Energy Policy Commons^™

Influence Of The Inherent Safety Principles On Quantitative Risk In Process Industry: Application Of Genetic Algorithm Process Optimization (Gapo), Mehdi Jahangiri, Abolfazl Moghadasi, Mojtaba Kamalinia, Farid Sadeghianjahromi, Sean Banaee

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Inherent safety (IS) refers to a set of measures that enhance the safety level of processes and equipment, rendering additional equipment and/or add-ons. The early design phase of processes is suited best for implementation of IS strategies as some of such strategies either are impossible to be implemented at the operation phase or substantially increase costs. The purpose of this study is to present a new approach called genetic algorithm process optimization (GAPO), by which processes can be made inherently safer even at the operation phase. This study simulates the IS principle, assessing its impact on quantitative risk and the …

The Australian Paradox: Politics Of An Energy Transition, Lindsay H. Bushing

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The 1973 oil shock was the first energy crisis modern industrialized economies experienced. The disruption exposed the limitations of energy systems that rely on fossil fuels, creating a demand for experimentation of energy alternatives. In their book, Renewables: The Politics of a Global Energy Transition, Michaël Aklin, and Johannes Urpelainen provide a framework to analyze this transitionary period for selected countries, as well as the events that provoke the need for change in the form of the 1970s external shocks in oil prices. In this paper, for the first time, Aklin & Urpelainen's framework will be applied to Australia …

A Transdisciplinary Analysis Of Just Transition Pathways To 100% Renewable Electricity, Adewale Aremu Adesanya

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The transition to using clean, affordable, and reliable electrical energy is critical for enhancing human opportunities and capabilities. In the United States, many states and localities are engaging in this transition despite the lack of ambitious federal policy support. This research builds on the theoretical framework of the multilevel perspective (MLP) of sociotechnical transitions as well as the concept of energy justice to investigate potential pathways to 100 percent renewable energy (RE) for electricity provision in the U.S. This research seeks to answer the question: what are the technical, policy, and perceptual pathways, barriers, and opportunities for just transition to …

Criticality Based Optimal Cyber Defense Remediation In Energy Delivery Systems, Kamrul Hasan, Sachin Shetty, Md. Sharif Ullah, Amin Hassanzadeh, Tariqul Islam

VMASC Publications

A prioritized cyber defense remediation plan is critical for effective risk management in Energy Delivery System (EDS). Due to the complexity of EDS in terms of heterogeneous nature blending Information Technology (IT) and Operation Technology (OT) and Industrial Control System (ICS), scale and critical processes tasks, prioritized remediations should be applied gradually to protect critical assets. In this work, we propose a methodology for a prioritized cyber risk remediation plan by detecting and evaluating paths to critical nodes in EDS. We propose critical nodes characteristics evaluation based on nodes’ architectural positions, a measure of centrality based on nodes’ connectivity and …

The Combined Transitions Of Great Power Politics And The Global Energy System A Comparative Analysis Of China, The United States And Russia, Roger Boyd

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The objective of this study is to provide a framework that allows for a holistic and integrated analysis of what will become, if they are not already, the two most significant determinants of foreign policy – the need for a fundamental change in the global energy system and the nature of major power competition within the international system. It specifically rejects the eco-modernist framing of the required energy transition as simply a technocratic challenge, and instead accepts the large-scale nature of the social, political and economic changes and disruptions that will be required. By framing these changes within the dynamic …

The Social Dimensions Of A Technological Innovation: Agrivoltaics In The U.S., Alexis S. Pascaris

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This thesis lays the groundwork for the broader realization of agrivoltaics by identifying the socio-political opportunities and barriers to development. Combining theoretical frameworks on technology diffusion and social acceptance of renewable energy with expert perspectives, this work seeks to understand, address, and accommodate the role of society and policy in combining solar energy and food systems. Three empirical studies are presented that first investigate the impediments to farmer adoption of the technology, then explore the challenges to development from the perspective of solar industry professionals, and conclude by outlining a comprehensive legal framework for agrivoltaics in the U.S. The findings …

Scaling Up: Renewable Energy On Aboriginal Lands In North West Australia, Brad Riley

Nulungu Research Papers

This paper examines renewable energy developments on Aboriginal lands in North-West Western Australia at three scales. It first examines the literature developing in relation to large scale renewable energy projects and the Native Title Act (1993)Cwlth. It then looks to the history of small community scale standalone systems. Finally, it examines locally adapted approaches to benefit sharing in remote utility owned networks. In doing so this paper foregrounds the importance of Aboriginal agency. It identifies Aboriginal decision making and economic inclusion as being key to policy and project development in the 'scaling up' of a transition to renewable energy …

Impact Of Electricity On Industrial Output In Nigeria: A Systems Perspective, Chidi Vincent Ike

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of access to electricity, both in quantity and quality, has been a recurring problem in Nigeria. Scholars have investigated the relationship between electricity consumption and economic development with diverse outcomes, but they have not considered the subsystems that constitute the electricity delivery system. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between monthly industrial output in Nigeria and available monthly power generation capacity, available monthly power transmission capacity, and monthly power distribution capability. Systems theory was the theoretical framework for this study. Data were collected on the monthly industrial output and operational data on electric …

The Developmental State And Public Participation: The Case Of Energy Policymaking In Post-Fukushima Japan, Hiro Saito

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the Japanese government tried to democratize energy policy-making by introducing public participation. Over the course of its implementation, however, public participation came to be subordinated to expert committees as the primary mechanism of policy rationalization. The expert committees not only neutralized the results of public participation but also discounted the necessity of public participation itself. This trajectory of public participation, from its historic introduction to eventual collapse, can be fully explained only in reference to complex interactions between the macroinstitutions and microsituations of Japanese policy-making at the time of the nuclear disaster: the macroinstitutional …

The Internet-Of-Buildings (Iob) - Digital Twin Convergence Of Wearable And Iot Data With Gis/Bim, Clayton Miller, Mahmoud Abdelrahman, Adrian Chong, Filip Biljecki, Matias Quintana, Mario Frei, Michael Chew, Daniel Wong

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

nternet-of-Things (IoT) devices in buildings and wearable technologies for occupants are quickly becoming widespread. These technologies provide copious amounts of high-quality temporal data pertaining to indoor and outdoor environmental quality, comfort, and energy consumption. However, a barrier to their use in many applications is the lack of spatial context in the built environment. Adding Building Information Models (BIM) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to these temporal sources unleashes potential. We call this data convergence the Internet-of-Buildings or IoB. In this paper, a digital twin case study of data intersection from various systems is outlined. Initial insights are discussed for an …

The Traded Water Footprint Of Global Energy From 2010 To 2018, Christopher M. Chini, Rebecca A. M. Peer

Faculty Publications

The energy-water nexus describes the requirement of water-for-energy and energy-for-water. The consumption of water in the production and generation of energy resources is also deemed virtual water. Pairing the virtual water estimates for energy with international trade data creates a virtual water trade network, facilitating analysis of global water resources management. In this database, we identify the virtual water footprints for the trade of eleven different energy commodities including fossil fuels, biomass, and electricity. Additionally, we provide the necessary scripts for downloading and pairing trade data with the virtual water footprints to create a virtual water trade network. The resulting …

Scottish Marine Renewable Energy: U.S. Approaches For Development Of Wave And Tidal Technologies, Stella Kathryn Fairall

Honors Theses and Capstones

Marine renewable energy, energy harnessed from various ocean resources such as waves, tides, currents, thermal gradients, and marine streams, has incredible potential in the United States. Several European countries have realized the potential of the resource in the North Sea and Atlantic and have created incredibly successful industries already. The United Kingdom, particularly Scotland, is the world leader because of the comprehensive policy, labor force, and markets it has established in order to make MRE a competitive energy source. In the United States, the industry is immature, underfunded, and lacks policy support. In order to establish itself as a world …

Three Essays On “Energy , Environment, And Developmental Economics”, Bolarinwa Ajanaku

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines topics related to renewable energy development and investment planning, energy markets, environment degradation and economic development. The substantial ecological costs of deforestation are well known and considered globally important due to biodiversity loss, land degradation, soil erosion, and contributions to climate change. The first essay focuses upon understanding the tradeoff between development and deforestation in Africa. In the second essay, spatial analysis and Geographic Information System (GIS) are applied to determine potential locations for wind farms development in the state of West Virginia. Lastly, the third essay examines the role of wind power penetration on wholesale electricity …

Infrastructure Systems Modeling Using Data Visualization And Trend Extraction, Jacob Marshal Hale

Doctoral Dissertations

“Current infrastructure systems modeling literature lacks frameworks that integrate data visualization and trend extraction needed for complex systems decision making and planning. Critical infrastructures such as transportation and energy systems contain interdependencies that cannot be properly characterized without considering data visualization and trend extraction.

This dissertation presents two case analyses to showcase the effectiveness and improvements that can be made using these techniques. Case one examines flood management and mitigation of disruption impacts using geospatial characteristics as part of data visualization. Case two incorporates trend analysis and sustainability assessment into energy portfolio transitions.

Four distinct contributions are made in this …

Internal And External Determinants Of The Adoption Levels Of Sustainable Development Policies In The Energy, Industry And Agricultural Sectors Of Turkey, The United States, The Russian Federation, And The People’S Republic Of China, Onur Kolcak

Graduate Liberal Studies Theses and Dissertations

Our planet's natural resources have helped humanity advance and build countless civilizations. We are a fossil fuel civilization and have evolved so that today's production and energy use has become the most crucial part of all modern economies. We cannot function without reliable, resilient, and secure energy sources that help us continuously produce. Human history is full of important events that have tremendously shaped our experience on this planet. These experiences have sometimes forced us to make quick decisions and change our ways, but some of these changes occurred gradually and gave us time to plan and adapt. Adaptability is …

Syncity: Using Open Data To Create A Synthetic City Of Hourly Building Energy Estimates By Integrating Data-Driven And Physics-Based Methods, Jonathan Roth, Amory Martin, Clayton Miller, K. Rishee Jain

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Cities officials are increasingly interested in understanding spatial and temporal energy patterns of the built environment to facilitate their city’s transition to a low-carbon future. In this paper, a new Augmented-Urban Building Energy Model (A-UBEM) is proposed that combines data-driven and physics-based simulation methods to produce synthetic hourly load curve estimates for every building within a city—similar to data an hourly smart meter would measure. By using only publicly available data, a generalizable two-step process is implemented—that other cities with similar available data can replicate—using New York City as a case study. Step (1) estimates the annual energy use for …

A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Biofuels, Teresa Cristina Garcia

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Brazil has the largest sugarcane acreage in the world (FAOSTAT, 2020) and is the world leader in the production of sugarcane-based ethanol (Sousa Junior et al., 2017). Due to the technical experience in the production of biofuels and the availability of sugarcane straw and bagasse, the country has a great potential to commercially produce second-generation ethanol (E2G) (Nyko et. al., 2010). In 2017, Brazil enacted a new National Biofuels Policy, called RenovaBio, to expand the production and use of biofuels in the country. This dissertation combines three essays that explore biofuels law and policy with a special focus on Brazil. …

Alternative Marine Fuel Transition : A Multi-Criteria Appraisal With Insights For Container Ship Operators, Cebo Luvo Gila

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Framing Energy And Minerals For Future Pathways, Michelle Michot Foss, Michael S. Moats, Kwame Awuah-Offei

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present a challenge for Group of Twenty (G20) discussions that entails (1) greater awareness of the role of non-fuel minerals in the global economy overall, but specifically in the energy sector; and (2) the introduction and acceleration of alternative energy sources and technologies. We focus on chemical battery energy storage, given its prominence in all views and outlooks of energy futures, especially for mobility. We present recommendations for G20 discussions and actions on battery materials, and the crucial underlying supply chains for mineral commodities.

Extending The Macroeconomic Impacts Forecasting Capabilities Of The National Energy Modeling System, Christa D. Court, Randall W. Jackson, Justin Adder, Gavin Pickenpaugh, Charles Zelek, Amanda J. Harker Steele

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

To comprehensively model the macroeconomic impacts that result from changes in long-term energy-economy forecasts, the United States Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) partnered with West Virginia University’s (WVU) Regional Research Institute to develop the NETL/WVU econometric input-output (ECIO) model. The NETL/WVU ECIO model is an impacts forecasting model that functions as an extension of the U.S. energy-economic models available from the United States (U.S.) Energy Information Administration’s National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Market Allocation (MARKAL) model. The ECIO model integrates a macroeconomic econometric forecasting model and an input-output accounting framework along …