a participatory approach for constructing energy resiliency
Open Access
- Author:
- Rahimian, Mina
- Graduate Program:
- Architecture
- Degree:
- Master of Architecture
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- May 06, 2015
- Committee Members:
- Daniel Cardoso Llach, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Ute Poerschke, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Lisa Domenica Iulo, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor - Keywords:
- resiliency
participatory
human behavior
energy management
HCI - Abstract:
- Energy production is typically a regional enterprise, with the majority of energy produced far from the main areas of demand causing tremendous problems in terms of lack of resiliency and flexibility in handling the ever changing demands at the users’ end. On the other hand, microgrids as local energy infrastructures have offered resiliency by allowing neighborhoods to exercise greater control over the production of the energy they consume. As a system, the flexibility and resiliency that embodies the microgrid has to reside across all of its components and functions. Although microgrids integrate various techniques of automation, optimization, pervasive control and computation in its system, but equally important is addressing the human factors. Users, as an undeniable part of microgrid’s operational system, are thus required to act with respect to being resilient and flexible. By making all the information of every grid component accessible to the demand side via energy metering systems and feedback loops, microgrids play an important role in filling the gap of energy illiteracy, increasing users’ awareness and understanding about how energy is consumed in their homes and thus helping them to make informed energy consumption decisions. Research on delivering high quality energy-related information on users’ activities and consumption rates signify the effectiveness of such information for inspiring and motivating users to change their behavior towards more energy saving ones but however the issue of making these behavior changes durable and integrated to one’s lifestyle, is still remaining a topic for further investigation. Accordingly this research attempts to encourage new ways of thinking about users’ engagement in the energy management system of their community based microgrid by combining computational means of feedback delivery with an incentive program which requires users’ self-organized collaboration and participation in the shared-energy community endeavor.