CAS-Climate: CAREER: A Unified Zero-Carbon-Driven Design Framework for Accelerating Power Grid Deep Decarbonization (ZERO-ACCELERATOR)

NSF CAREER项目旨在建立一个变革性和融合性的零碳驱动框架，将迫切需要的碳视角添加到电力系统的设计，运营和控制中。该项目将为严重依赖化石燃料和碳密集型工艺的电力系统带来变革性变化。这将通过开发新的碳驱动机制、方法和算法并将其整合到现有的电网运营模式中来实现，以加速其脱碳。该项目的知识价值包括：1）一个数学框架来模拟碳配额分配和远期排放交易，2）碳平衡市场的假设，作为一个现货市场机制，以维持持续的电网清洁度，3）基于负荷分布的碳核算和预测方法，与一个集成的电力-碳数字孪生配对，4）博弈论碳响应计划，以最大限度地减少需求方的碳排放。该项目的广泛影响包括：1）为政策制定者、电力生产商、电网运营商和消费者提供一个综合蓝图，说明他们各自在加快电力部门脱碳方面的作用，2）解决当前的知识差距，提高美国劳动力和教室对能源转型的认识，3）加强休斯顿在全球能源转型中的领导地位。过时的资产，完善的监管结构和严格的运营要求使电力系统脱碳具有挑战性。该项目旨在建立一个迫切需要的碳驱动框架，以符合美国政府到2035年实现电力行业完全脱碳的承诺，同时保持其理想的运营特征和社会责任。该项目将回答以下关键研究问题：1）如何设计一个有效的碳排放配额分配策略，以激励减排行动，而不会对纳税人造成过多的成本？2)如何将新的排放交易机制纳入现有的电力市场，以促进有效的碳交易？3)如何准确测量和预测消费者用电活动的碳影响，如何设计需求驱动的碳减排需求侧机制？该项目还将培训下一代能源劳动力，使他们能够理解、参与并最终领导能源转型。该奖项反映了NSF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 NSF CAREER project aims to establish a transformative and convergent zero-carbon-driven framework to add the urgently needed carbon perspective into the design, operation, and control of electric power systems. The project will bring transformative changes to electric power systems, which are heavily dependent on fossil fuels and carbon-intensive processes. This will be achieved by developing and integrating new carbon-driven mechanisms, methodologies, and algorithms into the existing power grid operation paradigm to accelerate its decarbonization. The intellectual merits of the project include: 1) A mathematical framework to model carbon allowance allocation and forward emission trading, 2) the hypothesis of a carbon balance market as a spot market mechanism for maintaining continuous grid cleanliness, 3) load profile-based carbon accounting and forecasting methods, paired with an integrated electricity-carbon digital twin, 4) a game theoretic carbon response program to maximize demand-side carbon reduction. The broader impacts of the project include: 1) Providing an integrative blueprint for policymakers, electricity producers, grid operators, and consumers regarding their respective roles in expediting the decarbonization of the electric power sector, 2) addressing the current knowledge gap and raising awareness of energy transition within the U.S. workforce and classrooms, and 3) strengthening Houston's leadership in the global energy transition.Outdated assets, well-established regulatory structures, and rigid operational requirements make power system decarbonization challenging. This project aims to establish an urgently needed carbon-driven framework to align with the U.S. government’s commitment to fully decarbonize the power sector by 2035, while maintaining its desired operational characteristics and societal responsibilities. The project will answer the following key research questions: 1) How to design an effective carbon allowance assignment strategy to incentivize emission reduction actions without imposing excessive costs on ratepayers? 2) How can new emission trading mechanisms be integrated into the existing electricity market to facilitate efficient carbon exchange? 3) How can the carbon impacts of consumers' electricity consumption activities be accurately measured and forecasted, and how to design demand-side mechanisms for demand-driven carbon reduction? The project will also train the next-generation energy workforce, and prepare them to understand, engage in, and ultimately, lead the energy transition.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.