where does your interest, network, resource, and expertise
intersect with what the institute could foster in the coming years?
In the final round, each person was asked to consider what topic or focus they might consider pursuing if a Request for Proposals was launched by the Institute. The intention was to surface as many ideas with energy and potential to move forward. We specifically looked for intersections between research, education and engagement within this network.
With only a few minutes to consider and present their topics, 35 proposals emerged. In order to expedite the proposal design prototype exercise the next morning (during which we could focus on only 8 topics), we used a simple technique to identify which had the most energy or 'stickiness' for the group in that moment. Clearly, all the topics are worthy of exploring!
The eight topics we explored are listed first:
The eight topics we explored are listed first:
- How to measure/quantify resilience? How to measure its benefits/costs across multiple infrastructure systems?
- Design legal & regulatory provisions to enable coordinated top-down and bottom-up energy transformation
- Economics of Resilience
- Dartmouth Energy Curriculum
- Hydropower: Climate Solution and conservation (social & ecological) challenge
- The Dartmouth Microgrid: A model for a renewable, resilient energy system that can inform adoption of microgrids beyond Dartmouth
- Stories of a bright green future: Media envisioning positive sustainable future
- Sustainable Energy for Remote & Underserved Communities
- Seeding teams for NSF CRISP
- Hydropower: Climate Solution and Conservation Challenge
- Resilience of Interdependent Energy Systems
- Energy Internet of things
- When Worlds Collide – Climate change & energy justice
- Interactive online dashboard that gathers all students/faculty/staff interested in the energy space. Includes announcements, question board, resource database, event schedule, member profiles, related organizations
- Demand-Response systems of the Future
- Hardware – what systems exist, what new ones should look like, how do we make them secure/usable/efficient?
- Policy – what data should we collect, how should we use it, how do we keep it secure/private?
- Education – hands-on activities, classes, seminars, distinguished speakers, educated citizens
- Advancing the adoption of clean transportation (EV’s) for climate mitigation and grid resilience (V2G/Storage)
- Modeling Integrated Energy systems – industry involvement (data) & policy research
- Quantitative & qualitative policy and regulatory analysis
- Defining and quantifying parameters for resil/RE/Low E/Sust. Energy systems to inform regulation
- Explore how energy system practitioners define resilience and what promotes resilience at different scales and across sectors
- Regional/international partnerships to affect change for global energy consumers
- Build a simulation model that incorporates transmission, distribution systems to show impact of wholesale energy, capacity and ancillary price impacts on retail prices
- Electrification as a means of deep decarbonization
- Interdisciplinarity of complex energy systems (4 proposals were grouped around this topic)
- Research:
- i.Bringing innovative sustainable biofuel technology to the world. Important in its own right, also an example for Dartmouth
- Energy and the developing world, particularly the challenge and opportunity that come with external capital and expertise
- Education:
- An open program supporting new ideas from undergraduate and graduate students and visitors
- Energy oriented partnerships and exchange programs with other institutions
- Research:
- Contract text for PPA’s to firm up variable renewals
- What contractual provisions will encourage reliable, cost-effective, sustainable power; what contract standard in PPA’s will match use of resources to serve as “firming” power for variable renewables
- How to come up with metrics for addressing energy system resiliency risks
- Redesigning industry for green resilience
- Training and testing companies in decarbonized design & production. Demand reduction & flexibility
- How can universities evolve & innovate to be more impactful change agents for a just and inclusive energy-climate transformation?
- Upper Valley Energy Systems
- Model the physical resource systems (transport, power, fuel, water, food)
- Dissect local, state & federal structures & goods to advance inclusion & sustainability
- Decision support tools to help New England communities plan for (sustainable? Resilient?) energy futures.
- Design a framework (regulatory, markets, technology) and roadmap for future renewable and decentralized electric system based on layered architecture
- Valuing distributed energy resources: incentives, resilience and wires alternatives
- Bridging the gap between theory & practice in developing resilient energy systems
- Advancing an educational platform that promotes the social, economic, political and technical aspects of energy to focus on openness, collaboration, equity and sustainability
- Foster VT & NH (NNE?) policy shop on practical pre-emption/DR local control and energy & society (including regulated services
- 21st century energy systems for the developing world (power, transportation, buildings, industry)