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D2I  SEMINAR


Pathways for Decarbonization: The Case of Distributed Energy and Microgrids

Ryan Hanna, The School of Global Policy and Strategy
POSTPONED - new date TBA, Conference Room #3106 Please RSVP to D2Iseminars@ucsd.edu

To combat global warming, climate stabilization scenarios envision “deep decarbonization”—an 80-100% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the electric power sector by 2050. Microgrids—literally “micro” power grids embedded in the bulk electric power grid—are often touted as a means to reduce emissions in the "grid of the future". They are also a highly cited means to reduce customer energy costs and improve reliability. Indeed, it is this latter concern around reliability—not climate—that is forecasted to drive market growth.
 
To what extent do microgrids built to increase reliability also reduce emissions? In this talk, I will report on research underway at UCSD that models microgrid adoption across California. Results indicate that microgrids can reduce emissions in the present day—by increasing energy efficiency via combined heat and power and by integrating solar photovoltaics. But there are limitations given that large-scale renewables will continue to green the grid—a dynamic which points to an important role for future microgrid policy

Ryan Hanna is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of California, San Diego, and holds affiliations in the Center for Energy Research and Deep Decarbonization Initiative at UCSD. His research focuses include modeling, optimization, and simulation of distributed energy systems—in particular microgrids. A large part of his work has looked at how to quantify and value reliability in microgrids. He is interested generally in how engineering, economics, and policy interact in the electric power industry as the grid decarbonizes and decentralizes.