(1) Thinking at technology level is inappropriate
• The same technology has different performances in different scenarios: e.g.
technology X can have great performance in scenario A (desert with plenty
of sun), poor performance in scenario B (north country with several rainy
days).
• An electrical system to work in an efficient way (from technical and economical perspectives) needs the right mix of power plants: base load, peak
load, ancillary services, etc.
(2) Energy cost is just one aspect of economics
• People need to distinguish between Production Cost (technology driven),
Electricity Price (market driven) and Value (usage driven). Gas turbines
working as spinning reserve are costly, get a high price, but are extremely
valuable. A private company working in a market has, usually, the goal to
maximize profits minimizing risk, not minimize production costs.
• Let us assume that technology A has an overall production cost (LUEC)
of $100 per MWe and B $70 per MWe. Is B better than A? We need to
include environmental issues, but also social. Let’s think about social.
Maybe B is not creating local national jobs, while B is more expensive, but
the cost is boosting local/national economics.
(3) Global warming
• The majority of scientific publications say it is an issue. However, we still
lack understanding of how citizens feel about global warming and their
preferences for dealing with it. In a world (or nation) with limited resources
it is important to prioritize budget allocations for important social, economic, and environmental issues. Identifying how citizens would allocate
limited resources could provide insights into citizens’ feelings toward global
warming. For example, having $100 to invest—how much should be
allocated to “cutting greenhouse gas emission”, “funding cancer research”,
“paying for vaccinations in poor countries”, “creating grants for student
education”, and “developing more sustainable food production techniques”?
This research leverages the state-of-the-art knowledge to create an innovative
social engagement platform that will allow for key insights to emerge on public
perception toward different energy sources, including perceptions toward different
environmental, social, and economic impacts. The 3BL elements can be broken
down into categories (and eventual sub-categories) and the categories in quantitative indicators. This framework, common for all the energy sources, differs for the
specific values of each indicator, specific for the source considered. The key idea is
to use indicators that are intuitive for the “average citizen”. This indicator requires a
“life cycle perspectives” and needs to be tuned from existing research and database
(e.g. http://www.externe.info/). In this way the user can focus his/her attention on
specific aspects.
Development of a Knowledge Management System …
131
• The same technology has different performances in different scenarios: e.g.
technology X can have great performance in scenario A (desert with plenty
of sun), poor performance in scenario B (north country with several rainy
days).
• An electrical system to work in an efficient way (from technical and economical perspectives) needs the right mix of power plants: base load, peak
load, ancillary services, etc.
(2) Energy cost is just one aspect of economics
• People need to distinguish between Production Cost (technology driven),
Electricity Price (market driven) and Value (usage driven). Gas turbines
working as spinning reserve are costly, get a high price, but are extremely
valuable. A private company working in a market has, usually, the goal to
maximize profits minimizing risk, not minimize production costs.
• Let us assume that technology A has an overall production cost (LUEC)
of $100 per MWe and B $70 per MWe. Is B better than A? We need to
include environmental issues, but also social. Let’s think about social.
Maybe B is not creating local national jobs, while B is more expensive, but
the cost is boosting local/national economics.
(3) Global warming
• The majority of scientific publications say it is an issue. However, we still
lack understanding of how citizens feel about global warming and their
preferences for dealing with it. In a world (or nation) with limited resources
it is important to prioritize budget allocations for important social, economic, and environmental issues. Identifying how citizens would allocate
limited resources could provide insights into citizens’ feelings toward global
warming. For example, having $100 to invest—how much should be
allocated to “cutting greenhouse gas emission”, “funding cancer research”,
“paying for vaccinations in poor countries”, “creating grants for student
education”, and “developing more sustainable food production techniques”?
This research leverages the state-of-the-art knowledge to create an innovative
social engagement platform that will allow for key insights to emerge on public
perception toward different energy sources, including perceptions toward different
environmental, social, and economic impacts. The 3BL elements can be broken
down into categories (and eventual sub-categories) and the categories in quantitative indicators. This framework, common for all the energy sources, differs for the
specific values of each indicator, specific for the source considered. The key idea is
to use indicators that are intuitive for the “average citizen”. This indicator requires a
“life cycle perspectives” and needs to be tuned from existing research and database
(e.g. http://www.externe.info/). In this way the user can focus his/her attention on
specific aspects.
Development of a Knowledge Management System …
131