Citizens and the Social Sustainability of Energy Infrastructure Siting (SEI)

能源基础设施建设的延误会提高能源成本，降低电力可靠性，并导致供应中断。 需要对能源基础设施的社会可持续性有系统的经验性了解。该项目使用各种数据和广泛的计算机模拟来开发和测试有关电力，石油和天然气基础设施选址的新理论。 公民和能源基础设施选址项目的社会可持续性将提供理论，方法和工具，通过缩短能源设施许可时间来改善社会福利。 该项目更广泛的影响包括一种方法，使社区更早地参与选址过程，帮助项目支持者确定对受影响社区的关键特许权，以提高接受程度，以及减少法律的和政治成本。该研究将作为克莱蒙学院新的能源社会可持续性课程的核心材料。项目的其他外联活动包括开发可持续能源倡议项目网站，该网站将提供所有能源项目的文件储存库和互动地图，以分发给选址从业人员和利益攸关方，项目目标是了解和预测公民对能源基础设施项目的复杂反对意见。比较案例研究的设计审查了公民对各种能源技术的风险和相关场所保护行动的看法，将公众接受度调查与关于能源技术类型和公民邻近程度的具体案例数据相结合。该样本框架包括美国西部的天然气和石油管道、高压电力线、天然气发电和风力发电项目。将选择七到九个历史选址案例，这些案例的公民和利益相关者联系信息是公开的。参与者将被要求完成关于风险态度的在线调查，沿着行为，人口统计和空间数据。将使用基础设施选址（现场）©软件。该软件集成了一个基于代理的利益相关者动态模型与地理信息系统模型，结构代理-基于人口，工程和空间数据的交互。In-Site模型模拟了以社区为基础的反对派组织的出现，这些组织在延迟或阻止能源设施项目方面非常有效。空间统计学和计量经济学将补充基于主体的建模，并允许对能源部门和选址问题的潜在反对驱动因素进行比较分析。

Delays in the construction of energy infrastructure can raise energy costs, reduce electricity reliability, and cause supply disruptions. A systematic empirical understanding of the social sustainability of energy infrastructure is needed. This project develops and tests new theories about siting of electricity, oil, and gas infrastructure using a variety of data and extensive computer simulations. The Citizens and the Social Sustainability of Energy Infrastructure Siting project will provide theories, empirics, and tools to improve social welfare by shortening energy facility permitting times. The broader impacts of the project include a methodology to engage communities earlier in the siting process, help project proponents identify key concessions to impacted communities to increase acceptance, as well as reduce legal and political costs. The research will serve as the core material for a new Social Sustainability of Energy course for the Claremont Colleges. Other project outreach includes the development of the SEI project website that will host a document repository as well as interactive maps of all the energy projects for dissemination to siting practitioners and stakeholders.The project objective is to understand and predict complex citizen opposition to energy infrastructure projects. The comparative case-study design examines citizens' perceptions of risks and associated place-protective actions across energy technologies, integrating public acceptance surveys with case-specific data about the type of energy technology and citizen proximities. The sample frame comprises natural gas and oil pipelines, high voltage power lines, natural gas electricity generation, and wind generation projects in the western US. Seven to nine historical siting cases will be selected for which publicly-available citizen and stakeholder contact information is available. Participants will be asked to complete online surveys about risk attitudes along with behavioral, demographic, and spatial data. Infrastructure Siting (In-Site)© software will be used. This software integrates an agent-based model of stakeholder dynamics with a Geographical Information System model that structures the agents- interactions based on demographic, engineering, and spatial data. The In-Site model simulates the emergence of community-based oppositional organizations, which have been surprisingly effective in delaying or blocking energy facilities projects. Spatial statistics and econometrics will complement the agent-based modeling and allow a comparative analysis of the underlying drivers of opposition across energy sectors and siting issues.