Human industrial societies today require over 70 times more energy per day than natural ecosystems, and all the while our societies are draining and polluting the invaluable life services that the natural world provides. Further, our societies are experiencing frequent power outages due to human threats (e.g. cyber-attacks) and natural disasters (e.g. wildfires, hurricanes), causing serious losses in property, economics, and life. The Biomimetic Integrated Community Energy and Power System (BICEPS) is a holistic innovative community energy system that integrates multiple renewable energy resources (solar electricity, hot/cold water, biofuel) to create sustainable and resilient energy networks. Energy resources in BICEPS are diverse, distributed, and life-friendly, mimicking mature natural ecosystems like a old growth forest. The BICEPS’s design and operational schemes are tested using the cutting-edge computer modeling and simulation language Modelica, which is the Department of Energy’s next-generation platform for building and community energy modeling.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

U.S. Department of Energy IBUILD Research Fellowship