ENERGYSHED FRAMEWORK: DEFINING AND DESIGNING THE FUNDAMENTAL LAND UNIT OF RENEWABLE ENERGY
Date
2016-04-07T18:31:55Z
Authors
Evarts, John C.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
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.
Description
Keywords
Evarts, renewable energy, shed, energyshed, energy transition, energy system, energy planning, energy, energy shed, energy values, energy principles, energy system components, energyshed components, energyshed values, energyshed principles, energy cartography, energy mapping, energyshed geomorphology, digital power surface model, power topography, renewable energy ecology, energy efficiency