Alleviating Electric Grid Congestion: Understanding Consumer and Utilities Response to Infrastructure Investment in Distributed Solar Generation

分布式太阳能发电（DSG）为消费者提供了几个潜在的好处，包括更低的电力成本、价格保护、可靠性和电力质量，以及多样化的热能和电力组合。此外，DSG有可能改变公用事业公司为客户提供电力的方式，以及客户与电力系统的互动方式。为此，该项目的目标是通过了解客户和公用事业公司对新资源投资激励的反应，了解电网向DSG的演变。相关的教育部分将：(1)采用基于问题的学习方法，将研究成果整合到密苏里科技大学和田纳西大学诺克斯维尔分校的课程中；(2)吸引代表性不足的学生；(3)通过在国家会议、区域讲习班和与利益攸关方的地方会议上开展若干小组会议和练习，提高公众意识。该项目将与田纳西河谷管理局（TVA）的东南电网密切合作，研究其市场结构、电价和人均用电量。更具体地说，该项目将：(1)收集有关TVA电网的物理组成部分（即输电线路、交流输电网和发电机组）和不同相关利益相关者（即公用事业、住宅客户和商业/工业客户）的信息；(2)使用针对住宅用户的调查，研究影响太阳能采用的社会心理和经济因素，参与各种需求响应计划的意图和动机，以及日常能源实践；(3)与商业/工业客户进行焦点小组讨论，了解他们使用DSG技术的经验、他们对DSG的动机和关注，以及他们感兴趣的DSG技术的预期突破。在收集数据后，研究团队将使用结构方程模型（SEM）来了解影响不同利益相关者关于电力使用和DSG采用的决策因素。从这个项目中学到的见解对于理解公用事业将是非常重要的。有关电网的投资和运营决策。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。

Distributed solar generation (DSG) offers several potential benefits for consumers including lower cost of electricity, price protection, reliability and power quality, and a diversified portfolio of heat and power. In addition, DSG has the potential to change how utilities provide power for customers and how customers interact with the power system. To this effect, the goal of this project is to understand the evolution of an electric grid toward DSG by understanding how customers and utilities respond to incentives in their investments in new resources. The associated educational component will: (1) integrate research findings into courses at Missouri University of Science and Technology and the University of Tennessee - Knoxville using problem-based-learning; (2) attract underrepresented students; and (3) enhance public awareness by carrying out several panel sessions and exercises in national conferences, regional workshops, and local meetings with stakeholders. The project will work closely with the southeastern electric grid of Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and study its market structure, electricity rates, and per capita electricity usage. More specifically, the project will: (1) gather information about the physical components of the TVA electric grid (i.e. transmission lines, AC transmission grid, and generating units) and the different associated stakeholders (i.e. utility, residential customers, and commercial/industrial customers); (2) use surveys directed at residential customers to study the social-psychological and economic factors affecting solar adoption, intent and motivation to participate in various demand response programs, and daily energy practices; and (3) conduct focus groups with commercial/industrial customers in relation to their experiences with DSG technologies, their motivations and concerns about DSG, and anticipated breakthroughs in DSG technologies of interest. After the data is collected, the research team will use structural equation modeling (SEM) to understand factors that affect the decision making of the different stakeholders concerning electricity use and DSG adoption. The insights learned through this project will be important to be integrated in understanding utilities? investment and operation decisions concerning a grid network.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.