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

导航新北极（NNA）是美国国家科学基金会的十大构想之一。NNA项目解决快速变化的北极地区的融合科学挑战。北极研究需要为国家、更大地区和全球的经济、安全和复原力提供信息。NNA支持从地方到国际规模的新研究伙伴关系，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，并在适当情况下整合知识的共同生产。该奖项通过支持具有明确潜力的规划活动，以开发新颖，领先的研究理念和方法来实现NNA目标，从而实现了该目标的一部分。它整合了建筑环境和社会系统的各个方面，以解决重要的社会挑战，建立重要的教育机会，并与当地社区合作。北极社区目前面临着威胁其生活方式的环境和经济变化。设计和建造电力系统的新方法可能会帮助这些社区在现在和未来应对这些挑战。这项研究的目标是通过汇集研究人员、阿拉斯加农村能源专家和生活在北极的当地人来解决这些挑战。这些小组正在确定需求并设计研究更便宜、便携和基于可再生能源的电力系统，以应对不断变化的条件。这项工作的“适应性微电网”设计在世界其他偏远地区有应用潜力。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。社区研究人员的伙伴关系是开发可行和社会接受的微电网设计替代方案模型的核心。这项规划拨款的目标是建立这些伙伴关系，并与北极社区成员和其他阿拉斯加农村能源利益相关者建立信任。这是通过以下活动来实现的：(1)成立一个研究咨询委员会，该委员会由阿拉斯加地区土著组织、地区电力公司、阿拉斯加范围内的可再生能源集团和阿拉斯加安克雷奇大学的阿拉斯加土著科学与工程项目（ANSEP）的人员组成；(2)举办两次咨询委员会讲习班；(3)与北极社区召开研究小组会议，建立关系并收集初步信息；(4)发展与北极社区学校和ANSEP的关系，促进K-12教育和继续参与科学项目。这些活动正在为一项研究议程奠定基础，其重点是社区对能源使用的价值、设计和重新安置基础设施的经济权衡、综合供水和下水道系统对电力的需求以及优化建模的数据输入。模型输出为社区提供了构建满足其需求的适应性基础设施的选项。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。

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.