Tag: Policy

Infrastructure Lock-in

Infrastructure Lock-in

Infrastructure Lock-in

09/05/19

“What are the consequences of large-scale investment in outdated infrastructure technologies?”

Institutions are constantly faced with difficult infrastructure decisions. Should they invest in experimental technologies such as renewable energy and distributed battery systems or opt for more traditional oil pipelines? Well, whatever approach is taken, the infrastructure and supply chain created will exist for multiple generations to come and will create heavy inertia to shift. A fine illustration of this is the difficulty of shifting the United States to mass transit due to its car and road dependent paradigm. This Infrastructure Lock-in must be dealt with when making policy decisions. 

Strategic Petroleum Reserves

Strategic Petroleum Reserves

Strategic Petroleum Reserves

09/04/19

“How do nations handle reserves for fuels in case of a national crisis?”

Petroleum drives a substantial portion of the global economy, whether it be for moving cars or making plastics. But if a national crisis breaks out, petroleum supplies can be disrupted, leaving devastating consequences for a nation. For this reason, countries have Strategic Petroleum Reserves which allows them to have access to fuel supplies in case an emergency comes up. 

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

08/30/19

“How can we assess risk?”

If phenomenon has a possibility of occurring with malignant effects it is classified as a risk. The origin of the risk, its spread, and its malignant effects can all be assessed. However, these all can be brought together under a complete Risk Assessment, which gives a holistic and quantitative overview of the entire picture.

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Why Load Shedding Can Increase Grid Resilience

Why Load Shedding Can Increase Grid Resilience

Why Load Shedding Can Increase Grid Resilience

08/17/19

“How can shutting down electricity loads help stop grid failures?”

The electrical grid is one of the most complex machines in the world. However, like all machines, it can be prone to failure from overuse. One thing we can do to prevent this is take inspiration from demand side response and commit to load shedding unnecessary assets when the supply cannot keep up with demand. This way the grid can be stabilized before a black start is necessary. This is Why Load Shedding Can Increase Grid Resilience.

Why Energy Efficiency Needs to Be Redefined with Higher Renewables Penetration

Why Energy Efficiency Needs to Be Redefined with Higher Renewables Penetration

Why Energy Efficiency Needs to Be Redefined with Higher Renewables Penetration

08/13/19

“Why do we need to rethink energy efficiency in the presence of a high renewables grid?”

Energy efficiency is often touted as one of the most effective ways of lowering carbon output. However, if the energy provided comes from a low carbon source, then it would not make much sense to focus on reducing energy usage. Instead, energy efficiency programs must target cutting energy where supplies are pollutive, such as natural gas for stoves. This is Why Energy Efficiency Needs to Be Redefined with Higher Renewables Penetration. 

Why Building Codes Should Include Resilience and Adaptation Criteria

Why Building Codes Should Include Resilience and Adaptation Criteria

Why Building Codes Should Include Resilience and Adaptation Criteria

07/20/19

“Why should there be more focus on resilience and adaptation in building codes?”

The building sector in the industrialized world has become a very standardized process, with many codes stipulating what needs to be accomplished. However, with the advent of climate change and the accompanying increase in frequency of natural disasters, there needs to be more focus on ensuring that new buildings are ready for such phenomena. This can be accomplished by incorporating them into building codes, so developers will be certain to consider them. This is Why Building Codes Should Include Resilience and Adaptation Criteria.

Why Cross-Sector Communication Is Necessary for Interdependent Infrastructure Resilience

Why Cross-Sector Communication Is Necessary for Interdependent Infrastructure Resilience

Why Cross-Sector Communication Is Necessary for Interdependent Infrastructure Resilience

07/17/19

“Why do critical infrastructure professionals from different sectors need to talk to each other more?”

The closer one looks at infrastructure failures, the more one realizes how interdependent they all are. When a disaster strikes one, it strikes the others as well. If resilience planning is done for one infrastructure sector without taking others into account, true security can never be achieved. To do this, cross-sector communication must be established, whether it be how electricity failures can cause water treatment to ground to a halt or how ruptures in gas supply could induce transportation bottlenecks. This is Why Cross-Sector Communication Is Necessary for Interdependent Infrastructure Resilience.

Why Stable Governments are Good for Renewable Energy

Why Stable Governments are Good for Renewable Energy

Why Stable Governments are Good for Renewable Energy

07/13/19

“Why are stable governments important for renewable energy development?”

Renewable energy is one of the fastest if not the fastest growing energy source in the world. However, one of the most important things for its growth is to have a strong, unified government support behind it, which is most readily accomplished by a stable government. This is Why Stable Governments are Good for Renewable Energy.

Nature-Based Adaptation

Nature-Based Adaptation

Nature-Based Adaptation

07/11/19

“How can we make climate-change adaptation in accordance with nature?”

With the rising temperatures, humans will have to adapt drastically to climate change. Part of this will be utilizing nature such as rain gardens to make Nature-Based Adaptation.