Category: Systems Science

Planning for Different Levels of Sea-Level Rise

Planning for Different Levels of Sea-Level Rise

Planning for Different Levels of Sea-Level Rise

04/26/20

“How can we plan for different levels of sea-level rise?”

 

Sea-level rise is going to occur because of climate change. However, the level of rise depends on how much hotter the world is over pre-industrial levels. Since there are multiple possibilities contingent upon carbon emissions rate and time passed, urban areas are going to have to plan for different levels of sea-level rise. This can be accomplished by consulting local citizens and technical experts as well as performing risk and cost-benefit analysis. This is how Planning for Different Levels of Sea-Level Rise will work.

 

Logical Interdependence

Logical Interdependence

Logical Interdependence

06/05/19

“How can different infrastructures be interdependent without any direct connection?”

Infrastructures can be interdependent in numerous ways. However, one of the most subtle forms is through cause and effect, in which the consequences of one infrastructure failure will carry over into another one. Take for example the 2018 Northern California Wildfires. When the fallen transmission line caused a fire, the smoke that swept into the Bay Area caused the air pollution levels to skyrocket. This made people rush to the hardware stores to purchase protective masks, emptying stocks within hours. Through Logical Interdependence, the supply of gas masks was contingent on the fire resilience in Northern California.  

How Engineering Simulations Can Save Companies a lot of Money

How Engineering Simulations Can Save Companies a lot of Money

How Engineering Simulations Can Save Companies a lot of Money

02/19/19

“How can engineering simulations save companies a lot of money?”

 

Before the ascent of computers, most engineering modeling had to be done with physical experiments. These were arduous, costly, and prone to failure. But with the invention of simulation, companies can now simulate their designs’ performance without having to actually build it. This is How Engineering Simulation Can Save Companies a lot of Money.

Why Renewable Energy would be a Great Investment for Indonesia

Why Renewable Energy would be a Great Investment for Indonesia

Why Renewable Energy would be a Great Investment for Indonesia

09/18/18

“Why should Indonesia invest more in renewable energy?”

 

Indonesia is a nation whose size is only matched by its diversity. An archipelago comprising of 17,000 islands with over 242 million people speaking over 300 different languages, it truly is a behemoth to behold. Currently, Indonesia generates around 84% of its energy from fossil fuel resources. But increasing its portfolio of renewable energy could be greatly beneficial to it.

 

 

  1. Ideal Climate for Renewable Energy

 

Being a chain of islands near the equator in the Southern Pacific Ocean, Indonesia has a great opportunity to tap into solar and offshore wind energy.

 

  1. Distribution

Since Indonesia is composed of a series of islands which are subject to typhoons, having a more distributed energy mix would be very helpful. Islands can generate their own electricity, microgrids can kick on during storms (something that would also be helpful to places with similar geography like Puerto Rico)

 

  1. Lower Pollution

Air pollution causes a myriad of public health problems which dampen the national economy. By switching to renewable energy this issue can be averted.

 

And these are just some of the reasons why Indonesia should switch to Renewable Energy!

 

How Accurate Weather Prediction can Help Grid Resiliency

How Accurate Weather Prediction can Help Grid Resiliency

How Accurate Weather Prediction can Help Grid Resiliency

09/06/18

“How can weather forecasts help stabilize the grid?”

 

Weather forecasts have become apart of our daily lives. But did you know that they can also help with grid resiliency? By being able to forecast the future, we can obtain how large our cooling loads will have to be. And with this knowledge, we can get ancillary reserves ready when the time comes. This way, Accurate Weather Prediction can Help Grid Resiliency!

 

Renewable vs Zero Carbon Energy Resources

Renewable vs Zero Carbon Energy Resources

Renewable vs Zero Carbon Energy Resources

08/20/18

“Is there a difference between a renewable energy resource and a zero carbon one?”

 

Renewable energy is often tied to the idea of having zero carbon emissions. But not all net carbon zero energy resources are renewable. Some like Nuclear is run off elements with finite supply but do not add any more CO2 to the atmosphere. This is the prime difference Renewable and Zero Carbon Energy Resources, with the former meaning that the original source is replenishable and the latter meaning the use of this energy source does not (directly) contribute to climate change. This little piece of knowledge is vital for making policy decisions, where we might have to compare the trade-offs between the viability of renewables and meeting climate goals.

 

Quasi-static Time Series

Quasi-static Time Series

Quasi-static Time Series

08/02/18

“How can we work with time-dependent and discrete data?”

 

Distributed Energy Resources can have many different discrete processes that are time dependent such as solar panels producing usable current and batteries absorbing energy. And sometimes these time-dependent processes might actually have multiple different time periods. Since normal analysis is too difficult to integrate with this, we can use something called Quasi-static Time Series to quantify our data.

Resilience Outcomes

Resilience Outcomes

Resilience Outcomes

08/01/18

“How can we evaluate resilience performance?”

 

Resilience Performance is great for seeing how well a system can cope with sudden disasters. However, sometimes we will also need to analyze how effective its response is. This is where we can apply the metric of Resilience Outcomes. Common examples of Resilience Outcomes include reduced damage from disasters and resumed economic activity growth.