NEPA assessments for large-scale renewable energy projects on Army land: Best practices and lessons learned

In the last years, the European Union has developed and set a several environmental policies whose imposes an obligation on Member States to implement specific actions, including incorporating climate change considerations into SEA and EIA processes. One of major environmental challenges facing most developing countries is that of global climate change. The aim of the research was to obtain a comprehensive review of existing SEA and EIA practical approaches for renewable energy installations in the aspect of adaptation to climate change with specific reference to Polish projects. Both SEA and EIA procedures implemented in Poland and other countries was introduced with the intent of factoring in potential risk to the environment by future large-scale project developments such as the construction of power plants, roads, or dams. The paper consist the initial recognition of available data of the current experience and level of implementation climate change impact and adaptions into local procedures. Preliminary results suggest that the additional funding should be given for climate change adaptation in the energy sector, especially in renewable energy projects, as well as specific interventions for climate-adapted energy systems should be targeted in order to fill the gap in RES sector and spur sustainable energy development.

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An Integrated Risk Framework for Large Scale Deployments of Renewable Energy

Volume 4: Ocean Engineering; Ocean Renewable Energy; Ocean Space Utilization, Parts A and B ◽

10.1115/omae2009-80228 ◽

2009 ◽

Author(s):

Bonnie Ram

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Renewable Energy ◽

Energy Supply ◽

Large Scale ◽

Management Practices ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Outer Continental Shelf ◽

Integrated Risk ◽

Risk Framework ◽

Human Effects

Assessing the potential environmental and human effects of deploying renewable energy along our coasts, on the Outer Continental Shelf, and in the Great Lakes requires a new risk paradigm. Evaluating potential risks requires a consistent program of research over time that collects relevant data by each sectoral area, such as bat and bird collisions, entanglement with mammals and fish, safety within shipping lanes, etc. Data collection alone, however, will not lead to better decisionmaking. Arriving at a broad and integrated risk profile of environmental and human effects is beyond a linear problem or a scientific decision. It becomes a political decision that must take into account the scientific evidence, comparison to other energy supply options, and stakeholder and public concerns. Risk assessment is not a new approach as it is applied throughout the federal government. The renewable energy area needs to develop and apply a risk assessment framework to support better decisions for deployment. The current approach evaluates potential impacts, sector by sector, or with a National Energy Policy Act (NEPA) document prepared by a federal agency or private developer. This site or project specific analyses are central to a better understanding of risk, but again it does not help the decisionmaker. The decisionmaker needs to better understand the broad spectrum of risk across all potential sites. Though the analyses may be incomplete, expert judgments can determine the level of significance and the research gaps. While renewable energy deployments are small today, marine renewable energy deployments are planned in the ocean over the next decade within North America and large deployment goals are expected in Europe. Now is the time to construct an integrated risk framework that evaluates the sectoral impacts, compares across these impacts, and then compares them to other energy supply options. A central lesson of a risk framework is that risks (sector effects) must be compared across potential effects to develop a transparent evaluation of temporal and spatial impacts of a site or a region. An evaluation of one sector separate from the others leads to skewed perceptions of significant risks. This integrated risk framework would also lead to effective siting strategies that would be based on mitigating the most important risks and employing cost-effective adaptive management practices wherever possible. While the nation moves forward in deploying renewable energy, lessons learned and new data will trigger new problems and new solutions to the potential impacts on the coastal landscape and within the marine environment. This integrated risk framework is presented graphically below to identify the specific analytical steps as well as how these activities will lead to better decisionmaking and smarter siting strategies (see Figure 1).

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Constructing a Design Framework and Pedagogical Approach for Adaptive Learning in Higher Education: A Practitioner's Perspective

The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning ◽

10.19173/irrodl.v21i1.4557 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 172-196 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Thomas Cavanagh ◽

Baiyun Chen ◽

Rachid Ait Maalem Lahcen ◽

James Paradiso

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Best Practices ◽

Adaptive Learning ◽

Large Scale ◽

Research University ◽

Course Design ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Design Framework ◽

Pedagogical Approach ◽

Field Note

While adaptive learning is emerging as a promising technology to promote access and quality at a large scale in higher education (Becker et al., 2018), the implementation of adaptive learning in teaching and learning is still sporadic, and it is unclear how to best design and teach an adaptive learning course in a higher education context. As early adopters, a team of instructors, instructional designers, and administrators at the University of Central Florida (UCF) identified five key design features as an adaptive learning design framework to guide the unique course design process. These five features involve deliberate design and development efforts that could bring significant benefits to student learning. The purpose of this field note is to present a design framework and best practices for teaching from both a systems and a pedagogical approach in the context of implementation at UCF. We also share the rationale and classification framework UCF has adopted to ensure the term “adaptive learning” is universally understood across campus. This paper offers insights into the design, delivery, and implications of utilizing adaptive learning systems in higher education courses at a public research university and attempts to capture the intimacy of lessons learned and best practices gathered since the project’s inception in 2014.

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Sustainability, Sociocultural Challenges, and New Power of Capitalism for Renewable Energy Megaprojects in an Indigenous Mayan Community of Mexico

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12187432 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (18) ◽

pp. 7432 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Amina El Mekaoui ◽

Rasikh Tariq ◽

Othón Baños Ramírez ◽

P.E. Méndez-Monroy

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Renewable Energy ◽

Power Relations ◽

Large Scale ◽

Energy Transition ◽

Basic Element ◽

Scientific Discussion ◽

Energy Projects ◽

Sociocultural Contexts

Sustainable development is an integrated blend of energetic, economic, social, environmental, and governmental actors, making it one of the most challenging and subjective aims of the United Nations. A sustainability project that does not consider any of these parameters can generate resistance among different actors of society. In this work, we have demonstrated that the traditional definition of sustainability encompassing economic development, environmental protection, and social justice does not adequately cover large-scale renewable energy projects. We have presented an illuminating case study of solar development in the Yucatan state of Mexico to show that the traditional three-legged stool of sustainable development fails to accommodate local power relations and their role in energy decision-making. This point is made through a substantive and illuminating ethnography of a solar project in the community of San José Tipceh, which involves the importance of energy democracy and understanding power relations in any assessment of sustainable development. These power relations are an important component of sustainable development, and all megaprojects, especially renewable energy projects, require special attention in the governance processes. Through an analysis of an example of implementation of a mega solar project, we argue that the methodology through which the power is exercised is an exercise of great importance because it leads us to a scientific discussion that structures an international reflection on sustainability. The case study consists of mixed methods, including several techniques to deepen the analysis of sociocultural aspects, and tries to present the limits and show the weakness of the sustainability perspective in such megaprojects. It is concluded that environmental justice as a basic element of the new era of renewable energies is limited and can generate social injustices. In the same way, this work shows how power is exercised in the implementation of energy projects and in the absence of equitable comprehensive governance that does not consider the local sociocultural contexts of the communities, resulting in the generation of new powers and permanent conflicts. At the end of this work, a framework to empower local sociocultural contexts for an equitable energy transition is recommended.

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Gender and Renewable Energy: Wind, Solar, Geothermal and Hydroelectric Energy

10.18235/0003068 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Paloma Marcos Morezuelas

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Gender Equality ◽

Large Scale ◽

Monitoring And Evaluation ◽

Hydroelectric Energy ◽

Project Assessment ◽

Energy Projects ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

Construction Operation

This document focuses on how to incorporate a gender perspective in operations that support the construction, operation and maintenance of medium- and large-scale renewable wind, solar, geothermal and hydroelectric energy installations connected to the grid for purposes of power generation. Additionally, there is also a section on rural energy that is applicable to small installations and mini-grids, or to exceptional cases where medium- and large-scale facilities provide electricity to a community. The document (i) identifies the possible gender equality challenges and opportunities as part of the project assessment, (ii) highlights the risks and potentially negative impacts of the project on gender equality, (iii) offers recommendations for addressing, preventing and mitigating challenges and for maximizing opportunities; and (iv) presents examples of programs that have taken into account gender differences or risks. In addition, the document includes (v) key questions for analyzing gender issues in renewable energy projects, and (vi) examples of indicators for the monitoring and evaluation of operations in the renewable energy sector.

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Business Models and Policies to Support Renewable Energy Community in Islands

Transitioning Island Nations Into Sustainable Energy Hubs - Advances in Environmental Engineering and Green Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-6002-9.ch004 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 108-131

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Large Scale ◽

Economies Of Scale ◽

Business Models ◽

The Public ◽

Capital Costs ◽

Energy Projects ◽

Energy Community ◽

The Given

This chapter starts with an introductory part, explaining the role of business models and analyzing the different financial models of ownership. It has been concluded that in renewable energy projects, ownership business models center in specialized complexity, economies of scale, capital costs, and financing perspectives based on its own characteristics. It has many favorable features including the ability to provide power to local communities and create jobs. However, business models include several decisive financing, service, and monitoring characteristics. Business models should be dynamic, while being adjusted to the special conditions, features, and risks of the given project. In renewable energy projects, ownership business models center on the specialized complexity, economies of scale, capital costs, and financing perspectives. The public-private partnership (PPP) is usually the optimum business model option for medium- to large-scale or grid-connected renewable energy projects, and is usually applied with a structure of a built-own-operate-transfer or multiparty ownership.

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LESSONS LEARNED, BEST PRACTICES, AND COMMON SENSE FROM U.S. GOVERNMENT-LED NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS FOR RESPONSE EXERCISE PROGRAM (PREP) DRILLS

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-2005-1-357 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 2005 (1) ◽

pp. 357-361

Author(s):

Dennis Cashman

Keyword(s):

Best Practices ◽

Common Sense ◽

Large Scale ◽

Exercise Program ◽

Public Affairs ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Incident Command ◽

And Control ◽

National Preparedness ◽

Response Exercise

ABSTRACT Professionals who design or participate in oil and hazardous material exercises would benefit from knowing historical lessons learned and best practices relative to the design and execution of exercises before they begin to develop or participate in similar exercises. In accordance with the “National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) Guidelines” the staff at the USCG National Strike Force Coordination Center in Elizabeth City, NC has been in the business of designing, executing, and evaluating U.S. government-led PREP drills since 1993 and have accumulated abundant lessons learned and best practices relative to large scale exercises that would be beneficial to share with the response community. PREP exercises typically require six months to plan and design, three days to execute the drill with up to 300 participants, and three days to draft lessons learned. This paper will focus on lessons learned, problem areas, best practices, work arounds, and common sense pertaining to numerous subjects during the life cycle of designing and executing an exercise such as: Initial Design Phase; Functions of a Joint Design Team; Pre exercise Training; Play and Control Spaces; Communications; Incident Command System; Funding; Logistics; Notifications; Objectives; Public Affairs; and Improvements to Area Contingency Plans.

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Research Engagement With Persons Living With Dementia: Putting Lessons Learned Into Practice

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2585 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 728-728

Author(s):

Lori Frank

Keyword(s):

Best Practices ◽

Large Scale ◽

Governance Structure ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Self Evaluation ◽

Research Engagement ◽

The Us ◽

Research Meeting ◽

Research Initiatives ◽

Future Work

Abstract In the US few research initiatives actively engage persons living with dementia (PLWD) as partners in the research. The 2017 Summit actively engaged multiple types of stakeholder groups, including one for Persons Living with Dementia (PLWD), and was the first large-scale US research meeting to actively engage PLWD in planning and conduct of the meeting. The PLWD conducted a self-evaluation of their work that yielded best practices, meeting the need for guidelines for engaging with PLWD. The 2020 Summit presented the opportunity to test best practices. Some were implemented by the group conveners, like use of video-enabled meetings. Others were implemented with the PLWD, including decisions about governance structure for the group. The use of learnings from the first Summit in engaging with PLWD in the following Summit supported refinement of some engagement practices, yielding a list of recommendations for future work.

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