NNA Track 2: Collaborative Research: Adaptable Microgrids in Arctic Communities

航行新北极(NNA)是NSF的十大想法之一。NNA项目解决了快速变化的北极地区汇聚的科学挑战。北极研究需要为国家、更大区域和全球的经济、安全和韧性提供信息。NNA增强了从地方到国际的新的研究伙伴关系，使下一代北极研究人员多样化，加强正式和非正式教育的努力，并在适当的情况下整合共同创造知识。该奖项通过支持具有明显潜力的规划活动来实现这一目标的一部分，以开发新的、前沿的研究想法和方法来解决NNA的目标。它整合了建筑环境和社会系统的各个方面，以应对重要的社会挑战，创造重要的教育机会，并与当地社区接触。北极社区目前面临着威胁其生活方式的环境和经济变化。设计和建设电力系统的新方法可能会帮助这些社区应对现在和未来的这些挑战。这项研究的目标是通过将研究人员、阿拉斯加农村能源专家和生活在北极的当地人聚集在一起来应对这些挑战。这些小组正在确定需求，并设计研究基于廉价、便携和可再生能源的电力系统，以应对不断变化的条件。从这项工作中得出的“自适应微电网”设计有可能在世界其他偏远地区应用。设计理念还可以帮助人们建立更好的供水和卫生系统，从而扩大该项目的影响。社区-研究人员伙伴关系是开发可行的和社会接受的微电网设计替代方案模型的核心。这笔规划赠款的目标是建立这些伙伴关系，并与北极社区成员和阿拉斯加其他农村能源利益攸关方建立信任。这是通过下列活动实现的：(1)成立一个研究咨询委员会，由来自阿拉斯加土著组织、地区电力公司、阿拉斯加可再生能源团体以及阿拉斯加安克雷奇大学的阿拉斯加土著科学和工程计划(ANSEP)的人员组成；(2)举办两个咨询委员会讲习班；(3)召集研究小组与北极社区举行会议，以建立关系并收集初步信息；以及(4)为K-12教育和持续参与性科学项目与北极社区学校和ANSEP发展关系。这些活动正在为一项研究议程奠定基础，重点是关于能源使用的社区价值、基础设施设计和搬迁中的经济权衡、综合给水和下水道系统对电力的需求以及优化建模的数据输入。模型的成果是为社区提供选项，以构建满足其需求的适应性基础设施。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) is one of NSF's 10 Big Ideas. NNA projects address convergence scientific challenges in the rapidly changing Arctic. The Arctic research is needed to inform the economy, security and resilience of the Nation, the larger region and the globe. NNA empowers new research partnerships from local to international scales, diversifies the next generation of Arctic researchers, enhances efforts in formal and informal education, and integrates the co-production of knowledge where appropriate. This award fulfills part of that aim by supporting planning activities with clear potential to develop novel, leading edge research ideas and approaches to address NNA goals. It integrates aspects of the built environment and social systems to addresses important societal challenges, builds significant educational opportunities, and engages with local communities. Arctic communities currently face environmental and economic changes that threaten their way of life. New ways of designing and building electric power systems might help these communities meet these challenges now and in the future. The goal of this research is to address these challenges by bringing together researchers, rural Alaska energy experts, and local people living in the Arctic. These groups are identifying needs and design research on less expensive, portable, and renewable energy-based electric systems to address changing conditions. The “adaptable microgrid” designs from this work have potential for application in other remote places around the world. The design concepts could also help people build better water and sanitation systems, thus broadening the impact of this project. Community-researcher partnerships are central to the development of feasible and socially-accepted models for microgrid design alternatives. The goal of this planning grant is to create these partnerships and build trust with Arctic community members and other rural Alaska energy stakeholders. This is being achieved through the following activities: (1) Formation of a research advisory committee composed of people from regional Alaska Native organizations, regional electric utilities, Alaska-wide renewable energy groups, and the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) at the University of Alaska Anchorage; (2) Development of two advisory committee workshops; (3) Convening meetings of the research team with Arctic communities to build relationships and gather initial information; and (4) Development of relationships with Arctic community schools and ANSEP for K-12 education and continuing participatory science projects. These activities are laying the foundation for a research agenda focused on community values on energy use, economic tradeoffs in the design and relocation of infrastructure, demand for electricity by integrated water and sewer systems, and data inputs for optimization modeling. The model output is providing communities with options for building adaptable infrastructure that meets their needs. .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.