Alleviating Electric Grid Congestion: Understanding Consumer and Utilities Response to Infrastructure Investment in Distributed Solar Generation

分布式太阳能发电(DSG)为消费者提供了几个潜在的好处，包括更低的电力成本、价格保护、可靠性和电能质量，以及多样化的热电组合。此外，DSG有可能改变公用事业公司为客户提供电力的方式以及客户与电力系统的交互方式。为此，该项目的目标是通过了解客户和公用事业公司如何对其投资新资源的激励措施做出反应，来了解电网向DSG的演变。相关的教育部分将：(1)利用基于问题的学习将研究成果纳入密苏里科技大学和田纳西-诺克斯维尔大学的课程；(2)吸引代表性不足的学生；(3)通过在国家会议、区域讲习班和与利益攸关方举行的地方会议上举行几次小组讨论会和演习，提高公众认识。该项目将与田纳西河谷管理局(TVA)的东南电网密切合作，研究其市场结构、电价和人均用电量。更具体地说，该项目将：(1)收集关于TVA电网的物理组件(即传输线、交流输电网和发电机组)和不同相关利益相关者(即公用事业公司、住宅客户和商业/工业客户)的信息；(2)利用针对住宅客户的调查，研究影响太阳能采用的社会-心理和经济因素、参与各种需求响应计划的意图和动机以及日常能源实践；以及(3)针对商业/工业客户使用DSG技术的经验、他们对DSG的动机和担忧，以及对感兴趣的DSG技术的预期突破，与他们开展焦点小组。收集数据后，研究团队将使用结构方程建模(SEM)来了解影响不同利益相关者关于电力使用和DSG采用的决策的因素。通过这个项目学到的洞察力对于理解公用事业是很重要的。关于电网的投资和运营决策。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Distributed solar generation (DSG) offers several potential benefits for consumers including lower cost of electricity, price protection, reliability and power quality, and a diversified portfolio of heat and power. In addition, DSG has the potential to change how utilities provide power for customers and how customers interact with the power system. To this effect, the goal of this project is to understand the evolution of an electric grid toward DSG by understanding how customers and utilities respond to incentives in their investments in new resources. The associated educational component will: (1) integrate research findings into courses at Missouri University of Science and Technology and the University of Tennessee - Knoxville using problem-based-learning; (2) attract underrepresented students; and (3) enhance public awareness by carrying out several panel sessions and exercises in national conferences, regional workshops, and local meetings with stakeholders. The project will work closely with the southeastern electric grid of Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and study its market structure, electricity rates, and per capita electricity usage. More specifically, the project will: (1) gather information about the physical components of the TVA electric grid (i.e. transmission lines, AC transmission grid, and generating units) and the different associated stakeholders (i.e. utility, residential customers, and commercial/industrial customers); (2) use surveys directed at residential customers to study the social-psychological and economic factors affecting solar adoption, intent and motivation to participate in various demand response programs, and daily energy practices; and (3) conduct focus groups with commercial/industrial customers in relation to their experiences with DSG technologies, their motivations and concerns about DSG, and anticipated breakthroughs in DSG technologies of interest. After the data is collected, the research team will use structural equation modeling (SEM) to understand factors that affect the decision making of the different stakeholders concerning electricity use and DSG adoption. The insights learned through this project will be important to be integrated in understanding utilities? investment and operation decisions concerning a grid network.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.