NSF CRISP

Fraunhofer CSE, the University of New Mexico (UNM), the University of Tennessee (UTK), the University of Texas, and Michigan Technological University were awarded with a grant under the National Science Foundation (NSF) CRISP Program to increase the resiliency of local communities to phenomena that can disrupt the electrical grid. The project focuses on the transformation of power distribution feeders from relatively passive channels for delivering electricity to customers, to distribution micro grids, or entities that actively manage local production, storage, and use of electricity.

This three-year-project “Revolution through Evolution: A Controls Approach to Improve How Society Interacts with Electricity” will produce a unified model that incorporates aspects of power generation and delivery, information flow, market design, and human behavior. Fraunhofer CSE leads the project’s human factors research to understand and quantify how different population segments can modify their everyday routines to support the electric grid under different conditions. The study includes an analysis of the population’s response to several types of social, normative and economic incentives. The model resulting from this study will help decision makers prepare and adapt to unexpected events, and increase the resiliency of local communities.