The Smart Grid Vision & Sustainability

Jennie C. Stephens, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Policy Department of International Development, Community and Environment

A Smarter Grid and a Wiser Community DCU Center, Worcester, MA

April 24, 2013

Transmission lines Beijing China Worcester Green Jobs Coalition Hull Wind Turbine

Mechanisms for University’s to Contribute to Sustainability

Teaching Transdisciplinary courses/degrees teaching skills of integration, synthesis, and systems thinking – how to cope with complex interconnections, service learning

Research Faculty and students conduct research that contributes to confronting

sustainability challenges

Campus as a Model for Society Campus Operations, demonstrating role, the campus as a microcosm of society

Service within the Community Unique anchor /intermediary organizations Ability for long-term thinking, Convening Role

Stephens, JC, et al. (2008). Higher Education as a Change Agent for Sustainability in Different Cultures and Contexts. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 9 (3): 317-338

Increasing CO2 concentrations

World Energy 1850-2000

050

100150200250300350400450500

1850 1875 1900 1925 1950 1975 2000

Year

EJ/ye

ar

GasOilCoalNuclearHydro +Biomass

Increasing global energy

demand

Climate Change Primarily an Energy Problem: Reliance on fossil-fuel based energy systems

AIM NASA 2012

Holdren, 2006

Why are energy systems difficult to change? Social dynamics of energy technology innovation Socio-technical system change

With graduate students at Hull Wind Turbine

Wind

Marris, 2008

Smart Grid Geothermal

Carbon Neutral, 2013

Health/safety

Cultural Political

Technical Economic

Environmental Energy

Technology Deployment

SPEED (Socio-Political Evaluation of Energy Deployment) A framework to assess the complexity of perspectives influencing energy

technology deployment: How is discourse of technologies framed?

Environmental Communication Research How are emerging energy technologies talked about? What frames? What factors influence perceptions of emerging energy technologies?

Generation

Transmission

Distribution

Consumption blackhillsenergy.com

Storage

SMART GRID: A Shared Vision of Electricity System Change

Increasingly used term - incorporates multiple technologies Information Communication Technology (ICT), Renewables, Energy Storage Technology, Sensors Advanced Metering Infrastructure – Smart Meters and more……

Smart Grid A shared vision of change, but different priorities in - What technologies? - How much change ?

Source: FERC, 2012

Smart Grid Research: How does social and political context for Smart Grid compare regionally? What are different priorities and can they be aligned?

METHODS Focus Groups Interviews Media Analysis Policy Analysis

Financial Support: NSF Science, Technology & Society Program NSF-SES1127697 NSF RAPID Grant Science, Technology & Society (NSF-SES 1316442)

How is “Smart Grid” presented in the media?

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Different Smart Grid Technologies

Technologies   Examples  Transmission  and  Distribu/on   power  lines,    transformers,  voltage,  AC,  DC,  relays,  

capacitors  

Smart  meter   Smart  meter,  advanced  meter  

Energy  Storage   ba>eries,  fly  wheels  

Sensors,  informa/on  and  communica/on  technologies     sensors,  soAware,  hardware,  SCADA  

Renewable  genera/on   wind,  solar,  photovoltaic  

Electric  vehicles   Prius,  Tessla  

Consumer  load  appliances   programmable  dishwashers,  air-­‐condi/oning  

Consumer  interface  tools   websites,  apps,  cellphone  

How do different actors perceive and frame Smart Grid? Extensive Focus Group Data Collection

Each focus group 5-8 individuals from the same organization, 32 completed Shaded boxes represent focus groups planned – not yet occurred

Minnesota  MISO

Texas              ERCOT

Massachusetts    ISO-­‐NE

Illinois            MISO

Vermont            ISO-­‐NE

New  York  NYISO

Large  Utilities Xcel Oncor National  Grid COM-­‐EDGreen  Mountain  Power

New  York  Power  Authority

Municipal/Coop  UtilitiesGreat  River  Energy

Austin  Energy,  College  Station  Utilities

Shrewsbury  Electric  &  Cable  Operations

Energy  Services  Division  U  of  IL

Burlington  Electric  

Long  Island  Light  &  Power

Regional  Transmission  Organizations MISO ERCOT ISO-­‐NE   MISO ISO-­‐NE   New  York    ISO

State  RegulatorsMN  State  Energy  Office

TX  Public  Utility  Commission  

MA  Dept.  of  Public  Utilities  

IL  Dept.  of  Commerce  &  Economic  Opportunity

VT  Department  of  Public  Service New  York  State

Consumer/NonprofitGreat  Plains  Institute

Mass  Energy  Consumer  Alliance  

Citizen's  Utility  Board,  Perfect  Power  Institute

VT  Public  Interest  Research  Group  

Techies/Academics UM  EE  StudentsTAMU  engineer  students

Worcester  Polytechnic  Institute  

Illinois  Institute  of  Technology   U.  of  VT SUNY

Environmental  group

Theodore  Roosevelt  Conservation  Partnership

Conservation  Law  Foundation  

Illinois  Sierra  Club

VT  Energy  Investment  Corporation

Environmental  Defense

Key Actors Priorities & Perspectives

Consumers Reliability, low-rates, limited influence

Government (National, State, Local) Jurisdictionally complex regulation

Private Sector Accountable to shareholders

Electric Utilities Maintaining reliable service, responding to consumers

Technology companies Innovative & entrepreneurial

Environmental advocates Low carbon shift & renewable energy

Energy system researchers Technologically optimistic

Key Actors’ Smart Grid Priorities Linked to Institutional Structures

Tension: Centralization vs. Decentralization

Centralized – Supergrid with Long Distance Transmission

More centralized control, advantages of scale

Desertec

Desertec - Eumena 2012

Decentralized Local Energy Systems

More local control, more community connections, distributed power

Smart Grid Enterprise 2013

Different Perspectives on How Much Change in the Smart Grid Vision

Radical Change

Incremental Change

Technological nirvana potential to solve all

energy related problems

Upgrades, modernization of current system

Improving status quo

Superstorm Sandy – Oct (28-30) 2012

NASA GEOS-13 View, October 28, 2012

Cover page. Bloomberg Businessweek. November 1, 2012.

$65.6 billion – estimated cost of devastation and disruption

•  Highlighted vulnerability of energy systems – our increasing reliance on electricity for basic needs: communication, health, food, etc.

•  Reintroduced climate change into political discourse of the 2012 Presidential election – previously conspicuously absent

•  New awareness about energy infrastructure investments and climate change preparedness

Shift to include climate adaptation as well as climate mitigation

Smart Grid and Sustainability

•  Smart Grid an umbrella term – shared vision ▫  Development influenced by different socio-political

contexts ▫  Multiple technologies included in the vision

•  Key actors motivated by different priorities ▫  Decentralization vs. centralization ▫  Incremental vs radical change

•  Smart Grid has climate adaptation potential as well

as climate mitigation potential ▫  Superstorm Sandy highlighted our vulnerability and

dependence on electricity systems

Acknowledgements

Tarla Rai Peterson Texas A&M

Elizabeth Wilson U of Minnesota

Thanks to many who have

contributed and participated Financial Support NSF Grant Science, Technology and Society

Program (NSF-SES 1127697) NSF RAPID Grant Science, Technology & Society

(NSF-SES 1316442) Logistical Support Pamela Dunkle & Marsh Institute Clark University

Research Collaborators

Research Team

Ria Langheim ES&P MS ‘13

Xiao Chen ES&P MS ‘13

Ryan Collins ES&P MS/MBA ‘15

Will Maxwell Econ/ES&P BA ‘15

Melissa Skubel ES&P BA’13 ES&P MS ‘14 Sophia Ran Wang

ES&P MS ‘13

James Meadowcroft Carleton

Andrea Parker SUNY-ESF

Lauren Zeimmer ES BA’13 ES&P MS ‘14

Landscape for work in sustainability is changing

Conventional rules, norms and relationships among actors may no longer be practical.

Working together among

key actors essential – trying to understand each other’s priorities

Photo courtesy of Didac Ferrar

Publications available upon request Email: jstephens@clarku.edu

Website: http://wordpress.clarku.edu/jstephens/