Digital Commons Network^™

The Potential Of Stakeholder Engagement To Improve Outcomes Of Foreign Investments In Renewable Energy Projects In Lower Income Countries, Grace Hickey

CMC Senior Theses

Renewable energy projects in lower income countries have the potential to help these countries reduce their impact on and become more resilient to climate change, while also increasing their populations’ access to energy and thus potential for sustainable improvement in their quality of life. These projects often rely on foreign investing, and this type of investment has dramatically ramped up in recent years. Yet, these projects still face a high failure rate, and governments and investors have not yet developed consistent frameworks for producing renewable energy projects that ensure both investor returns and positive community outcomes. This thesis predicts that …

An Interleaved High Step-Up Dc-Dc Converter With Coupled Inductor And Built-In Transformer For Renewable Energy Applications, Ramin Rahimi, Saeed Habibi, Mehdi Ferdowsi, Pourya Shamsi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper introduces an interleaved high step-up DC-DC converter with high voltage gain, low voltage stresses on the switches, low current stresses on the components, and continuous input current with low ripple, all of which are beneficial for the renewable energy (RE) applications. The proposed converter is based on the integration of three voltage-boosting (VB) methods: coupled inductor (CI), built-in transformer (BIT), and switched-capacitor (SC) cells. The energies of the leakage inductances of the CIs and BIT are absorbed and recirculated to the output side, which further extends the voltage gain. In addition, the current-falling rates of the diodes are …

An Interleaved High Step-Up Dc-Dc Converter With Built-In Transformer-Based Voltage Multiplier For Dc Microgrid Applications, Ramin Rahimi, Saeed Habibi, Mehdi Ferdowsi, Pourya Shamsi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes a high step-up DC-DC converter with a built-in transformer (BIT)-based voltage multiplier (VM) that is suitable for integrating low-voltage renewable energy sources into a DC microgrid. A three-winding BIT is combined with the switched-capacitor (SC) cells to extend the voltage gain and reduce the voltage stress on the switches. The current-falling rates of the diodes are controlled by the leakage inductances of the BIT, alleviating the reverse-recovery problem of the diodes. The operating modes and steady-state analysis are presented. Additionally, the validity of the proposed converter is confirmed by the simulation and experimental results of a 400 …

Process Optimization For An Integrated Reverse Osmosis—Pressure Retarded Osmosis Pilot-Scale System Operated On Humboldt Bay, Ca, Galen O'Toole

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is an emerging osmotic power technology that could mitigate the major challenges faced by seawater reverse osmosis desalination (RO): brine disposal and high energy consumption. The primary focus of this paper is process optimization for a linked seawater reverse osmosis (RO) and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) water purification system. PRO generates power by using osmosis to “pump” water through a membrane from low pressure and low concentration to high pressure and high concentration (RO brine). This commercial-scale pilot effort explores process optimization for pressure retarded osmosis as an industrial process rather than theoretical or experimental process. …

A Contentious Crop: Exploring The Regulatory Debate Of Solar Power Production Facilities In Kittitas County, Washington, Daphne Condon

All Master's Theses

Between 2010 and 2018, Kittitas County, Washington faced an influx of Solar Power Production Facility (SPPF) proposals that challenged its traditional rural land management governance. Despite state support of decarbonized energy, variegated interpretations of project permitting procedures induced heated contentions amongst stakeholders. To explore this, this research constructs a multijurisdictional legal framework for SPPF advancement. It uses these laws to divulge the permitting processes of three case study projects founded in Kittitas County’s renewable energy history: The Wild Horse Wind Facility, the Iron Horse Solar Project, and the Columbia Solar Projects. Through a mixed methodology of project archival analysis and …

Who Decides Where The Renewables Should Go?: A Response To Danielle Stokes’ Renewable Energy Federalism, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

One of the central tasks in addressing the climate crisis is transitioning from an energy system based on fossil fuels to one that mainly uses renewable energy. In her article “Renewable Energy Federalism,” Professor Danielle Stokes has highlighted one of the key impediments to this transition — delays in state and local permitting of renewable energy facilities. She has proposed a new approach that would give more authority to the federal government. Stokes’ approach has much to commend it. However, I differ on some aspects.

I will begin by describing the magnitude of the problem — the amount …

A Time For Triage, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

The world is desperately behind in the energy transformation needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Catching up requires a massive buildout of wind and solar power and associated infrastructure, but in the United States many impediments stand in the way. Among them, ironically enough, are environmental laws. Here I argue that we must accept difficult tradeoffs, sacrificing some of what we consider precious in order to avoid far worse impacts.

Smart Solar Microgrid Inverter, Conner Sabin, Mckay Waite, Dakota Goodrich, Tucker Skinner

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

With a major increase in the integration of renewable and distributed energy resources along with the use of solar inverters in microgrid applications, the need for advanced power electronics, specifically smart inverters, is higher than ever. It is desirable for these smart inverters to operate with maximum efficiency as well as provide grid services such as voltage and frequency regulation. A smart inverter design can improve the reliability and resilience of the grid, reduce the cost of energy, and ease grid maintenance. This is done through the management of active power generation and reactive power compensation between the solar inverter …

Practical Aspects Of “Green” Energy In The Republic Of Uzbekistan, Susanna Alieva Phd

International Finance and Accounting

The purpose of this article is to study the conditions and actions for the use of “green” energy, mainly solar, in Uzbekistan, to find opportunities to accelerate this process. Therefore, the author characterizes the directions and prospects for the implementation of projects for the use of mainly solar energy in Uzbekistan, studies the directions and prospects of its use, gives criteria for the introduction of solar and wind energy. The author noted that ensuring the development of “green” energy is carried out by ensuring the transformation of existing energy systems, taking into account new innovative technologies for generating electricity from …

Influence Of High Road Labor Policies And Practices On Renewable Energy Costs, Decarbonization Pathways, And Labor Outcomes, Erin Mayfield, Jesse Jenkins

Dartmouth Scholarship

Achieving an economy-wide net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal by mid-century in the United States entails transforming the energy workforce. In this study, we focus on the influence of increased labor compensation and domestic manufacturing shares on (a) renewable energy technology costs, (b) the costs of transitioning the U.S. economy to net-zero emissions, and (c) labor outcomes, including total employment and wage benefits, associated with the deployment of utility-scale solar photovoltaics (PV) and land based and offshore wind power. We find that manufacturing and installation labor cost premiums as well as increases in domestic content shares across wind and utility-scale solar …

Analysis Of Bacteriorhodopsin Suspended In A Bilayer Lipid Membrane, Moath Alhejji

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The bacteriorhodopsin protein’s unique characteristic of proton pumping can convert light energy to electric energy. The aim of this research was to generate photocurrent using bacteriorhodopsin in a bi-layer lipid membrane. Lipid monolayer and bilayer were formed using painting and folding methods, respectively. Capacitance and resistance of the lipid membranes were measured and used to validate the best methodology. My results show that the folding method is more efficient in incorporating Bacteriorhodopsin. The photocurrent was generated by illuminating a green laser (532 nm) on the bilayer lipid membranes. The patch clamp electrophysiology technique was used to apply voltage across the …

Tightening The Legal ‘Net’: The Constitution’S Supremacy Clause Straddle Of The Power Divide, Steven Ferrey

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

This article analyzes Constitutional Supremacy Clause tensions in preempting state law that addresses climate change and the rapid warming of the Planet. Net metering laws, enacted in 80% of U.S. states, are a primary legal mechanism to control and mitigate climate warming. This article analyzes three recent federal court decisions creating a preemptive Supremacy Clause stand-off between federal and state law and presents a detailed state-by-state analysis of which those 80% of states’ laws could be preempted by legal challenge.

If state net metering laws affected only ordinary technologies, this issue would not be front and center with global warming. …

Integrated Processing Of Municipal Solid Waste For Maximizing Waste Reduction, Carbon Recovery And Fuel Production, Kameron J. King

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Nationally and internationally, waste generation is increasing and along with it negative environmental impacts. Many people think waste ends at disposal; however, environmental impacts have already begun. Unfortunately, 50% of waste ends up in a landfill which is the third largest source of human related methane emissions and a leading cause of global climate change. This study investigated a novel waste management strategy in hopes of mitigating negative environmental effects caused by conventional waste management practices. The novelty of the study lies in the development of an integrated method of hydrothermal carbonization and an anaerobic digestion (HTC + AD) process …

Community Empowerment In Decarbonization: Nepa’S Role, Wyatt G. Sassman

Washington Law Review

This Article addresses a potential tension between two ambitions for the transition to clean energy: reducing regulatory red-tape to quickly build out renewable energy, and leveraging that build-out to empower low-income communities and communities of color. Each ambition carries a different view of communities’ role in decarbonization. To those focused on rapid build-out of renewable energy infrastructure, communities are a potential threat who could slow or derail renewable energy projects through opposition during the regulatory process. To those focused on leveraging the transition to clean energy to advance racial and economic justice, communities are necessary partners in the key decisions …

Held V. State, Alec D. Skuntz

Public Land & Resources Law Review

On March 13, 2020, a group of 16 Montana children and teenagers filed a complaint in the First Judicial District, Lewis and Clark County against the State of Montana and several state agencies. These young Plaintiffs sought injunctive and declaratory relief against Defendants for their complicity in continuing to extract and release harmful amounts of greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change. Plaintiffs premised their argument on the Montana Constitution’s robust environmental rights and protections. The Defendants filed a motion to dismiss which the District Court granted in-part and denied in-part. Held provides a roadmap for future litigation by elucidating …

Meteorology And Climatology Of Historical Weekly Wind And Solar Power Resource Droughts Over Western North America In Era5, Patrick T. Brown, David J. Farnham, Ken Caldeira

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Wind and solar electricity generation is projected to expand substantially over the next several decades due both to rapid cost declines as well as regulation designed to achieve climate targets. With increasing reliance on wind and solar generation, future energy systems may be vulnerable to previously underappreciated synoptic-scale variations characterized by low wind and/or surface solar radiation. Here we use western North America as a case study region to investigate the historical meteorology of weekly-scale “droughts” in potential wind power, potential solar power and their compound occurrence. We also investigate the covariability between wind and solar droughts with potential stresses …

Dynamic Simulation Of A Novel Nuclear Hybrid Energy System With Large-Scale Hydrogen Storage In An Underground Salt Cavern, An Ho, Kasra Mohammadi, Matthew Memmott, John Hedengren, Kody Powell

Faculty Publications

In this study, a nuclear hybrid energy system (NHES) with large-scale hydrogen storage integrated with a gas turbine cycle is proposed as a flexible system for load following. The proposed system consists of a nuclear reactor, a steam Rankine cycle, a hydrogen electrolyzer, a storage system for hydrogen in an underground salt cavern, and a Brayton cycle that uses hydrogen as fuel to generate additional electricity to meet peak demand. A dynamic mathematical model is developed for each subsystem of the NHES. To evaluate the potential benefits of the system, a one-year study is conducted, using scaled grid demand data …

The Effect Of Urban Heat Island On Groundwater Located In Shallow Aquifers Of Kütahya City Center And Shallow Geothermal Energy Potential Of The Region, Turkey, Ali Samet Öngen, Zeynel Abidin Ergüler

Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration

As a result of urbanization, natural surfaces are replaced by artificial surfaces that trap heat such as buildings, pavements and asphalt, so residential areas have higher temperature values than rural areas. This effect, defined as the urban heat island, causes an increase not only in air temperature but also in the subsurface and groundwater. Groundwater temperature values were measured during one year in an area approximately 53 km2 consisting of different types of settlement areas to determine the urban heat island effect on the subsurface of Kütahya. As a result of the measurements, urban heat island maps were prepared. It …

Hybrid Power Generation System Through Vertical Axis Wind Turbine And Solar Pv, Zeeshan Memon

English Language Institute

The design of a hybrid electric power generation system utilizing both wind and solar energy for remote area is today’s need. The system has two basic components – one for generation of electricity through Solar Energy and another one for generation from Wind Energy. Even in the case of absence of either of the two sources, the other remaining source could be used to supplement the absence of the former. The power from wind current can be extracted using a vertical axis turbine. Vertical axis turbine is capable of extracting power form wind regardless of the direction of flow. The …

The Grid, Jennifer Tidball

Seek

Engineers make our electric grid smarter, safer.

Biomass Production On Farms In The Eastern United States, Thomas C. Keene, S. Ray Smith, Michael D. Montross

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

Stochastic Optimization For Renewable Energy System Design And Operation, Berkay Eren Gulcan

All Dissertations

In this dissertation, we present novel stochastic optimization models and solution methods for the optimization of renewable energy systems. Specifically, the focus is on bioenergy supply chains and operations in the presence of uncertainty. Overall, our applications highlight the breadth in which stochastic programming models can be applied in the energy sector.

We first study the impact of biomass blending practice on reducing the cost of producing biofuels. In detail, we consider a biomass supply chain problem where the goal is to identify purchase quantities of different biomass feedstocks from possible suppliers in order to meet the quality requirements of …

Improving Demand Response Strategies Utilizing Data Collected By Industrial Assessments To Reduce Cost For Users, Monsur Habib

Theses and Dissertations

Demand Response Programs have the potential to incentivize users to modify their electricity consumption pattern based on their given price and any bonuses that come along with it. Through the effective utilization of renewable sources and energy storage devices, household electricity bills can be reduced since the consumption of electricity during high price periods can be replaced by either renewable resources or electricity from energy storage devices. The balancing of energy demand and generation using the latest management technologies is considered as an immediate requirement to improve the operation of electrical distribution networks and peak demand management. Many Independent system …

Demystifying Structure-Property Correlations For Perovskite Oxides Using Machine Learning To Discover Lead-Free Alternatives Solar Cells, Afrid Mazhar Shirsekar

All Theses

Discovering optimal materials for a given application has become extremely difficult due to the vast scope of structure possibilities and requires substantial computational expense to evaluate even one of all possible structures. An increase in the structural complexity can offset combinatorial explosion and could take months, if not years, even with the advanced computational architecture, to screen every candidate.Here in this study, we propose a computational approach based on statistical learning combined with DFT based computations that can effectively screen over the entire range of possible candidates and predict the material’s electronic properties with high fidelity. Specifically, we use advanced …

Super Solar, William Wilton

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

No abstract provided.

Afloat 2021: American Floating Offshore Wind Technical Summit, Advanced Structures And Composites Center

General University of Maine Publications

Email invitation to the "AFloat 2021: American Floating Offshore Wind Technical Summit" scheduled for September 8 and 9, 2021. Due to the emergence of COVID variants and the health risks they pose, a decision was made to hold the event virtually to ensure everyone's safety.

Comparing Behavioral Theories To Predict Consumer Interest To Participate In Energy Sharing, Julia Morgan, Casey I. Canfield

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Consumer investment in distributed energy resources (DERs) is increasing the penetration of renewable energy in the grid. In some cases, DERs produce more electricity than needed by the owner and this excess electricity is sold to the utility (e.g., net metering). In contrast, energy sharing allows a facilitator, which may or may not be the utility, to redistribute excess renewable electricity to fellow community members directly. However, little is known about consumer interest in participating in this type of arrangement. This preregistered study uses structural equation modeling to compare two behavioral theories, Value-Belief-Norm and Diffusion of Innovation, to predict consumer …

Rethinking The Procedural In Policy Instrument ‘Compounds’: A Renewable Energy Policy Perspective, Ishani Mukherjee

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Contemporary research in the policy sciences places effectiveness as the central goal of policy design. This emphasis permeates both micro-level design considerations for specific policy calibrations, as well as more meso-level policy tool and tool mixes. Effective instrument design, therefore, augments the task of looking at individual tools to considering them as tool ‘compounds’, that comprise of substantive and procedural means interacting through the process of designing tools and subsequent tool calibrations. The academic study of policy tools thus far has proffered several perspectives on how they can individually be distinguished by their different substantive components and categorized based on …

The State Of Renewable Energy In Colombia, Magwyer Grimes

Anthós

In this article, I explore the current energy system in Colombia, the conflicting role of hydroelectricity, the hidden social and environmental costs of energy, and the prospects of various renewable energy sources. I conclude by summarizing the long-term prospects that Colombia’s energy system faces and highlighting the opportunities that renewable energies hold.

Real Work With Real Consequences: Enlisting Community Energy Engineering As An Approach To Envisioning Engineering In Context, Michelle E. Jordan, Steve Zuiker, Wendy Wakefield, Mia Delarosa

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

This study describes an illustrative case study from a year-round program that positions middle and high school youth to explore the social value of energy systems in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods. Designed to center existing youth assets, interests and values, Community Energy Engineering (CEE) frames engineering as a tool that students can enlist in order to understand and interrogate their local socio-energy system while also acting to transform it. CEE partners with Title 1 schools in Latino/a neighborhoods in the U.S. southwest. CEE situates youth community-based solar energy innovation projects as consequential, evolving in and with historically contingent engineering …