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1. Adaptive Control for Energy Exchange with Probabilistic Interval Predictors in Isolated Microgrids

   https://doi.org/10.3390/en14020375  

   Cheng, Jiayu ; Duan, Dongliang ; Cheng, Xiang ; Yang, Liuqing ; Cui, Shuguang ( January 2021 , Energies)

   null (Ed.)

   Stability and reliability are of the most important concern for isolated microgrid systems that have no support from the utility grid. Interval predictions are often applied to ensure the system stability of isolated microgrids as they cover more uncertainties and robust control can be achieved based on more sufficient information. In this paper, we propose a probabilistic microgrid energy exchange method based on the Model Predictive Control (MPC) approach to make better use of the prediction intervals so that the system stability and cost efficiency of isolated microgrids are improved simultaneously. Appropriate scenarios are selected from the predictions according to the evaluation of future trends and system capacity. In the meantime, a two-stage adaptive reserve strategy is adopted to further utilize the potential of interval predictions and maintain the system security adaptively. Reserves are determined at the optimization stage to prepare some extra capacity for the fluctuations in the renewable generation and load demand at the operation stage based on the aggressive and conservative level of the system, which is automatically updated at each step. The optimal dispatch problem is finally formulated using the mixed-integer linear programming model and the MPC is formulated as an optimization problem with a discount factor introduced to adjust the weights. Case studies show that the proposed method could effectively guarantee the stability of the system and improve economic performance. 

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2. Rural Resiliency Hubs: An Integrated, Community-Centered Approach to Addressing the Resiliency Divide through Rural Public Libraries

   Mardis, Marcia A. ; Jones, Faye R. ; Ozguven, Eren E. ; Horner, Mark ; Piekalkiewicz, Ellen ; Pickett, Scott ; Mathias, John ; De Leon, Jessica ( January 2021 , New Librarianship Symposia)

   Lankes, R.David (Ed.)

   Resilience is often treated as a single-dimension system attribute, or various dimensions of resilience are studied separately without considering multi-dimensionality. The increasing frequency of catastrophic natural or man-made disasters affecting rural areas demands holistic assessments of community vulnerability and assessment. Disproportionate effects of disasters on minorities, low-income, hard-to-reach, and vulnerable populations demand a community-oriented planning approach to address the “resilience divide.” Rural areas have many advantages, but low population density, coupled with dispersed infrastructures and community support networks, make these areas more affected by natural disasters. This paper will catalyze three key learnings from our current work in public librarians’ roles in disaster resiliency: 1) rural communities are composed of diverse sub-communities, each which experiences and responds to traumatic events differently, depending on micro-geographic and demographic drivers; 2) public libraries are central to rural life, providing a range of informational, educational, social, and personal services, especially in remote areas that lack reliable access to community resources during disasters; and 3) rural citizens tend to be very self-reliant and are committed to strengthening and sustaining community resiliency with local human capital and resources. Public libraries and their librarian leaders are often a “crown jewel” of rural areas’ community infrastructure and this paper will present a community-based design and assessment process for resiliency hubs located in and operated through rural public libraries. The core technical and social science research questions explored in the proposed paper are: 1) Who were the key beneficiaries and what did they need? 2) What was the process of designing a resiliency hub? 3) What did library resiliency hubs provide and how can they be sustained? This resiliency hub study will detail co-production of solutions and involves an inclusive collaboration among researchers, librarians, and community members to address the effects of cascading impacts of natural disasters. The novel co-design process detailed in the paper reflects 1) an in-depth understanding of the complex interactions among libraries, residents, governments, and other agencies by collecting sociotechnical hurricane-related data for Calhoun County, Florida, USA, a region devastated by Hurricane Michael (2018) and hard-hit by Covid-19; 2) analyzed data from newly-developed fusing algorithms and incorporating multiple communities; and 3) co-designed resiliency hubs sited in public libraries. This research leverages a unique opportunity for the co-development of integrated library-centered policies and technologies to establish a new paradigm for developing disaster resiliency in rural settings. Public libraries serve a diverse population who will directly benefit from practical support tailored to their needs. The project will inform efficient plans to ensure that high-need groups are not isolated in disasters. The knowledge and insight gained from disseminating the study’s results will not only improve our understanding of emergency response operations, but also will contribute to the development of new disaster-related policies and plans for public libraries, with a broader application to rural communities in many settings. 

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3. Rural Resiliency Hubs: An Integrated, Community-Centered Approach to Addressing the Resiliency Divide through Rural Public Libraries

   Mardis, M.A. ( January 2022 , New Librarianship Symposium)

   Lankes, R. David (Ed.)

   Resilience is often treated as a single-dimension system attribute, or various dimensions of resilience are studied separately without considering multi-dimensionality. The increasing frequency of catastrophic natural or man-made disasters affecting rural areas demands holistic assessments of community vulnerability and assessment. Disproportionate effects of disasters on minorities, low-income, hard-to-reach, and vulnerable populations demand a community-oriented planning approach to address the “resilience divide.” Rural areas have many advantages, but low population density, coupled with dispersed infrastructures and community support networks, make these areas more affected by natural disasters. This paper will catalyze three key learnings from our current work in public librarians’ roles in disaster resiliency: rural communities are composed of diverse sub-communities, each which experiences and responds to traumatic events differently, depending on micro-geographic and demographic drivers. Rural citizens tend to be very self-reliant and are committed to strengthening and sustaining community resiliency with local human capital and resources. Public libraries are central to rural life, providing a range of informational, educational, social, and personal services, especially in remote areas that lack reliable access to community resources during disasters. Public libraries and their librarian leaders are often a “crown jewel” of rural areas’ community infrastructure and this paper will present a community-based design and assessment process for resiliency hubs located in and operated through rural public libraries. The core technical and social science research questions explored in the proposed paper are: 1) Who were the key beneficiaries and what did they need? 2) What was the process of designing a resiliency hub? 3) What did library resiliency hubs provide and how can they be sustained? This resiliency hub study will detail co-production of solutions and involves an inclusive collaboration among researchers, librarians, and community members to address the effects of cascading impacts of natural disasters. The novel co-design process detailed in the paper reflects an in-depth understanding of the complex interactions among libraries, residents, governments, and other agencies by collecting sociotechnical hurricane-related data for Calhoun County, Florida, USA, a region devastated by Hurricane Michael (2018) and hard-hit by Covid-19. We analyzed data from newly developed fusing algorithms and incorporating multiple communities and developed a framework and process to co-design resiliency hubs sited in public libraries. This research leverages a unique opportunity to library-centered policies and technologies to establish a new paradigm for developing disaster resiliency in rural settings. Public libraries serve a diverse population who will directly benefit from practical support tailored to their needs. The project will inform efficient plans to ensure that high-need groups are not isolated in disasters. The knowledge and insight gained from the resiliency hub design process will not only improve our understanding of emergency response operations, but also will contribute to the development of new disaster related policies and plans for public libraries, with a broader application to rural communities in many settings. 

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4. Energy and Thermal Performance Analysis of Quantum Dot Luminescent Solar Concentrators in Greenhouses

   https://doi.org/10.1002/adsu.202300107  

   Liu, Yaling ; Keil, John ; Ferry, Vivian E. ; Kortshagen, Uwe R. ( June 2023 , Advanced Sustainable Systems)

   Greenhouses provide a controlled environment for plant growth, which increases crop yields, reduces the use of water and fertilizers, and offers resilience to droughts and extreme weather. However, greenhouse operation is energy intensive due to their heating and cooling loads. Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are promising for semitransparent greenhouse roofs that produce clean electricity, thus reducing the greenhouse energy demand, while also transmitting enough light to satisfy plant growth. Herein, we model the performance of LSC roofs designed as glass panels coated with quantum dot (QD)/polymer nanocomposite films and front‐facing surface‐mounted photovolatic cells. Five widely studied QD materials are examined to demonstrate that the proposed QD LSC roofs can have effective power conversion efficiencies exceeding 10% while also increasing the red‐light fraction, which is beneficial for plant growth. The effect of LSC integration on the greenhouse thermal energy demands is studied for the example of silicon (Si) QD LSC roofs. In warm climates, solar power generated by the Si QD LSC roofs satisfies the entire greenhouse energy demand and thus enables net‐zero energy operation. Overall, the results of the current research demonstrate the strong potential of integrating QD LSCs into greenhouses to reduce energy costs and enhance plant growth.

    

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5. An Operational Resilience Metric for Modern Power Distribution Systems

   https://doi.org/10.1109/QRS-C51114.2020.00065  

   Phillips, Tyler ; McJunkin, Timothy ; Rieger, Craig ; Gardner, John ; Mehrpouyan, Hoda ( December 2020 , 2020 IEEE 20th International Conference on Software Quality, Reliability and Security Companion (QRS-C))

   null (Ed.)

   The electrical power system is the backbone of our nations critical infrastructure. It has been designed to withstand single component failures based on a set of reliability metrics which have proven acceptable during normal operating conditions. However, in recent years there has been an increasing frequency of extreme weather events. Many have resulted in widespread long-term power outages, proving reliability metrics do not provide adequate energy security. As a result, researchers have focused their efforts resilience metrics to ensure efficient operation of power systems during extreme events. A resilient system has the ability to resist, adapt, and recover from disruptions. Therefore, resilience has demonstrated itself as a promising concept for currently faced challenges in power distribution systems. In this work, we propose an operational resilience metric for modern power distribution systems. The metric is based on the aggregation of system assets adaptive capacity in real and reactive power. This metric gives information to the magnitude and duration of a disturbance the system can withstand. We demonstrate resilience metric in a case study under normal operation and during a power contingency on a microgrid. In the future, this information can be used by operators to make more informed decisions based on system resilience in an effort to prevent power outages. 

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