INTEGRATING SOLAR ENERGY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESILIENCE PLANNING

Resilience and solar energy are separately growing in popularity for urban planners and similar professionals. This project links the two discrete terms together and examines the extent to which solar energy can improve local government resilience efforts. It includes a detailed literature review of both topics, as well as the methodology and findings related to a survey and interviews of local government officials and key stakeholders across the country related to hazard mitigation and energy assurance planning. This research finds that integrating the use of solar energy can improve local government resilience efforts related to mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery activities in the following ways: by being incorporated into hazard mitigation strategies as a means to maintain critical operations, thereby reducing loss of life and property; by being utilized in comprehensive planning efforts to increase capacity and decrease reliance and stress upon the grid, thereby reducing the likelihood of blackout events; by being used in tandem with backup storage systems as an integral part of energy assurance planning, which can help ensure critical functions continue in times of grid outage; by being used to provide power for response activities such as water purification, medicine storage and device charging; and by being used as an integral part of rebuilding communities in a more environmentally-conscious manner. The result of the research is a document entitled Solar Energy & Resilience Planning: a practical guide for local governments, a guidebook for local government officials wishing to have more information about incorporating solar energy into current resilience initiatives; it is included at the end of the report as Appendix C

Meeting Temporary Facility Energy Demand with Climate-Optimized Off-Grid Energy Systems

Remote and contingency operations, including military and disaster-relief activities, often require the use of temporary facilities powered by inefficient diesel generators that are expensive to operate and maintain. Site planners can reduce operating costs by increasing shelter insulation and augmenting generators with photovoltaic-battery hybrid energy systems, but they must select the optimal design configuration based on the region’s climate to meet the power demand at the lowest cost. To assist planners, this paper proposes an innovative, climate-optimized, hybrid energy system selection model capable of selecting the facility insulation type, solar array size, and battery backup system to minimize the annual operating cost. To demonstrate the model’s capability in various climates, model performance was evaluated for applications in southwest Asia and the Caribbean. For a facility in Southwest Asia, the model reduced fuel consumption by 93% and saved $271 thousand compared to operating a diesel generator. The simulated facility in the Caribbean resulted in more significant savings, decreasing fuel consumption by 92$291 thousand. This capability is expected to support planners of remote sites in their ongoing effort to minimize fuel supply requirements and annual operating costs of temporary facilities

Connecting Felda communities with solar electrification during flood disaster : the methodology / Siti Jamiah Tun Jamil, Nur Azfahani Ahmad and Jasrul Jamian Jasiman

The Malaysian Electricity Supply Industry Outlook 2016 has highlighted that Malaysia’s electricity supply infrastructure is among the best in South East Asia. However, upon flood disaster, the national power supply is easily interrupted and electricity cannot be supplied efficiently to the people, especially for the locals in the rural areas. One of the significant groups affected during flood in the rural areas comes from the FELDA communities. These people are usually left vulnerable in a blackout during flood disaster. Therefore, it is significant to have alternative power supply that can be used as a supporting energy relief during the disaster. One of the potential alternatives energy that can supplement electricity during blackout upon flood disaster comes from solar energy. By using solar energy, electricity can be generated and stored ahead of time at the flood relief center. This flood relief strategies is supported by the National Security Council (KMN) and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development of Malaysia part of the national flood disaster blue print agenda. Therefore, this research aimed to explore the potential of using solar-generated electricity in helping the FELDA communities in the rural area in facing power disruption during flood disaster. The focus will be on presenting the overview of FELDA flood areas in Malaysia and provide discussion on the research methodology obtained to overcome the issue

Renewable Energy Access and Resilience in Urban Developing Areas: Distributed Solar Networks and Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading in Puerto Rico

This senior essay under the Environmental Studies major at Yale University explores the environmental and social benefits of applying innovative technology to the energy sector. Three types of energy networks are analyzed, focusing on the use of distributed energy and peer to peer energy trading on a blockchain platform. The benefits of distributed renewable energy networks can most strongly be applied to locations in need of more reliable, resilient, and cost-effective electricity. Puerto Rico is a case study. Methods include analysis of U.S. Energy Information Administration and Census Bureau data as well as personal interviews with Puerto Rican energy developers. A financial model was created to tailor a power-purchase-agreement format to residential solar in order to develop an alternative funding method to the current grid price of electricity of 22.77 cents per kWh in Puerto Rico. The hurricanes of 2017 damaged the entire island, and every problem was exacerbated by the prolonged and total lack of power. Building a network of distributed solar energy through residential and school rooftops in Puerto Rico is argued in this thesis to be the best post-hurricane action to take in order to improve energy reliability, affordability, access, and resilience to future disasters and risks

EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION OF RESILIENCE MODELS FOR ISLANDED MICROGRIDS FOR MILITARY OPERATIONS

Modern warfighters rely heavily on fast, accurate information to conduct all forms of military operations. It is critical that deployed Command and Control centers have reliable power for conduct of military operations and serve as a central node for information relay. For military deployments outside areas with prepared infrastructure for utility power, or in locations with no reliable utility power, stable power supply from microgrids for operations will be required. Such operations range from peacekeeping to humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations. Although such microgrids are generally reliable at providing stable power, their resilience to disruption is poor. Common interruptions include natural disasters like earthquakes, and man-made causes like cyber or physical attacks. Previous research into microgrid resilience evaluation efforts center on theoretical modeling of total electrical microgrid loading, critical electrical load prioritization, assumed capacity of renewable energy sources and their associated energy storage systems, and assumed availability of emergency generators. Experimental data from a scaled microgrid system was collected and assessed against the results from two simulation models by Peterson and Anderson. The results validate the simulation models and highlight some areas for model improvement.Military Expert 5, Republic of Singapore Air ForceApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

How solar household systems contribute to resilience

This paper explores the relationship between the energy services provided by solar household devices, and the resilience of their users to climate change

Puerto Rico’s Electric Power System: An Analysis of Contemporary Failures and the Opportunity to Rebuild a More Resilient Grid, including the Development of a Utility-Scale Solar Farm on the Island Municipality of Culebra

Puerto Rico’s grid was decimated in 2017 after experiencing back-to-back hurricanes – Maria and Irma. Although the hurricanes caused tremendous damage and hardship to the island, it also created the right circumstances for the local energy landscape to transition toward a more resilient and sustainable model. Through an analysis of recent challenges by the local electric utility PREPA, and subsequent fallout from the hurricanes, we see that they now hold a unique opportunity to redeem themselves by taking advantage of catalyzed resources to rebuild a better system. One region that could greatly benefit from an improved and reimagined grid are the two island municipalities of Culebra and Vieques. After investigating PREPA’s failures over the last 10 years, and responses to them, we breakdown the possibility of building a utility-scale solar farm on Culebra and how it may contribute to the island’s energy independence. Finally, we look at the potential impacts that a project of this magnitude could have on the Caribbean and the way we think about small islands and their power systems

Recovery and Adaptation in Post-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico: Local and Government Perspectives

abstract: Disasters represent disruptions to stability and offer lessons about how climate adaptation is negotiated and acted on. Viewing adaptation as a negotiation helps understand recovery not just as actions taken to minimize harm, but a reflection of values and motivations surrounding adaptation. This research elicits these perspectives and considers them as part of an ongoing agreement for disaster recovery and adaptation in Puerto Rico. Previous research has characterized recovery as an opportunity for rethinking societal arrangements for climate adaptation and highlights the importance of how adaptation is conceptualized across actors. This study builds on past research by using distinct perspectives to understand recovery as an adaptation process and a co-production of a new ‘social contract’ after Hurricane Maria. Community interviews and government documents are analyzed to understand who is involved, where change is happening, and what resources are necessary for success. The purpose of this is to consider distinct framings of recovery and adaptation, and what these contribute to long-term change. Community interviews give a perspective of local stability and show capacities for immediate and long-term recovery. Similarly, government documents discuss managing foundational vulnerabilities like infrastructure, while navigating recovery given geographical and economic obstacles. Findings show that self-organization and harnessing social capital are crucial components of recovery in the Corcovada community after Maria. They rely on bonding and bridging social capital to mobilize resources and reduce vulnerabilities for future threats. This transformative approach was also present in official recovery documents, though political and economic change were stressed as necessary for stability, along with modernizing infrastructure. While recovery documents suggest connecting physical and social resilience, community residents have cultivated this connection long before Maria. Unlike in Corcovada, the government of Puerto Rico is only starting to view disruptions as windows of opportunity and therefore mention plans for transformation but don’t present actions taken. Further, the reality of vulnerable infrastructural, political and economic systems greatly affects recovery both in Corcovada and across the island. Both perspectives will likely affect actions taken in Puerto Rico and recognizing these unique framings of stability can help design transformative, adaptive social contracts for facing future threats.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Sustainability 201

Solar+Storage for Low-and Moderate-Income Communities: A Guide for States and Municipalities

The Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) has produced a new report for states and municipalities on solar+storage for low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities. The report explains how solar+storage can benefit LMI residents and describes a variety of policy tools for doing so, including grants, rebates, utility procurement standards, financing support, opening markets, and soft cost reduction