Energy infrastructure design for low carbon, reliability and resiliency

摘要

Many organizations want energy infrastructure that is low-carbon, reliable, resilient, efficient and cost-effective. These goals are being pursued by colleges and universities, cities, real estate developers, thermal and electric utility companies, and a wide variety of service and manufacturing businesses. Designing energy infrastructure to meet these multiple goaLs is a challenge - but it is achievable. My objective in this column is to offer some advice based on decades of experience. Energy infrastructure decisions are influenced by many factors, including technical and economic analyses and projections of the future. Those decisions are also made by human beings, so - let's be frank-they are also affected by other considerations (What will my stakeholders say? Will I get criticized?). I want to address some of the issues in an analytical way but also acknowledge the other drivers of decisions. I also want to address the difficulties in making decisions in the face of uncertainties and suggest strategies for building in flexibility to help "future-proof" your energy infrastructure.