBlue employees and associated business partners and stakeholders, whose commentary and feedback have been integrated into the report. Data was also recorded on the ground at JFK to better understand the operation and retrieve accurate daily vehicle usage data. In the final stage of the analysis, all data was synthesized into a model that estimated how much gasoline or diesel the average bag tug, belt loader, and push back tug is using, as well as how much JetBlue spends per vehicle in powering it annually. Based off data from a GSE manufacturer, we calculated what the energy costs savings would be if all vehicles would run off of electricity instead of gasoline or diesel. Lastly, we modeled eight scenarios in which JetBlue would change a portion of their fleet to electric, and for each scenario the model projected fuel costs and emissions savings. Page | 2 Based on the incentives described in this report, we recommend the following for JetBlue’s GSE fleet at JFK: 1. Pursue push back electrification secondary to bag tug and belt loader 2. Launch pilot to test 1 charger, 2 belt loaders, and 1 bag tug at JFK 3. Apply for the FAA’s Voluntary Airport Low Emissions Program (VALE) funding 4. Set goal of 20% electric bag tugs and belt loaders in 3-year period (by 2019), replacing vehicles as they retire. In a worst case scenario where JetBlue receives no funding and pays the higher cost for all new vehicles instead of refurbished, JetBlue will save roughly $1.7 million and 36,500 metric tons of CO2-eq emissions across a 14-year timeline. 5. Set goal of 50% electric belt loaders and bag tugs in a 7-year period (by 2023), replacing vehicles as they retire. In a worst case scenario where JetBlue receives no funding and pays the higher cost for all new vehicles instead of refurbished, JetBlue will save roughly $4.3 million and 89,200 metric tons of CO2-eq emissions across a 14-year timeline. 6. Research feasibility of retrofitting 100% electric belt loaders, bag tugs, and push backs, replacing vehicles are they retire. This can maximize the opportunity to save roughly $7 million in fuel costs (assuming funding is received) and over 60,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions over 14 years.
Open Access
Analysis and Recommendation of Energy Efficiency Upgrades in New York City's Upper West Side: A Comprehensive Guide for Residential Upper West Side Cooperative Buildings
(2012-04-25) Rigel, Adam; Shao, Xiao; Martin, Emily; Zaheer, Azhar; Corsetti, Nicholas
New York City’s Upper West Side is composed of hundreds of housing cooperative (co-op) apartment buildings using No. 6 oil as their primary heating fuel. The use of No. 6 oil in less than 1% of the building stock citywide provided 86% of heating fuel related soot emissions for all of New York City. As a result, New York implemented a ban on No. 6 oil effective in 2015. Additionally, since a majority of these co-ops were built before World War II, these co-ops provide an opportunity to implement energy efficiency upgrades that reduce operating costs while improving air quality and reducing carbon footprint. Our analysis features a financial and emissions inventory model for switching from No. 6 oil to cleaner fuels. The volatility of fuel and natural gas prices plays a role in shaping our final recommendations. We show that short payback periods due to significant cost savings make the switch to cleaner fuels economically viable today. Additionally, we provide recommendations for a variety of other energy efficiency upgrades and retrofits that co-ops can integrate into their buildings as well as suggest mechanisms for their increased adoption. We also discuss the barriers to the adoption of many of these upgrades and technologies and suggest ways to overcome them.
Open Access
Analysis and Recommendation of Energy Efficiency Upgrades in New York City’s Upper West Side
(2012-04-24) Shao, Xiao; Corsetti, Nicholas; Martin, Emily; Rigel, Adam; Zaheer, Azhar
New York’s Upper West Side composes of hundreds of housing cooperative (co-op) apartment buildings using No. 6 oil as their primary heating fuel. The use of No. 6 oil in less than 1% of the building stock citywide provided 86% of heating fuel related soot emissions for all of New York City. As a result, New York implemented a ban on No. 6 oil effective in 2015. Additionally, since a majority of these co-ops were built before World War II, these co-ops provide an opportunity to implement energy efficiency upgrades that reduce operating costs while improving air quality and reducing carbon footprint. Our analysis features a financial and emissions inventory model for switching from No. 6 oil to cleaner fuels. The volatility of fuel and natural gas prices plays a role in shaping our final recommendations. We show that short payback periods due to significant cost savings make the switch to cleaner fuels economically viable today. Additionally, we provide recommendations for a variety of other energy efficiency upgrades and retrofits that co-ops can integrate into their buildings as well as suggest mechanisms for their increased adoption. We also discuss the barriers to the adoption of many of these upgrades and technologies and suggest ways to overcome them.
Open Access
Analysis and Recommendation of Energy Efficiency Upgrades in New York City’s Upper West Side: A comprehensive guide for residential Upper West Side cooperative buildings
(2012-04-25) Corsetti, Nicholas; Martin, Emily; Rigel, Adam; Shao, Xiao; Zaheer, Azhar
New York’s Upper West Side composes of hundreds of housing cooperative (co-op) apartment buildings using No. 6 oil as their primary heating fuel. The use of No. 6 oil in less than 1% of the building stock citywide provided 86% of heating fuel related soot emissions for all of New York City. As a result, New York implemented a ban on No. 6 oil effective in 2015. Additionally, since a majority of these co-ops were built before World War II, these co-ops provide an opportunity to implement energy efficiency upgrades that reduce operating costs while improving air quality and reducing carbon footprint. Our analysis features a financial and emissions inventory model for switching from No. 6 oil to cleaner fuels. The volatility of fuel and natural gas prices plays a role in shaping our final recommendations. We show that short payback periods due to significant cost savings make the switch to cleaner fuels economically viable today. Additionally, we provide recommendations for a variety of other energy efficiency upgrades and retrofits that co-ops can integrate into their buildings as well as suggest mechanisms for their increased adoption. We also discuss the barriers to the adoption of many of these upgrades and technologies and suggest ways to overcome them.
Open Access
Analyzing Household Drivers of Residential Electricity Consumption in Mexico
(2020-04-24) Siegel, Jess Sonya; Ullman, Amanda; Wu, Karen
In this study, we analyze the drivers of household appliance saturation in Mexico in order to support the ongoing development of a computer-based model for long-term projections of residential electricity consumption. Our findings inform future decisions regarding energy efficiency policies and capacity expansion plans of the electric power sector. With the most carbon-intensive electricity grid in Latin America, a growing population, and a growing energy-intensive middle class, Mexico has set goals to reduce energy consumption by 30% in their residential sector by 2030. In this project, we analyze 2008-2018 data from Mexico’s National Survey of Household Income and Expenditure (ENIGH) to investigate how household characteristics have influenced the adoption of various types of HVAC, lightbulbs, televisions, washing machines, and other household appliances. Additionally, we analyze how regional and climatic differences have especially affected heating and cooling technologies. Finally, we review electricity policies in Mexico to explore their effects on appliance adoption and make recommendations for future policies. Our findings indicate that, although the saturation of each appliance is influenced to varying degrees by different factors, socioeconomic status was a common significant factor across all appliances. The country could enhance its appliance adoption and replacement programs catered towards low income communities, enforce stricter energy efficiency standards at a faster pace, and continue collecting detailed data on household energy use.
Open Access
Benefits of Energy Efficiency Standards: The Case of Residential Refrigerators
(2021-04-29) Jain, Abhishek Sanjay
An integral part of the modern American household, refrigerators are ubiquitous. Characterized by their constant load profile, refrigerators account for a substantial part of residential energy demand. Improving energy efficiency standards for refrigerators can offer a sizeable demand reduction and therefore be a pivotal part of climate change mitigation strategy. This study quantifies the benefits of implementing energy efficiency standards for residential refrigerators by considering three policy scenarios. An in-house Monte-Carlo model is developed to replicate important considerations in the rulemaking process through which the Department of Energy (DOE) sets the conservation standards. Our results indicate that the existing standards for refrigerators can realize savings equal to the electricity consumption of about 400,000 average U.S. homes by 2025. While these savings are critical, the benefits of this conservation standard are inequitable. Our study provides insights into how the benefits are realized across all the consumers in the country and provides recommendations for improving the rulemaking process.
Open Access
Building an Energy Efficiency Supply Curve: A Case Study of Rubenstein Hall at Duke University
(2012-04-17) Devoy, Kealy
Duke University has a deep commitment to sustainability and a clear track record of constructing highly efficient buildings. The new North Carolina Building Energy Conservation Code requires that new construction be 30 percent more efficient than the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 standard. To determine the impact of meeting this new code, an energy model of Rubenstein Hall was constructed as if the building were being built new today. This model was used to assess the effect of energy efficiency projects on the building’s overall energy use. Projects fell into four categories: heating ventilating and air conditioning, thermal performance, solar gain, and lighting. The results of the analysis found that the entirety of the new NC Building Energy Conservation Code could be met through four projects, each with no upfront costs: reducing the minimum percentage of outside air to 15 percent (from 17-21 percent), altering the time at which thermostats return to set points from 5am to 7am, reducing the lighting power density to 0.9 watts per square foot (from 1.8 watts per square foot), and maximizing the window area at 30 percent of total wall area. These projects will result in a building that uses 43 percent less energy use than the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 standard, more than meeting the goals of the code. The energy efficiency supply curve generated in this report can inform decision making during the design phase of new campus buildings, as well as guide efficiency upgrades in existing buildings. Overall, Duke should have no problem meeting the NC ECC. That being said, there are still operational and physical changes that can lead to reduced energy use, which should be pursued to the fullest extent.
Open Access
Carbon Free Data Centers Through Solar Photovoltaic Generation, Battery Energy Storage, and Medium Voltage DC Power Distribution
(2024-04-26) Biehl, Kevin; Drewyer, Henry
Utilities, grid operators, corporates, and other stakeholders are tasked with meeting carbon emission reduction mandates at a time of rising electricity demand. Data centers are a significant driver of load growth, as they are expected to triple as a share of U.S. electricity consumption to 7.5% by 2030. Advances in direct current (DC) circuit breakers and converters enable a medium voltage direct current (MVDC) data center architecture that can take advantage of efficiency gains from DC solar-photovoltaic generation and battery storage. This study quantifies the primary benefits of co-locating these technologies, incorporating efficiency gains along with capital cost savings of MVDC power distribution relative to conventional low voltage alternating current (LVAC) systems. By quantifying these system benefits, this study highlights a cost-efficient path to meet growing data center load, particularly for data centers attempting to demonstrate 24x7 clean energy use.
Open Access
Carbon Offset Opportunities at the Duke University Health System
(2012-04-27) Wallis, Kimberly; Shown, Erin; Lin, Ye
Over the past century, global temperatures have increased in large part due to anthropogenic fossil fuel combustion. The impact of this change can already be seen in disappearing ice cover across the world. This trend has caused concern about the impact climate change will have on the environmental systems that civilization depends upon. Governments and other large bodies are acting now to address climate change; Duke University is among them. In 2007, Duke University President, Richard H. Brodhead, signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, and made the pledge to be carbon neutral by 2024. This master's project can aid the University in achieving its carbon neutrality pledge through the discovery of new and innovative carbon emission reduction opportunities within the Duke University Health System (DUHS). The opportunity exploration process consisted of: engaging in discussions with senior management, engineers, and staff; performing a broad literature review; and researching best practices at other institutions. Initial research areas identified were: energy efficient lighting, Energy Star equipment, sustainable medical and organic waste disposal, sustainable tableware, renewable energy, green purchasing, workplace transportation, and retrofits to existing buildings. After identification of the initial research areas, we reiterated the exploratory process and narrowed our focus to energy efficient lighting, sustainable organic waste disposal, sustainable tableware, and Energy Star equipment. In particular, the project focused on these areas within the boundaries of the Duke University Hospital (DUH) commercial-scale kitchen. After exploring each of these options, several promising opportunities became apparent. The upgrades in lighting efficiency are most viable at this time, although several other opportunities are likely to become feasible in the near future. The results of the lighting analysis in the DUH kitchen revealed a total carbon reduction potential of 100 tons over the lifetime of the project and the hospital would realize annual savings of $2000 in reduced electricity and maintenance costs. The results of the organic waste and sustainable tableware analysis are promising in terms of carbon reduction potential but prohibitive due to high costs. We recommend further analysis and collaboration with key stakeholders to discover strategies to reduce these costs. A broader application of lighting efficiency upgrades could further aid the University to achieve carbon neutrality, and simultaneously provide cost savings to the institutions involved.
Open Access
Closing the “Energy-Efficiency Gap”: An Empirical Analysis of Property Assessed Clean Energy
(2012-04-27) Kirkpatrick, Aubrey Justin
Until federal regulators halted operations, a handful of municipal PACE programs across the US offered property-secured loans from city or county funds to homeowners for residential clean energy investments. These loans, repaid through property tax assessments, addressed multiple non-price “market barriers” to residential investments commonly identified in the literature on the “energy-efficiency gap” – information barriers, transferability of investment, and cognitive failures common to high up-front cost investments. To elucidate the magnitude of the “energy-efficiency gap”, this analysis uses difference-in-differences models as well as a synthetic counterfactual to estimate the effect on residential photovoltaic installation rates of three California PACE programs operating between 2008 and 2010. When applied statewide, results predict an increase in installations by approximately 25 homes per year for an average-size Californian city, or 14,170 installations per year statewide.
Open Access
Comparison of Vehicle-to-Grid versus Other Grid Support Technologies
(2012-04-25) Duan, Zhiyu
With the accelerating adoption of electric vehicles, using the batteries in the existing vehicle fleet to discharge to the power grid when needed (vehicle-to-grid, V2G) provides a potential alternative for supplying grid support. This master project focused on the often-overlooked side of V2G, the energy efficiency, and compared V2G versus other grid support technologies in terms of their efficiencies and emissions. Given V2G is most suitable for regulation service, other available technologies serving regulation were selected for the comparison. The project adopted a fuel-to-grid scope when conducting the comparison among different grid support technologies, meaning the efficiency at which fuels are converted into final grid support, along with the associated emissions, were analyzed and compared. The comparison led to three major findings: (1) energy storage-based technologies achieve a lower fuel-to-grid efficiency than gas turbines do; (2) V2G is less efficient in delivering grid support than grid-dedicated battery banks and flywheels; (3) storage-based technologies, especially V2G, would significantly increase CO2, SO2, and NOx emissions.
Open Access
Connecting Residents to Resources for Energy Efficiency, Water Conservation, and Household Level Sustainability in Flint, Michigan
(2015-04-24) Sanker, Leyla
The UM-Flint Urban Alternatives House (UAH) is a LEED Platinum certified residential property redevelopment project established in 2010 through a partnership between the Genesee County Land Bank Authority and the University of Michigan-Flint. UM-Flint with community partners seek to use the UAH as demonstration project that connects residents in Flint and Genesee County to programs and resources that support adoption of sustainability measures to increase community resilience. Population decline and economic challenges are evident in the metropolitan Flint area, and energy costs place a larger financial burden on low income households. The desire to connect residents to resources that reduce residential energy and water costs while advancing adoption of sustainable practices informed development of this study.

The objectives of the study were to identify organizations and programs in Flint and Genesee County that provided resources or support to advance household level energy efficiency, water conservation, and sustainable development practices, to understand how these organizations are networked together, and to understand the opportunities and barriers they perceive relative to advancing efforts in the region. To meet this objective, the study focused on gathering organization level information and perspectives. Participants were identified using a snowball sampling technique.

Stakeholder analysis and social network analysis were the methods used to inform the study. The stakeholder analysis was completed using an integrated approach, informed by semi-structured interviews with nineteen stakeholders (n=19). NVivo 10 quantitative analysis software was employed to analyze stakeholder interview responses using a strategic perspectives approach. An actor linkage survey was completed by seventeen of the participants (n=17), and the information collected from the surveys provided data for the social network analysis completed using NetMiner10 software.

Forty-eight organizations were identified as stakeholders with direct or indirect alignment with the study area. Thirty-four of these organization were active in the study region. Analytical categorizations resulted in organizations being classified in three levels: type (i.e. Government, community organization, etc.), organizational alignment identified as 1) Community Economic Development, 2) Community Education and Engagement, 3) Health, and 4) Coordination/Collaboration, and study alignment identified as 1) Energy Efficiency, 2) Water Conservation, 3) Construction (Regular and “Green”), 4) Agriculture and Food Access, and 5) Recycling and Waste Management.

The first portion of the results section explores the themes found through analysis of the stakeholder interview data. The organizational alignments provided a broad context through which the themes emerged. Community economic development examines the role of stakeholders involved in housing programs, often supported by state and federal funding aimed at low to moderate income households. Community education and engagement highlights the important role of the utility provider as well as water quality and resources management organizations, and educational institutions. Health aligned stakeholders included those that addressed household hazards and organizations engaged in local food system work. Coordination and collaboration identifies that many partnerships exist, but only one local collaboration focused primarily on household health and sustainability. Opportunities and barriers are also examined.

The second portion of the results section features the results of the social network analysis. The social network analysis focuses on measures of centrality, exploring the properties of an actor (stakeholders represented as nodes in the network) and the prominence of said actor in the network based on the ties to other actors. Measures of centrality highlighted in the analysis include in- and out-degree centrality, closeness centrality, and betweenness centrality which are often positively correlated. The dominant actors and the deviations from the positive correlations found between the centrality measures are identified.

The discussion and recommendations section of the study notes that a variety of programs and initiatives exist that support energy efficiency, water conservation, sustainable construction, and overall household level sustainability in in the study region, but few stakeholders have a primary focus in these areas. Recommendations for ongoing stakeholder engagement with existing efforts and approaches to advance education and outreach objectives are made. The impacts of fluctuations in funding, particularly at the federal level, areas in which services are being centralized, and market gaps revealed by the study are discussed.

The study identifies several areas to advance residents’ connections to energy efficiency, water conservation, and household level sustainability, and concludes with the following:

Education is both an opportunity and a barrier to connecting residents to resources for energy efficiency, water conservation, and household level sustainability. The inventory of programs may serve as a starting point to connecting residents to these resources, and development of a social marketing campaign could advance both promotion and adoption of these resources.

Stakeholders in the Flint area are actively partnering on a number of initiatives and to advance community sustainability in a larger context. Building a shared understanding of household sustainability, understanding the strengths and limitations of partner organizations, and finding ways to creatively leverage resources through new and existing collaborations could support efforts moving forward.

Ongoing engagement with stakeholders aligned with fair housing, natural resource management/water quality, and local food systems is recommended. The important role of government in connecting to resources and advancing a collective vision is recognized. Building alignments with business and economic development efforts is also suggested.
Open Access
Correlational analysis of energy burden and eviction rate
(2019-04-24) Li, Paichen
Evictions occur when a landlord expels renters from residing in property the landlord owns. Recent data suggest that approximately 40% of residential households in California from years 2012 to 2016 are occupied by renters. The prevalence of renting along with increasing awareness of evictions make studying the causes of eviction a topic of interest for public officials, scholars, housing service providers, and the renter population among others. High cost of living is a direct common cause of evictions across the US. This paper examines and presents a study on the connection between energy burden (how much a single household pays for electricity out of its total household income) and eviction rate. Analysis relies on the application of quantitative research methods using census tract level data from 2012 to 2016 over the service territory of Southern California Edison (SCE). This study uses models that account for both time-variant and time-invariant effects of other key cost and household demographic variables on eviction rate. By taking this approach, the author attempts to separate an unbiased effect of energy burden, which could inform predictions about whether high energy burden is generally accompanied by high eviction rates. Preliminary results suggest that there is a borderline significant positive correlation between energy burden and the unobserved time-invariant census tract level heterogeneity that contributes to higher eviction rates.

Browsing by Subject "Energy efficiency"

Results Per Page

Sort Options