Summary We are proposing a smart grid seminar series for the spring 2015 semester that focuses on exploring the next generation power grid and its relationship to renewable energy. The series will
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Summary We are proposing a smart grid seminar series for the spring 2015 semester that focuses on exploring the next generation power grid and its relationship to renewable energy. The series will
Summary We are proposing a smart grid seminar series for the spring 2015 semester that focuses on exploring the next generation power grid and its relationship to renewable energy. The series will consist of talks, documentary films, and debates that bring different perspectives and disciplines together to discuss this important issue. As Vermont will be the first state in the country to move to a statewide smart grid, this topic is especially relevant to students at UVM. Introduction and Background As Americans debate the impact our aging energy infrastructure is having on our economy and future prosperity, a quiet revolution is happening here in Vermont. Our state is working on becoming the first in the nation to have a statewide smart electricity grid. The shift to a smart grid represents a major change in the role of electric utilities and the services they provide to consumers as they transition from conventional utilities to informationdriven utilities. With an informationdriven approach to delivering power, the smart grid enables utilities to provide a greater percentage of electricity generation with renewable electricity sources, creating opportunities for homeowners and businesses alike to be able to choose from which sources their electricity comes from and allowing customers to lower utility bills while reducing their carbon footprint. Despite substantial topdown policy support and increasing recognition of the term “Smart Grid”, the relationship between a smarter grid and renewable energy remains largely nebulous to the general public. It is our hope that this seminar series will expose UVM students to the technology behind the smart grid and its relationship to renewable energy, and to create opportunities for students to get involved with the technology, policy, and human behavioral factors behind the grid. Methodology and Time Frame The seminar series will be held during the spring 2015 semester. We are planning on a series held every month consisting of nationally known and local speakers, as well as documentaries related to renewable energy and the smart grid. In addition to individual speakers and documentaries, we also plan on hosting at least one debate on the topic of renewable energy and its relation to the smart grid. In addition to the seminar, we hope to provide members of the UVM community time to meet with the speakers in smaller groups as interest and time allows. Currently, we are envisioning a total of 4 seminars consisting of 1 or 2 speakers each. These seminars will be a mix of local and national speakers in academia, business, or politics to speak on energy markets, energy storage, and other renewable energy topics relating to the smart grid. We are also planning to show a documentary related to the smart grid and will bring in the producer for discussion and questions and to provide updates on the how the topic covered in their film has changed since it was released. Finally, we will have one debatestyle seminar pertaining to renewable energy sources and the grid. This will be a way for students to hear conflicting perspectives on smart grid and renewable energy, and foster a lively discussion about the tradeoffs of a smart grid. Benefits and Results Our seminar series will foster a greater understanding of how a smarter grid is necessary for incorporating clean energy sources into the mix of power supply to our community. The seminars will encourage understanding of and dialogue around an important change to Vermont’s energy infrastructure that is largely already in place, though one that is poorly understood. The result of a seminar geared toward the smart grid will benefit our communities' educational, environmental, and economic goals. Engaging external speakers with the UVM community will bring in important information about current practices that we can incorporate into our approach to best utilizing the Vermont smart grid, and ideas on how to improve. The result of this education will ripple through our environment and economic structure. A large part of the smart grid is focused on renewable energy, and this education will carry through to bettering our environment. Student Engagement The series will be open to the entire UVM campus community and will be held in a location that is convenient for students to attend. Each seminar will be structured to allow for student questions and we feel that having a variety of local and national speakers, as well as showing documentaries and a debate will help to engage students with different interests and seminar ideas. Furthermore the talks will be interdisciplinary, discussing the impact of human behavior, technology, and public policy on the smart grid and how having a smarter grid allows better incorporation of renewable energy into the mix of power generation technologies. Suggested Project Champions This seminar series is primarily lead by current UVM Smart Grid IGERT students: ● D. Curtis Saunders([email protected]) ● T.C. McAndrew ([email protected]) ● Robert Swain ([email protected]) ● Emily Cody ([email protected]) ● Christopher Clement ([email protected]) ● Daniel Fredman ([email protected]) ● Mark Wagy ([email protected]) With faculty support from: ● Professor Jeff Marshall ([email protected]) ● Assistant Professor Paul Hines ([email protected]) Project Budget and Budget Justification For this seminar series, we are asking for between $7,000 $11,000. We are budgeting approximately $500 for each local speaker and $1,500 for each national speaker. The money will be used for travel, food, and lodging of the speakers, as well as costs associated with providing food and drinks (coffee, tea, pizza, cookies) at the seminars to help encourage student participation. We are planning on bringing in 4 6 national speakers ($6,000 $9,000) and 2 4 local speakers ($1,000 $2,000) for a total budget of between $7,000 $11,000. Our preliminary list of speakers and topics is below. Class Who/What Organization Subject Speaker Krishan Gupta Siemens Big Data and AMI: Making the Most of Analytics Speaker Thomas Kaestner Ernst & Young Speaker Daniel Kammen UC Berkeley Energy and Resources Group What Does an ‘Energy Transition’ Look Like? Speaker Charles Hall SUNYESF The Impact of the Declining Energy Return on Investment (EROI) of Energy Resources on Economic Development Speaker Hunt Alcott NYU Economics Behavioral economics and the energy crisis Speaker Carl Linvill Regulatory Assistance Project Forecasting for an energy transition to renewables economics and policy implications Film Gasland Film Fuel Film Windfall Film Smart Grid Author of “Cost Benefit Analysis for the Comprehensive Use of Smart Metering”. A report written on behalf of the German Economics Ministry detailing how Smart Grids do not end up benefiting the consumer. Justification for use of studentsupported, CEF funds We believe that this seminar series is a very appropriate use of studentsupported CEF funds. These seminars will be open to the entire UVM community and students and faculty alike will greatly benefit from the ideas and information brought to the campus by these seminars. Whether they know it or not, having a smart grid will impact the way the UVM consumes electricity: the costs of electricity as well as the source of that electricity. Because we will incorporate technological aspects of smart grid as well as the behavioral and policy challenges that surround the incorporation of renewable energy and smart grid, the seminar will appeal to a broad contingent of the student body. The funds will provide unique experiences to the students and members of the community who attend. For example, bringing someone involved with making a documentary on energy consumption and its relationship to the smart grid is a richer and more interactive experience than simply watching the documentary; or having the chance to interact with a politician who has been a key figure in making Vermont a bastion of renewable energy use and implementation of smart grid will allow for direct interaction and a more personal connection with the policymaker.