Julie Harrington

A framework for establishing neighborhood based integrated energy systems, which are highly but not solely dependant on renewable energy is presented. Integrated energy systems is a whole system concept. It includes knowledge, design, analysis, construction, and long term utilization of a community's electrical, mechanical, thermal, educational, and governing systems at all levels, individual homes, communities, local and regional infrastructures, etc. The authors depend heavily on their experiences in the USA State of Florida. The guidance should be generally applicable to world wide communities with additional considerations. Integrated energy systems will provide significant benefit to both the community and the national grid infrastructure. These systems can provide economic, ideological, and aesthetic satisfaction to certain homeowners who believe a greater dependence on renewable energies is demanded by world events. These systems can also provide significant performance improvements for a national grid that faces rapidly increasing demand at a pace that surpasses the pace of additional transmission or even generation in some places of the world. In this paper we touch on considerations for the national infrastructure, the actual neighborhood microgrid design, the energy sources, the economic analysis and education. This is intended to be a start of discussion and not an exhaustive analysis or case for integrated energy systems.