HCC:Small:Human Centered Information Integration for the Smart Grid

该项目旨在帮助实现“智能电网”的潜力，这是美国电力基础设施的一个新愿景，其目标包括消费者更积极的参与，包括可再生能源在内的新一代和存储选项，以及新产品，服务和市场。 为了实现这一目标，该研究将开发一系列名为WattBlocks的开源组件，这些组件将为研究能源相关信息影响人类行为的方式提供新颖而有用的科学基础设施。该项目还将开发eSpheres，这是一种新型的社交网络应用程序，为用户提供可配置规模级别的能源相关社区。WattBlocks和eSpheres的结合将降低对人类能源相关行为的经验性、可复制性研究所需的技术努力。该项目将在两个案例研究中使用这一基础设施，一个涉及校园宿舍能源竞赛，另一个涉及社区家庭能源挑战。为了充分发挥其潜力，智能电网必须向消费者提供信息，使能源相关行为发生积极、持续的变化。在这项研究中要追求的中心问题是：什么样的信息，在什么时候，以什么方式提供，使消费者作出积极的，持续的改变，他们的能源消费行为？先前的研究表明，这种变化可能是由个性化的信息，一般和具体的承诺，可实现的目标，社会强化，反馈和财政奖励的适当组合，该项目将调查一些重要的研究问题，包括：（1）什么是面向消费者的，开源的，科学的能源信息基础设施的要求？(2)像eSpheres这样的专用社交网络技术在能源行为改变方面有哪些优势和劣势？(3)在什么条件下，什么样的行为改变动机组合会引发积极的改变？(4)哪些因素影响这些变化的可持续性？(5)能量数据反馈延迟（即1分钟、15分钟、1小时、1天）对行为变化的影响是什么？该项目将服务于代表性不足的人口，因为夏威夷大学是在一个EPSCOR状态。夏威夷大学大约84%的本科生是少数民族。WattBlocks和eSpheres将作为开源软件发布，为其他有兴趣研究与能源相关的人类行为的人提供新的有用的基础设施。最后，由此产生的见解可以通知面向消费者的智能电网信息系统的设计，具有潜在的显着的成本节约或服务的好处，为美国人口。

This project is designed to help fulfill the potential of the "Smart Grid," a new vision for the electrical infrastructure of the United States, whose goals include more active participation by consumers, new generation and storage options including renewable energy, and new products, services, and markets. To accomplish this, the research will develop a collection of open source components called WattBlocks, which will provide novel and useful scientific infrastructure for investigating the ways in which energy-related information can affect human behavior. The project will also develop eSpheres, a novel social networking application that provides users with access to energy-related communities at configurable levels of scale. The combination of WattBlocks and eSpheres will lower the technological efforts required for empirical, replicable studies of human energy-related behaviors. The project will use this infrastructure in a series of two case studies, one involving campus dormitory energy competitions and one involving community home energy challenges. To reach its full potential, the Smart Grid must provide information to consumers in a way that enables positive, sustained changes to energy-related behaviors. The central question to be pursued in this research is: What kinds of information, provided in what ways and at what times, enables consumers to make positive, sustained changes to their energy consumption behaviors? Prior research indicates that such changes can potentially be motivated by an appropriate combination of personalized information, general and specific commitments, achievable goals, social reinforcement, feedback, and financial incentives.The project will investigate a number of important research questions, including: (1) What are the requirements for consumer-facing, open source, scientific energy information infrastructure? (2) What are the strengths and weaknesses of a dedicated social network technology like eSpheres for energy behavior change? (3) What combination of behavioral change motivators, under what conditions, induce positive change? (4) What factors influence the sustainability of these changes? (5) What is the influence of energy data feedback latency (i.e. 1 minute, 15 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day) on behavioral change? This project will serve underrepresented populations, as the University of Hawaii is in an EPSCOR state. Approximately 84% of undergraduates at the University of Hawaii are minorities. WattBlocks and eSpheres will be released as open source software, providing new and useful infrastructure for others interested in investigating energy-related human behavior. Finally, the resulting insights can inform the design of consumer-facing Smart Grid information systems, with potentially significant cost-saving or service benefits for the U.S. population.