INFEWS/T3: Coupling infrastructure improvements to food-energy-water system dynamics in small cold region communities: MicroFEWs

University Of Alaska Fairbanks Campus, Fairbanks AK

Investigators

Abstract

This research project seeks to develop a process by which researchers and community members together characterize how renewable energy infrastructure might impact the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus in isolated Arctic and Subarctic communities. The research is critical because Arctic and Subarctic communities in the US and beyond represent some of the world's least secure communities with respect to provision of food, energy, and water. A systems approach acknowledging the linkages between food, energy, and water security holds great promise for developing integrated solutions. Such communities are ideally suited as model systems for the FEW nexus as they are geographically isolated, often inaccessible by roads, highly dependent on imported FEW resources, and often dependent upon isolated microgrids for distribution of local power. Due to this isolation, links between FEW infrastructure components are more readily observed compared to those in larger, interconnected communities elsewhere, and perturbations to the system can be more readily predicted. While introducing renewable energy infrastructure to the local microgrid in such communities could potentially enhance energy security by reducing their dependence upon imported fossil fuels, this introduction could also adversely impact the stability of the microgrids themselves or variably impact the linked infrastructure and processes contributing to food and water security. In pursuing a comprehensive approach that directly engages community stakeholders as well as researchers, the work seeks to ensure that any impacts to food, energy, and water security imposed by introducing renewable energy generation infrastructure to Arctic and Subarctic communities are universally positive. This research project represents a series of tasks addressing two key research questions: 1) What are the direct and indirect linkages between renewable energy generation and local drivers of FEW security in Arctic and Subarctic communities? 2) To what extent can combinations of renewable energy generation and FEW-related infrastructure energy loads be optimized to enhance FEW security in Arctic and Subarctic communities? The project derives expertise from two US universities, one Canadian university, three rural Alaska communities, and a host of associated stakeholders across Alaska. Key tasks include 1) engaging communities and developing place-based FEW metrics; 2) measuring existing FEW flows and feedbacks within the communities; 3) evaluating new technologies capable of impacting the local FEW nexus; 4) developing energy distribution models to optimize on-grid infrastructure components; 5) evaluating those optimization scenarios in the broader framework of the local FEW nexus using the previously-defined metrics; and 6) communicating results in diverse formats tailored for local residents and the broader scientific community. While analytical tools for optimizing grid configurations in the presence of renewable sources are available, they are designed for time-averaged performance and do not account for short-term fluctuations in sources or demands. This project capitalizes on those short-term fluctuations so that excess energy, when available, will be diverted to dispatchable loads serving FEW-enhancing objectives. Novel energy distribution models and controls are being developed to operate on timescales necessary to optimize the performance of intermittent renewable sources powering FEW-enhancing dispatchable loads. In addition to the advances offered in renewable energy management and control, the broader process represents an innovative approach to evaluating the FEW nexus. By framing the local FEW nexus around the infrastructure linked by the grid system, this work captures a thin cross section of the nexus that can be readily measured and manipulated. In linking off-grid FEW processes to the more concrete on-grid processes, MicroFEWS offers a novel and potentially scalable approach to understanding FEW dynamics in the Arctic, Subarctic, and beyond.