Center for Equitable Demand Response and Energy Justice
Use-Inspired Community Based Participatory Research
In 2023, ETI will develop a center on equitable household-level demand response. Our use-inspired participatory research on Demand Response will simultaneously address the problem of grid integration and energy injustice.
Demand Response (DR) refers to technologies and programs that can change electricity demand patterns to provide a more efficient grid. The vision of this center is to find ways to harness the immense value that can be derived from DR to provide financial and other value to households (especially poor and traditionally marginalized) that adopt it.
Examples of Demand Response technologies and systems include time of day electricity prices, pre-heating water, automatically changing thermostats, EV charging, and smart appliances. These DR technologies not only support the energy grid but have potential to provide greater energy efficiency and household services that benefit end users.
DR is part of an engineered socio-technical system; as such we will bring together disparate disciplines, utility representatives, and marginalized communities to create opportunities for impactful change. The disciplines include industrial, computer, and civil engineering, cultural anthropology, computer science, operations management, social psychology, public policy, behavioral economics, and public health.
Project Objectives
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Create new community-grounded knowledge aimed at removing the barriers to the equitable and impactful adoption of demand response programs and technologies. Design algorithms and related technologies that are trustworthy, equitable, and bring benefits to marginalized communities and utilities.
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Create an Engineering Research Center that advances innovative, interdisciplinary, use-inspired research and education on solutions to energy poverty with a focus on equitable demand response, addressing societal challenges through national and international collaboration and multi-stakeholder engagement
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Expand opportunities for students, early career researchers, and community activists to gain education and training in world class research while enhancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; with a focus on better understanding of the impacts of energy poverty on achieving a low carbon living environment.
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Generate data driven policy recommendations for multiple actors and scales connected to equitable demand response, including suggestions for utilities, retail electricity suppliers, municipalities and local authorities, state and national/federal regulators and policymakers. Design trustworthy algorithms for implementation of demand response. Design technologies with safe and efficient installation in mind.
This project is funded by the UMass Amherst Large-scale Integrative Research Awards (LIRA) program as part of the Track 2 - Center Development awards. The goal of this program - established by the UMass Amherst Provost and the Vice Chancellor for Research & Engagement, in coordination with the Chancellor - is to empower creativity; to promote equitable collaborations, especially those that foster diversity, equity, and inclusion; and to attract substantial external funding.