I-Corps: Assessing the Challenges of Energy Systems and Evaluating the Suitability of Mobile Energy Storage Transmission

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是改善岛屿社区的电力供应，并使沿海能源系统在自然灾害后能够具有成本效益地恢复。与大陆地区相比，电网薄弱地区和岛屿社区通常难以获得负担得起的、有弹性的清洁能源解决方案。自然灾害的频率和严重程度正在增加；有弹性和灵活的电力供应系统比以往任何时候都更加重要，特别是对岛屿社区而言。制定有效的恢复决策涉及能源系统的不同准备策略，并可以大大改善由此产生的经济和社区影响。该项目将通过一项新技术，即移动储能传输，有效地向岛屿社区输送能源。近年来，储能技术在成本、尺寸和性能方面的改进，使得这项创新技术具有技术经济可行性。MEST的实施将改善岛屿社区的长期能源获取，并为短期危机提供快速部署、灵活、负担得起和有弹性的电力输送系统。MEST的出现恰逢岛屿能源系统日益重要；随着海平面上升，岛屿国家继续发展，可持续能源系统的发展将成为未来几十年高增长的市场。这个I-Corps项目所依据的调查结果指出，在处理基础设施系统之间的相互依存关系方面存在重大挑战，特别是与能源系统在其他基础设施和社区的灾后恢复过程中所起的作用有关。拟议的调查解决了基础设施网络弹性和多行业影响之间缺失的联系，以更有效地指导准备和恢复决策。该项目将评价岛屿社区的环境技术具体应用情况；弥补了传统电缆传输的不足。虽然陆上电缆传输是一种高效、低成本的电力传输方式，但海底电缆传输成本高，且往往导致电力供应冗余性差。这种新型的传输模式由商业上可用的组件组成，使用电池和传统的货运将电力从一个市场转移到另一个市场；提供与海底电缆互连器相称的服务，但具有传统电网级储能系统的灵活性、弹性和许多优点。MEST是建立在既定的经济理论、储能技术和各种市场数据的基础上的。研究表明，MEST在长期岛屿供电和短期救灾方面都具有潜力。这些发现的结合表明，在I-Corps项目之后，MEST的影响和商业化前景广阔。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to improve electricity access for island communities and enable cost-effective restoration of coastal energy systems following natural disasters. Grid-weak regions and island communities typically have poor access to affordable, resilient, and clean energy solutions compared to their mainland counterparts. The frequency and severity of natural disasters is increasing; resilient and flexible electricity supply systems are more critical than ever, especially for island communities. Making effective recovery decisions addresses the different strategies of preparedness for energy systems and can drastically improve resulting economic and community impacts. This project will enable the efficient transmission of energy to island communities through a new technology, mobile energy storage transmission (MEST). The recent improvements of energy storage technology cost, size, and performance have resulted in technoeconomic feasibility of this innovative technology. Implementation of MEST will both improve long-term energy access for island communities and provide rapidly-deployable, flexible, affordable, and resilient electricity delivery systems for short-term crises. The advent of MEST coincides with the increasing importance of island energy systems; a market earmarked for high-growth over coming decades as sea levels rise, island nations continue to develop, and emphasis is put on development of sustainable energy systems.This I-Corps project is based on findings which identified a significant challenge in addressing the interdependency between infrastructure systems, in particular, pertaining to the role that energy systems play in the disaster recovery process of other infrastructures and communities. The proposed investigation addresses a missing link between resilience of infrastructure networks and multi-industry impacts to more effectively guide preparedness and recovery decisions. This project will evaluate scenario-specific applications of MEST for island communities; complementing the shortcomings of conventional cabled transmission. While on-shore cabled transmission is an efficient and low-cost mode of transporting electricity, subsea cabled transmission is costly and often results in poor redundancy of electricity supply. This novel transmission model, comprised of commercially available components, uses batteries and conventional freight transportation to move electricity from one market to another; providing service commensurate to a subsea cabled interconnector, but with added flexibility, resilience, and many benefits of traditional grid-level energy storage systems. MEST is founded on established economic theory, energy storage technology, and various market data. Research indicates potential for MEST in both long-term island power provision and short-term disaster relief. The combination of these findings indicates a promising future for impact and commercialization of MEST following this I-Corps project.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.