Sustainable Energy Systems | MIT Affiliated Students

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Research topic/area: Sustainable Energy Systems – Urban Metabolism

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Research topic/area: Ocean and Tidal Energy Extraction Through Flapping Foils

Publications: Direct Energy Extraction via Flapping Foils (ISOPE 2008 Conference Proceedings)

Communications/Conference presentations: Direct Energy Extraction via Flapping Foils (ISOPE 2008 Conference)

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Research topic/area: how the electric power grid explores the dynamics of using demand side management and distributed storage to balance the variability of very high penetrations of renewable generation

[email protected] | MIT | Sustainable Energy Systems

Research topic/area: Toward Zero Energy Systems: Balancing Supply and Demand Measures

[email protected] | MIT | Sustainable Energy Systems

Research topic/area: Demand Management for Sustainable Electric Grid Operations Published paper (co-author): The Energy Box: Locally Automated Optimal Control of Residential Electricity Usage

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Research topic/area(s): Sustainable Energy Systems/Urban Metabolism. Focus is on analyzing material and energy flows in cities, and work is done through empirical analysis of cities in the U.S. and Portugal. The objective is to illustrate relationships between the urban form and resource usage that can help influence policy decisions. (More detailed information is available at http://djq.mit.edu.)

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Research topic/area: Electricity wholesale markets, plant financing, nuclear science

Communications/Conference presentations: Risk Premiums in Electricity Forward Prices

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Research Topic/Area: Energy conversion systems, power systems, electricity markets, and future power grids (such as smart grids).

[email protected] | MIT | Sustainable Energy Systems

Research topic/area(s): Kat’s research domain is residential consumer behavior impact on energy efficiency, and the consumer-facing side of the Smart Grid; her methodology is adaptive management and theory-based market transformation/meta-analysis. Human behavior is often neglected, yet it is a critical component to building energy conservation. There has been a great deal of interest in technologies for measuring and displaying information to the user by implementing AMI and Smart Grid systems, but little of it has been based on the specific motivations and needs of the consumer. Kat’s research intends to bridge the gap between technology and humans to ensure that Smart Grid technologies realize their goals of strengthening the grid and reducing energy consumption. Experiments include equipping buildings with sensors to measure and automate energy use and study human behavior change; also, to understand the information displays, pricing strategies, and feedback and automation mechanisms that enable, engage, and motivate consumers most effectively.

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Research topic/area: Renewable Energy Technology and Policy

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Research topic/area: Airflow and Thermal Dynamics in Naturally Ventilated Buildings

Publication (co-author): “Coolvent: A Multizone Airflow and Thermal Analysis Simulator for Natural Ventilation in Buildings” publication link

CONACyT Fellow (Mexican Council for Science and Technology 2007 to present)

Martin Family Society for Sustainability Fellow (2009-2010)

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Research topic/area: A Cost and Environmental Comparison of Traditional and Electric Vehicles in the Azores

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Research topic/area(s): Use of energy storage to improve the operation of the electric grid – particularly for short-term, high-power applications such as frequency regulation.

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Research topic/area: Seasonal, Diurnal, and Hourly Complimentary and Competing Variability of Multiple Renewable Energy Sources on the Azores, Portugal and the Effectiveness of Utilizing of Energy Storage to Achieve Maximum Penetration

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Research topic/ area: Green Islands Project (Long-term Planning of Electric Power Systems)

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Research topic/area(s): Technology adoption in the automotive industry, particularly with regard to rollout of fuel-efficient vehicles.

[email protected] | MIT | Sustainable Energy Systems

Research topic/area: As an MIT Portugal RA, investigated the energy-saving potential of cool and green roofs. Work has been incorporated into the free online design tool, The MIT Design Advisor, and is currently accessible at http://designadvisor.mit.edu. (PhD candidate in the Mechanical Engineering Department at MIT. Doctoral research is focused on natural ventilation in commercial buildings.)

[email protected] | MIT | Sustainable Energy Systems

Research topic/area: Design, valuation and financing of energy infrastructure. Role of long-term contracts for new investments in power generation

[email protected] | MIT | Sustainable Energy Systems

Research topic/area: Demand-side management of electricity for the residential sector. Working on adding to the learning capability of the Energy Box, a 24/7 background processor that manages the use of electricity for a home or small business, with the objective of minimizing cost (best suited for an electricity retail market with demand-sensitive, real-time pricing). A learning capability will enable the introduction of occupancy-moderated, zonal space conditioning poised to bring about reduction in energy consumption.