ENERGYSHED FRAMEWORK: DEFINING AND DESIGNING THE FUNDAMENTAL LAND UNIT OF RENEWABLE ENERGY

Abstract

Renewable energy systems are fundamentally different than fossil-carbon energy systems, with each having a unique set of constraints, performance characteristics, and impacts. Transition to a new primary energy resource has significant restructuring implications for human systems and their impacts on environmental systems. It is not reasonable to assume that renewable energy systems should be structured in the existing pattern of fossil-carbon systems. The energyshed concept is proposed as an organizing framework for renewable energy and related supporting systems, with focus at the city level and based upon the unique characteristics of renewables. The fundamental land unit of renewable energy is proposed as a contiguous area of land that is power-balanced. This land unit is conveniently relatable to other land-based constructs such as watersheds, ecological units, or urban development patterns for identification and analysis of coupling and land-use conflict. The concept draws from a broad swath of physical and social science fields. The framework is developed through exploration of definition, values, principles of design, discussion of cartographic tools for model development and a discussion of expected structure and behaviors of an energyshed. The energyshed concept fills an important vacancy for a robust organizing framework for renewable energy systems and is applicable to scientists, engineers, planners, and developers related to the field. The recommendations in the last chapter serve appropriately as stand-alone policy tenets for a municipal energy plan or within the context of adoption of the energyshed framework en masse.