View Thesis Outline
This is the current outline for my masters thesis. I will update it as I move forward with the project.
Outline
1) Introduction: Introductory Discussion of my Topic and Research
1) Gore’s Challenge
--importance
--reaction from policy makers and experts
--issues that need to be addressed
2) Rocky Mountain Institute Study
--findings
--relevance to my work
3) Example of Samso
--what they accomplished
--comparing Samso to Aquidneck
4) Aquidneck Island
--Why I chose it
--An explanation of my methodology
2)Achieving 100% electricity from renewables on Aquidneck
1) A discussion of boundary issues
--what I considered and what I didn’t
2) Mapping of Resources on the Island
--wind and solar (how much and when?)
3) Other Resources
--Biomass, tidal, wave, etc.
4) Energy Storage Potential
--Discussion of options
--Discussion of costs
5) Efficiency/Conservation
--Projected load growth over 10 years
--existing policies and plans for reducing demand
--discussion of trade-offs between aggressive efficiency measures and cost of more energy sources on the island
--demand side management/ “smart grid” technologies (what’s being done, what is being considered, what can be done?)
--Public education to encourage conservation (price signals? education programs? community buy-in)
6) 3 Scenarios for Achieving the Goal
--cost
--policy changes
--timelines
7) Based on the 3 Scenarios, is the 100% Renewable Goal feasible?
--defining feasible
--putting the scenarios in the context of what other communities are doing/have done
8) Comparing Samso, Denmark to Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island, USA
--what they’ve done
--cost of achieving their goal
--policies and measures taken to achieve the goal
--how does that compare to Aquidneck?
--what can we learn?
3) Broader Implications of my Findings
1) Usefulness of the comparison between Aquidneck and the U.S.
Review of Current Research Addressing Issues of Variability, Cost and Policy
--RMI papers
--other reports (still to be identified)
Conclusions
1) Recommendations for future study