NSF Global Centers Track 2: Energy Sovereignty for Indigenous Peoples (ESIP)

这项全球中心第二轨道设计拨款支持基于解决方案的研究和规划，以开发可再生能源和微电网技术，以及相关的经济和可持续性数据，供土著社区使用，以支持能源主权。土著社区通常由偏远、分散的农村人口组成，他们的电力、热力和燃料能源系统规模较小，可靠性较差，对气候变化导致的天气模式和严重程度的预期变化的适应能力较差。为了协助解决这一问题，北达科他州立大学与北达科他州立大学、堪萨斯州立大学、利兹大学（英国）和马尼托巴大学（加拿大）合作，将与当地土著社区合作，团队成员与当地土著社区有联系，并将随着项目的成熟建立新的联系。目标是为土著人民能源主权（ESIP）全球中心制定所需的计划。ESIP计划在四个关键技术领域开展一系列研究任务，为全球土著能源主权提供可持续、可靠和高效的工程基础设施和解决方案。ESIP将直接与土著社区成员和实践的土著科学家和工程师合作，制定ESIP的研究议程。该奖项将集中在三个主要组成部分：1)听取土著成员的意见；2)与外部顾问委员会的反馈和定期会议；3)改进和调整中心的研究目标和任务，以反映我们当前和未来土著社区合作伙伴的需求。该项目还计划提供机会，让土著学生参与STEM研究和专业发展。ESIP将规划一套长期转型和短期解决方案的研究任务，以开发可再生能源和微电网技术，以及相关的经济和可持续性数据，供土著社区使用，以支持他们的能源主权。ESIP的研究重点领域是：1)小规模电力、热能和燃料发电；2)联合自主/综合配电系统和供应弹性；3)能源主权的社会、政策和社会经济方面。ESIP将为每项研究任务提供支持服务，包括技术经济、可持续性和化学分析。预计ESIP转型轨道1的研究将侧重于热能系统、微电网的进步、小规模废物转化为能源过程的过程强化，以及评估土著社区经济和环境效益的先进知识。轨道1基于解决方案的研究将计划扩展农村远程智能电网技术的能力，以及光伏热泵应用的进步。研究任务将根据调查反馈、焦点小组访谈和ESIP全球中心内土著社区成员的共识来规划。该奖项由全球中心项目资助，该项目是一个创新项目，支持以使用为灵感的研究，解决与气候变化和/或清洁能源相关的全球挑战。Track 2设计奖支持美国的研究人员将国际团队聚集在一起，开发研究问题和合作伙伴关系，进行景观分析，综合数据，和/或建立多方利益相关者网络，以推进他们未来更大规模的使用灵感研究。  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。

This Global Centers Track 2 Design grant supports solutions-based research and planning to develop renewable energy and microgrid technologies, along with associated economic and sustainability data for use by Indigenous communities to support energy sovereignty. Indigenous communities often consist of rural, remote, spread-out populations with distributed, smaller-scale power, heat, and fuel energy systems, which are less reliable and less resilient to anticipated shifts in weather patterns and severity due to climate change. To assist in addressing this issue, the University of North Dakota in collaboration with North Dakota State University, Kansas State University, the University of Leeds (UK), and the University of Manitoba (Canada) will work with the local indigenous communities with whom team members have connections and will build new connections as the project matures. The goal is to develop the plans needed for an Energy Sovereignty for Indigenous Peoples (ESIP) global center. ESIP plans a suite of research tasks in four key technology areas to provide sustainable, reliable, and efficient engineering infrastructures and solutions for Indigenous energy sovereignty around the globe. ESIP will work directly with Indigenous community members and practicing Indigenous scientists and engineers to shape the ESIP research agenda. The award will focus on three main components: 1) listening sessions from Indigenous members, 2) feedback and regular meetings with an external advisory board, and 3) refinement and alignment of the center’s research goals and tasks to reflect the needs of our current and future Indigenous community partners. The project also plans opportunities to engage Indigenous students in STEM research and professional development. ESIP will plan a suite of long-term transformational and short-term solutions-based research tasks to develop renewable energy and microgrid technologies, along with associated economic and sustainability data for use by Indigenous communities to support their energy sovereignty. ESIP research focus areas are: 1) small-scale power, heat and fuel generation, 2) combined autonomous/integrated power distribution systems and supply resiliency, and 3) social, policy, and socio-economic aspects of energy sovereignty. ESIP will provide support services for each research task, including techno-economic, sustainability, and chemical analyses. It is envisioned that ESIP transformative track 1 research will focus on thermal energy systems, microgrid advancements, process intensification for small-scale waste-to-energy processes, and advanced knowledge in assessing economic and environmental benefits to Indigenous communities. Track 1 solution-based research will be planned to expand the capabilities of rural remote smart grid technologies coupled with advancements in photovoltaic heat pump applications. Research tasks will be planned with feedback from surveys, focus group interviews, and consensus from Indigenous community members within the ESIP Global Center. This award is funded by the Global Centers program, an innovative program that supports use-inspired research addressing global challenges related to climate change and/or clean energy. Track 2 design awards support U.S.-based researchers to bring together international teams to develop research questions and partnerships, conduct landscape analyses, synthesize data, and/or build multi-stakeholder networks to advance their use-inspired research at larger scale in the future.  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.