The survey period has already passed. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of my final dissertation when it it complete. Please feel free to contact me.
Dear Potential Survey Participant,
I am an American student currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in the science of climate change at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. You have been directed to this webpage as part of my Master’s dissertation, which is investigating the use of large-scale energy storage devices on the electric utility grid and the subsequent impact on climate change related emissions.
Based on my preliminary literary research, I have discovered that energy storage technologies hold a currently under utilized potential to improve the efficiency of electricity grids and will be essential to an economically successful expansion of the use of renewable energy. Despite large amounts of research into the economic benefits of such systems, there has been relatively little attention given to the emissions implications. Therefore, to explore this I intend to develop simulation scenarios that include different proportions of traditional and renewable energy sources combined with emerging storage technologies such as electric vehicles and smart grid technology in order to determine the overall impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Ultimately, I hope that my research will be useful for energy storage manufacturers, utility companies, and regulators as they develop plans for the next decade or two.
In order to ensure that my simulation is as accurate as possible, I am surveying energy storage manufacturers and utility companies and other experts to develop a reasonable set of parameters and limitations to the technologies that are currently available and in use. Please can you assist me with my dissertation by completing a survey and possibly answering some follow up questions. Within these surveys I am specifically avoiding commercially sensitive information by focusing on information that is specifically relevant to emissions and basic functionality of the systems. The information I do collect will remain in my model and will not be identifiable or attributable in my dissertation. Please let me know the most appropriate manner to deliver the survey. By default I will be using email and this website.
I will send out and post the survey in the second half of May with the hope that I will receive a significant response prior to the end of June. Before deciding whether or not to participate, I encourage you to review my credentials on my Linked-In page (http://www.linkedin.com/in/seandiamondsustainability) and my dissertation proposal, which I have posted on my blog (http://seandiamondsustainability.blogspot.com/2010/04/dissertation-proposal-energy-storage.html).
To participate in the survey, please download a copy of the survey on the Dissertation Survey page. Or email me at seandiamondsustainability@yahoo.com, and I will send you a copy of the survey. In order to complete my dissertation on time, it is imperative that I receive all survey responses by 30 June 2010.
Thank you,
Sean Diamond
