Sushrita Rakshit
Pronouns: she/they
Research Mentor(s): Michael Craig
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: SEAS / SNRE
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 3 – 1:40pm – 2:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors:
Presenter: 89
Abstract
Drastic changes in our weather patterns due to climate change have become increasingly prominent in the public eye. From the recently occurring snow storm in Massachusetts at the start of 2022 that resulted in mass power outages leaving families without proper heating from the storm, the question comes to how power companies could have been better equipped. Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) are projections created by power companies aiming to predict what electrical and transmissional needs must be met over a future time period. Many IRPs place heavy emphasis on how extreme weather and natural disasters, all a result of climate change, can be mitigated and prevented in the future through an increase in renewable energy and a shift away from combustibles. However, our focus in the research lies in finding how climate change can be accounted for and how to adjust power projections so that an occurrence similar to the Massachusetts power outages do not occur. Our methodology consists of weekly meetings where IRPs are split amongst different team members. In order to gain the most accurate data, two team members are assigned one IRP to read. Each team member reads intensively through the IRPs while placing a heavy focus on a list of key terms generated at the beginning of the project. Notes are then taken with specified page numbers and organized into a shared spreadsheet where the IRP data from different companies can be compared. Through reading dozens of IRPs, it has become apparent that many companies do not yet acknowledge the power adjustments they must make for the future. In conducting our research, my team aims to categorize how specific steps have been taken, their effectiveness, and how companies can move forward in the future to prevent crises such as that in Massachusetts from occurring once again.
Environmental Studies, Interdisciplinary
