The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides access to information on a variety of topics related to the environment and strives to inform citizens of health risks. The EPA also has an extensive library network that consists of 26 libraries throughout the United States, which provide access to a plethora of information to EPA employees, scientists, and researchers. The EPA implemented a reorganization project to digitize their materials so they would be more accessible to a wider range of users, but this plan was drastically accelerated when the EPA was threatened with a budget cut. It chose to close and reduce the hours and services of some of their libraries. As a result, the agency was accused of denying users the “right to know” by making information unavailable, not providing an adequate strategic plan, and discarding vital materials. This case study explores the background of the digitization project, the practices implemented, and the critiques of the project.

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The Environmental Protection Agency

Framework Convention on Climate Change

A survey of data envelopment analysis in energy and environmental studies

Optimal power flow (OPF) is considered for microgrids, with the objective of minimizing either the power distribution losses, or, the cost of power drawn from the substation and supplied by distributed generation (DG) units, while effecting voltage regulation. The microgrid is unbalanced, due to unequal loads in each phase and non-equilateral conductor spacings on the distribution lines. Similar to OPF formulations for balanced systems, the considered OPF problem is nonconvex. Nevertheless, a semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxation technique is advocated to obtain a convex problem solvable in polynomial-time complexity. Enticingly, numerical tests demonstrate the ability of the proposed method to attain the globally optimal solution of the original nonconvex OPF. To ensure scalability with respect to the number of nodes, robustness to isolated communication outages, and data privacy and integrity, the proposed SDP is solved in a distributed fashion by resorting to the alternating direction method of multipliers. The resulting algorithm entails iterative message-passing among groups of consumers and guarantees faster convergence compared to competing alternatives

Distributed Optimal Power Flow for Smart Microgrids

Advances in the development of electric vehicles, along with policy incentives, will see a wider uptake of this technology in the transport sector in future years. However, the widespread adoption of electric vehicles could lead to adverse effects on the power system, especially for existing distribution networks. These effects would include excessive voltage drops and overloading of network components, which occur mainly during periods of simultaneous charging of large numbers of electric vehicles. This paper demonstrates how controlling the rate at which electric vehicles charge can lead to better utilization of existing networks. A technique based on linear programming is employed, which determines the optimal charging rate for each electric vehicle in order to maximize the total power that can be delivered to the vehicles while operating within network limits. The technique is tested on a section of residential distribution network. Results show that, by controlling the charging rate of individual vehicles, high penetrations can be accommodated on existing residential networks with little or no need for upgrading network infrastructure.

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Optimal Charging of Electric Vehicles in Low-Voltage Distribution Systems

Distribution System Modeling and Analysis

A data envelopment analysis of the levels and determinants of coal-fired electric power generation performance

Economies of scale, learning effects and offshore wind development costs

To meet the COP21 2 °C climate target, humanity would need to complete a transition to renewable energy within the next several decades. But for decades, fossil fuels will continue to underpin many fundamental activities that allow modern society to function. Unfortunately, net energy yield from fossil fuels is now falling, and despite substantial growth in renewable energy, total global energy demand and fossil fuel consumption are still increasing. Recent studies document promising trends in net energy yield from new renewable energy, particularly wind and solar. However, most studies do not fully consider the complexities of multiple factors including production intermittency, storage, the need to replace a massive infrastructure network, and lack of fungibility of different energy sources. Also, oft-overlooked, is that human impacts have caused widespread degradation of natural ecosystems and the provisioning of ecosystem goods and services, especially affecting vulnerable areas like coastal zones and arid regions. An accelerated renewable energy transition to meet climate targets and replace declining stocks of high net yielding fossil fuels will compete with resources needed for crucial investments to mitigate already locked in climate change and environmental degradation impacts. Integrative approaches that include all costs can help balance interdependent factors such as net energy dynamics, resource allocation, and ecosystem degradation. Energy-climate investment pathways produce economic output and quality of life tradeoffs that must be considered. Accordingly, developing future energy policy requires a systems approach with global boundaries and new levels of appreciation of the complex mix of interrelated factors involved.

The Energy Pillars of Society: Perverse Interactions of Human Resource Use, the Economy, and Environmental Degradation

The electric power industry in the U.S. has undergone dramatic changes in recent years. Tight regulations enacted in the 1970's and then de-regulation in the 90's have transformed it from a technology-driven industry into one driven by public policy requirements and the open-access market. Now, just as the utility companies must change to ensure their survival, engineers and other professionals in the industry must acquire new skills, adopt new attitudes, and accommodate other disciplines. Power System Operations and Electricity Markets provides the information engineers need to understand and meet the challenges of the new competitive environment. Integrating the business and technical aspects of the restructured power industry, it explains, clearly and succinctly, how new methods for power systems operations and energy marketing relate to public policy, regulation, economics, and engineering science. The authors examine the technologies and techniques currently in use and lay the groundwork for the coming era of unbundling, open access, power marketing, self-generation, and regional transmission operations.The rapid, massive changes in the electric power industry and in the economy have rendered most books on the subject obsolete. Based on the authors' years of front-line experience in the industry and in regulatory organizations, Power System Operations and Electricity Markets is current, insightful, and complete with Web links that will help readers stay up to date.

David E. Dismukes

Papers

Distribution System Modeling and Analysis

A data envelopment analysis of the levels and determinants of coal-fired electric power generation performance

Economies of scale, learning effects and offshore wind development costs

The Energy Pillars of Society: Perverse Interactions of Human Resource Use, the Economy, and Environmental Degradation

Power System Operations and Electricity Markets