Dr. Sanders’ Sustainable Systems Group’s mission is to conduct system-level analyses that seek to resolve issues with technical, political, and societal significance to inform better decision making in regards to resource management in a warming world. Our current research projects fall broadly into the themes below. (Visit our publication page to view publications by theme.)
The Energy-Climate-Equity Nexus
While the impacts of carbon emitting energy consumption are affecting anthropogenic climate change, warming from both climate change and urban heat isalands are also affecting the way that consumers use energy and the efficiency with which our energy infrastructure operates. This thrust analyzes this tension between warming and the energy system.
Current Projects:
- Quantifying air-conditioning penetration rates in neighborhoods across Southern California (pub2018,pub2019)
- Identifying communities vulnerable to extreme heat due to energy insecurity and lack of AC access (pub2020)
- Using machine learning technique to estimate how climate change and urban heat islands might impact residential electricity usage
- Analyzing changes to heat response plans during the COVID-19 pandemic (pub2022)
- Investigating the impacts of anthropogenic heat on the climate of Los Angeles
Past Projects:
- Analyzing how temperature affects the efficiency of thermal power plants (pub2019)
- Measuring the impacts of cool pavement deployment on albedo and temperatures in Los Angeles (pub2022)
Leveraging Demand-side Management Strategies To Accelerate Decarbonization in the Power Sector
Most decarbonization strategies to date in the power sector have focused on supply-side interventions. We are investigating how shifts in electricity consumer behavior can facilitate higher variable renewable energy penetration across regional grids, while incurring other benefits such as increased reliability and decreased generation costs.
Current Projects:
- Developing frameworks for quantify marginal emissions factors (pub2023)
- Using pre-cooling as a demand-side management tool to reduce emissions related to air-conditioning (pub2022)
Past Projects:
- Leveraging the flexibility of the water sector to provide demand response services (pub2021,pub2021)
The Environmental Impacts of Electricity Production
Nationally, the US power sector represents 41% of water withdrawals, 4% of water consumption, 36% of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions, 73% of sulfur oxides, and a significant proportion of nitrous oxides making it a critical target for sustainable policy and technology deployment. We use grid modeling tools to quantify the environmental impacts of electricity production across a range of climatic, technical, regulatory, and economic scenarios.
Current Projects:
- Analyzing how Los Angeles’s 100% renewable electricity goals will affect emissions and public health (collaborative with Ban-Weiss group and NREL)
Past Projects:
- Quantifying the water use of regional power grid fleets (pub2018,pub2019,pub2020)
- Mapping regional virtual water trades across the power sector (pub2017,pub2020)
- Quantifying the air, water, and greenhouse gas tradeoffs in the power sector during periods of severe drought (pub2018)
- Quantifying the water use of US thermal power plants (pub2016)
- Developing high spatiotemporal estimates of the air and emissions tradeoffs of regional power grids (pub2016)
- Developing framework for mitigating environmental externalities in the power sector through market-based mechanisms (pub2014)
The Energy-Water Nexus
Energy and water are vital to economic security and quality of life. Together they enable an ample food supply, safe drinking water, electricity production, and other elements of a high quality of life. They are also interrelated: energy is required to pump, treat, pressurize, and heat water, and water is critical to producing fuels and cooling power plants. Because of this relationship, there are cross-sectoral impacts, both good and bad. Without enough energy, access to potable water and proper sanitation is hindered, which is a problem that compromises the health and well-being of billions around the world. Without enough water, thermoelectric power plants cannot be adequately cooled, hydroelectric facilities cannot operate, and the production of fuels can be interrupted, which can lead to blackouts and energy supply shortages. On the other hand, the water sector offers storage and demand-side management opportunities that could help the energy sector decarbonize, while the energy sector offers untapped opportunities for water savings. Our research explores this relationship to identify strategies for holistic resource conservation strategies. We also analyze opportunities to utilize waste streams (e.g. high salinity streams, waste heat, wastewater effluent, etc.) to create value within the power industry.
Past Projects:
- Quantifying the energy tradeoffs of future water management strategies across Southern California (pub2020)
- Leveraging the flexibility of the water sector to provide demand response services (pub2021,pub2021)
- Evaluating synergistic opportunities that utilize impaired waters in coastal regions (pub2021, pub2020)
- Quantifying the energy use for water in Los Angeles (pub2020)
- Developing consistent terminology and reporting standards for energy-water nexus research (pub2019, pub2020)
- Quantifying the total water consequences of energy production across the United States (pub2018)
- Identifying water reuse opportunities across California’s oil and gas sector (pub2016)
- Quantifying the water use of regional power grid fleets (pub2018,pub2019,pub2020)
- Mapping regional virtual water trades across the power sector (pub2017,pub2020)
- Quantifying the air, water, and greenhouse gas tradeoffs in the power sector during periods of severe drought (pub2018)
- Quantifying the water use of US thermal power plants (pub2016)
The Food-Water-Energy Nexus
As growing economies get richer, their diets become more resource intensive, namely more meat intensive. Globally, agriculture accounts for one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, over half of which are associated with livestock cultivation. Growing demands of land, energy, and water due to shifts from plant-based diets to meat-based diets in growing economies will markedly change the energy, water, and nutrients required to meet global food demand. Furthermore, increasing demand for resource intensive foods in growing economies will increase global greenhouse gas emissions without large-scale waste management interventions. This research area aims to assess the environmental impacts that will follow changes to regional food supplies and production systems from a systems perspective.
Past Projects:
- Identifying tensions between food, water, and energy management in the Gulf region in the context of climate change (pub2017)
- Analyzing how emerging technologies can help optimize FEW resource management (pub2017)
If you are a prospective PhD student that is interested in joining the group, please fill out the form here.
Artwork: Katherine Duffy, BA in the John C. Hench Division of Animation and Digital Arts, Class of 2016, University of Southern California