GCR: The Transition to a Sustainable Energy Future

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Transitioning the energy system from one dependent on conventional fossil energy to a sustainable energy system primarily supplied by renewable energy is one of society’s most pressing needs. Integrating increasing amounts of renewable energy into the electricity system is a technical challenge, as many renewable energy sources cannot be scheduled to coincide with the demand for electricity, but instead produce electricity when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. Another challenge as the energy transition progresses is to ensure that all communities are able to participate. This project pursues convergence research at the intersection of these technical and societal challenges, designing and evaluating policies, markets, and algorithms for a future electricity system. To do this, the project will build a convergent team of engineers, computer scientists, social scientists, and policy scholars along with key stakeholders representing urban dwellers, their electric utility, and the independent system operator. The project will produce new knowledge that accelerates the energy transition, by enabling the integration of large amounts of renewables into the electric grid. The vision for this project is to learn the ways in which energy technologies, grid algorithms, market solutions and policy mechanisms can be designed so they account for both the complex and changing scientific realities of the energy system and socio-economic goals. The project seeks to (1) understand community priorities around transitioning the energy system; (2) develop metrics for quantifying system costs and access that will be used to assess technological, algorithmic, market and policy innovations; and (3) evaluate integrated market mechanisms, grid algorithms, generation, storage, and ownership structures in the context of distributed solar PV and large-scale offshore wind energy. Accomplishing project goals requires deep integration of scientists and engineers from different fields. With input from community members and industry stakeholders, the project team will develop a common language to communicate across the varied disciplines, leading to the development of linked models that range from moment-to-moment control algorithms, to hourly electricity market mechanisms, to long-term empirical evaluation of economic and other societal impacts. The project will build convergence among the team and community members through an electricity market simulation. The results of the project will facilitate increased integration of renewable sources into the electricity system. The research activities and stakeholder engagement will also recruit and mentor students from under-represented groups and developing relationships with underserved communities. The electricity market simulator will be offered as a resource for community organizations and local governments seeking civic engagement and discussion of energy policies.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.