SAI-R: A Community-Centered Decision-Making Framework for Microgrid Deployment

加强美国基础设施(SAI)是一项NSF计划，旨在刺激以人类为中心的基础性研究和潜在的变革性研究，以加强美国的基础设施。有效的基础设施为社会经济活力和广泛的生活质量改善提供了坚实的基础。强大、可靠和有效的基础设施刺激私营部门创新，增长经济，创造就业机会，提高公共部门服务提供效率，加强社区力量，促进机会均等，保护自然环境，增强国家安全，推动美国的领导地位。要实现这些目标，需要来自科学和工程学科的专业知识。SAI侧重于人类推理和决策、治理以及社会和文化过程的知识如何能够建立和维护有效的基础设施，改善生活和社会，并建立在技术和工程进步的基础上。电网是美国最关键的基础设施之一。所有公民和企业都依赖电网的完整性和韧性。然而，一些群体比其他群体更容易受到极端事件造成的干扰。在极端事件中，低收入家庭、老年人、有色人种和租房者最有可能受到能源不安全和能源负担的影响。该SAI研究项目通过设计移动社区微电网提供公平和可持续的解决方案，以提高电力系统的复原力，并解决能源正义和不安全的关键问题。移动社区微电网(MCM)是由可再生能源供电的小规模电力网络，可以在任何需要的地方运输。该项目优化了MCM的设计和放置，平衡了低收入家庭的独特需求、社区接受度和政府法规，以确保能源公平和正义，并最大限度地提高应对极端事件的弹性。这项研究促进了社会科学、电力供应和社区规划之间的跨学科合作，以提高服务不足社区的复原力和活力。微电网通常基于技术和经济指标开发。在优化过程中考虑社会和行为因素是具有挑战性的。该项目为MCM技术的设计和社区接受度开发了一种社会心理优化方法。基于社会、心理和行为概念，开发了一个以社区为中心的决策框架。重点是采用MCMS，优先满足低收入家庭的需求，增强电网的复原力。调查、离散选择实验、行为干预和社区合作设计被用来评估对母婴传播服务的接受程度，估计支付意愿，并了解社区的需求。使用实时智能电表数据和调查数据的大数据分析，将社会、行为和经济因素整合到MCM的设计中。该项目吸引了关键利益攸关方的参与，包括弱势当地人口和政策决策者。该奖项由社会、行为和经济科学理事会(SBE)、工程理事会和数学和物理科学理事会支持。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Strengthening American Infrastructure (SAI) is an NSF Program seeking to stimulate human-centered fundamental and potentially transformative research that strengthens America’s infrastructure. Effective infrastructure provides a strong foundation for socioeconomic vitality and broad quality of life improvement. Strong, reliable, and effective infrastructure spurs private-sector innovation, grows the economy, creates jobs, makes public-sector service provision more efficient, strengthens communities, promotes equal opportunity, protects the natural environment, enhances national security, and fuels American leadership. To achieve these goals requires expertise from across the science and engineering disciplines. SAI focuses on how knowledge of human reasoning and decision-making, governance, and social and cultural processes enables the building and maintenance of effective infrastructure that improves lives and society and builds on advances in technology and engineering.The electric power grid is among the most critical of American infrastructures. All citizens and businesses depend on the integrity and resilience of the electric grid. Yet some groups are more vulnerable than others to disruptions caused by extreme events. Low-income households, senior citizens, people of color, and renters are most likely to be affected by energy insecurity and energy burdens during extreme events. This SAI research project provides equitable and sustainable solutions by designing mobile community microgrids to enhance power system resilience and address critical issues of energy justice and insecurity. Mobile community microgrids (MCMs) are small-scale electric networks powered by renewable energy resources that can be transported wherever needed. The project optimizes the design and placement of MCMs, balancing the unique needs of low-income households, community acceptance, and government regulations to ensure energy equity and justice and to maximize resilience against extreme events. The research advances an interdisciplinary collaboration between social science, electric supply, and community planning to improve the resilience and vitality of underserved communities.Microgrids are commonly developed based on technical and economic metrics. It is challenging to consider social and behavioral factors in the optimization process. This project develops a social psychological optimization method for the design and community acceptance of MCM technology. A community-centered decision-making framework based on social psychological and behavioral concepts is developed. The focus is on the adoption of MCMs to prioritize the needs of low-income households and enhance power grid resilience. Surveys, discrete choice experiments, behavioral interventions, and community co-design are used to evaluate acceptance of MCMs, estimate willingness to pay, and understand the community’s needs. The social, behavioral and economic factors are integrated into the design of MCMs using big-data analytics of real-time smart meter data and survey data. The project engages critical stakeholders, including vulnerable local populations and policy decision-makers. Priority is placed on the integration of diversity and a culture of inclusion in the research process and community outreach.This award is supported by the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic (SBE) Sciences, the Directorate for Engineering, and the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.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.