In this dissertation I will present and test a model linking actual applicant-interviewer demographic, human capital, and cultural capital similarity to an interviewer's recommendation to hire. Actual similarity is proposed to influence an interviewer's perceptions of similarity with an applicant. These perceptions, in turn, lead to the interviewer's perceptions of the applicant's Person-Organization (PO) fit and the applicant's Person-Job (PJ) fit. Two main mechanisms are proposed to mediate the relationship between an interviewer's perceptions of similarity and an interviewer's perceptions of an applicant's fit: liking and negative behavioral expectations. Lastly, both an interviewer's PO and PJ fit perceptions of an applicant are posited to influence the interviewer's recommendation to hire. A total of 118 interviewer-applicant dyads contacted through the Career Center Office at a University located in the southwestern United States participated in the study. Results partially support the model. An interviewer's perceptions of similarity with an applicant are positively related to an interviewer's fit evaluations. An interviewer's negative behavioral expectations of an applicant mediate this relationship. Furthermore, perceived similarity is positively related to an interviewer's liking of an applicant. In turn, liking is positively related to an interviewer's PO fit perceptions. However, liking does not function as a mediator between perceived similarity and fit evaluations. Finally, fit evaluations are positively related to hiring recommendations. I discuss the main implications of the study as well as strengths, limitations, and future research.

In this dissertation I will present and test a model linking actual applicant-interviewer demographic, human capital, and cultural capital similarity to an interviewer's recommendation to hire. Actual similarity is proposed to influence an interviewer's perceptions of similarity with an applicant. These perceptions, in turn, lead to the interviewer's perceptions of the applicant's Person-Organization (PO) fit and the applicant's Person-Job (PJ) fit. Two main mechanisms are proposed to mediate the relationship between an interviewer's perceptions of similarity and an interviewer's perceptions of an applicant's fit: liking and negative behavioral expectations. Lastly, both an interviewer's PO and PJ fit perceptions of an applicant are posited to influence the interviewer's recommendation to hire. A total of 118 interviewer-applicant dyads contacted through the Career Center Office at a University located in the southwestern United States participated in the study. Results partially support the model. An interviewer's perceptions of similarity with an applicant are positively related to an interviewer's fit evaluations. An interviewer's negative behavioral expectations of an applicant mediate this relationship. Furthermore, perceived similarity is positively related to an interviewer's liking of an applicant. In turn, liking is positively related to an interviewer's PO fit perceptions. However, liking does not function as a mediator between perceived similarity and fit evaluations. Finally, fit evaluations are positively related to hiring recommendations. I discuss the main implications of the study as well as strengths, limitations, and future research.

An ever increasing body of legislation and regulation is transforming the UK’s energy system and its surrounding national energy framework. Depending on the mechanisms that result from this process, new forms of engagement with energy, particularly electricity, might emerge. The current trajectory of UK energy policy leans towards a centralised scenario with a portfolio of centralised renewable energy technologies (i.e. geographically concentrated such as offshore wind), nuclear power stations and gas fired power stations with the option of Carbon Capture and Storage technologies if it becomes a commercially viable option (CCC, 2011). Forecasts predict that a combination of these technologies could place the UK on the right path to reach its 2050 carbon reduction commitments (UKERC, 2008). However, this approach fails to take broader benefits of decentralisation and localisation into account and many official documents such as the Microgeneration Strategy (DECC, 2011a) and those surrounding Community Energy Online (DECC, 2011b) point to a need for greater public engagement in the generation of energy in order to ‘derive greater benefits locally’ (DECC, 2011a: 45). The question remains in how far these diverging objectives can be achieved within the current regulatory environment as there is a lack of coordinated incentives in place to facilitate the development of new scales and ownership structures capable of promoting new forms of engagement at scales below the point at which economies of scales apply. This thesis seeks to establish what barriers are preventing community energy with the capacity to increase acceptance of renewable energy technologies while also contributing towards climate change action, energy security and the strengthening of local economic cycles from becoming more widely embedded in the UK. The main focus is on how ‘niche creation’ policies such as the feed-in tariff might provide the basis for overcoming these barriers by diffusing new scales and ownership structures of renewable energy technologies. Accompanying social innovations could potentially include more meaningful engagement with energy in general and renewable energy in particular, while also enabling communities willing to invest in renewable energy technologies to build resilient local energy infrastructures with the capacity to reduce the impact of increasing energy insecurity, fossil-fuel depletion and climate change constraints. In order to appreciate the potential of community energy in the UK, parallels are drawn to the governance of national energy frameworks in other European countries, Germany and Denmark in particular, that have provided the basis for successful community energy engagement.

This thesis examines community energy planning in Sweden and Canada with the aim of revealing strategies that move communities towards energy sustainability. Unsustainable energy activities are identified as major threats on both local and global levels. The challenges for energy systems are discussed and a possible scenario of a future community with sustainable energy production and consumption is presented. The literature review examines community energy planning guidebooks and key theoretical and methodological concepts including ingenuity, soft energy paths and backcasting from socio-ecological principles of sustainability. Following an analysis of energy supply and demand in a broad systems context, and a review of policies and programs supporting or hindering community energy planning, energy plans from eleven Swedish and eleven Canadian communities are evaluated. Characteristics of progressive energy planning as uncovered in the literature review form a framework for evaluating the visions, strategies and actions described in the plans. Sweden is recognized as an early player in community energy planning. Although Swedish energy plans do not contain all of the identified progressive strategies, national leadership and funding have played a role in Sweden’s successes. More recent Canadian plans are found to be highly progressive, suggesting that Canadian communities who follow their plans can too be successful in transforming their energy systems towards sustainability. / <p>Kerly Acosta, email: kerly_a@yahoo.com Arash Sangari, email: arash@stechpartner.com Jessica Webster, email: jess_violet@hotmail.com</p>

This study demonstrates how the density of a neighbourhood affects its energy demand, metabolism (energy and material flows) and its ability to produce its own energy. Single-family detached houses and row townhouses were each modeled using passive solar housing guidelines with the DesignBuilder building energy simulation software. Energy demand is then modeled within neighbourhoods at two densities based on south facing windows fully un-shaded at 9:00 am, and 12:00 pm solar time on Dec. 21. The neighbourhood metabolisms were then calculated based on location and density. The potential energy supply was evaluated from the spatial characteristics of the neighbourhood (for solar) and the metabolism (municipal solid waste and wastewater flows.) The potential energy demand and supply are then compared for the varying building types and densities to determine the sensitivity of the energy supply and demand relationships.

This study demonstrates how the density of a neighbourhood affects its energy demand, metabolism (energy and material flows) and its ability to produce its own energy. Single-family detached houses and row townhouses were each modeled using passive solar housing guidelines with the DesignBuilder building energy simulation software. Energy demand is then modeled within neighbourhoods at two densities based on south facing windows fully un-shaded at 9:00 am, and 12:00 pm solar time on Dec. 21. The neighbourhood metabolisms were then calculated based on location and density. The potential energy supply was evaluated from the spatial characteristics of the neighbourhood (for solar) and the metabolism (municipal solid waste and wastewater flows.) The potential energy demand and supply are then compared for the varying building types and densities to determine the sensitivity of the energy supply and demand relationships.

The building sector is one of the largest consumers of energy and producers of greenhouse gas emissions in Ontario, representing 13% of the province’s emissions. Recently, countries have been looking to decrease their emissions in response to climate change. The electrification of space heating and domestic hot water preparation has gained traction in reducing emissions in countries with low emission electricity grids. This thesis proposes a novel energy delivery system called the Integrated Community Energy and Harvesting (ICE-Harvest) system. The ICE-Harvest system is a modified 5th Generation District Heating and Cooling (5GDHC) system. An ICE-Harvest system, much like a 5GDHC system, is a district energy system that incorporates heat pumps to couple the thermal and electrical energy demands of buildings. The ICE-Harvest system uses heat pumps to supply both heating and cooling from a one pipe thermal distribution network. The ICE-Harvest system has unidirectional mass flow in a ring arrangement with branches at each building. Bidirectional energy flow between the network and buildings is permitted, meaning that heat rejection from cooling processes can be recovered in the network to reduce the total system heating load. This concept is referred to as energy sharing. The energy needs of the network, and thus the buildings, are serviced through a centralized generation station referred to as the Energy Management Center (EMC). The EMC regulates the supply temperature of the network to the controlled setpoint. Within the EMC, the primary generation source is a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit. The purpose of this CHP is to offset the existing centralized natural gas generators on the Ontario electrical grid. These gas generators operate intermittently and inefficiently as a form of dispatchable generation to stabilize the provincial electrical grid. In this research, it is proposed that ICE-Harvest systems with on-site CHPs could replace these gas generators while providing the same support to the electrical grid at a much higher energy utilization ratio. For an accurate comparison, the CHP is constrained to only turn on according to the electricity system operator's gas generator dispatching schedule. An auxiliary boiler is included in the EMC to provide heat when the CHP is not permitted to operate. However, the possibility for Thermal Energy Storage (TES) to replace this boiler is also explored. An ICE-Harvest system's ideal design depends on the market conditions, building energy demands, and available waste energy sources. This research presents an ICE-Harvest system in a heating demand dominated community located in Ontario, Canada. The community consists of five buildings. The ICE-Harvest system is compared to conventional and alternative building energy systems using the energy consumption data of these buildings. The systems are compared according to their energy consumption, emissions produced, and impact on the electrical grid at both the distribution and transmission levels. The topic of using thermal energy storage in ICE-Harvest systems is also discussed, and a parameter sweep is performed on the thermal energy storage capacity. The results show that the ICE-Harvest system offers demand management opportunities to electricity system operators, substantially reduces annual emissions, and offers improved energy utilization compared to conventional systems. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

In recent years, the electrification of technology that is traditionally powered by fossil fuels has become a popular means to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG). Although the intentions are well founded, the strain on the electrical grid is seldom taken into consideration. When there is increased load on the grid, it is typically met by fossil fuel peaking power plants or additional fossil fuel infrastructure. Depending on the electrical generation technology deployed and the power plant efficiency, electrification can result in an increase in GHG emissions. To make better informed decisions for GHG reductions, policy makers and engineers are in need of smart energy systems, such as the Integrated Community Energy and Harvesting (ICE-Harvest) system. ICE-Harvest systems work with and can respond to changes on the electrical grid, providing demand response. The system creates electrical demand when renewable generation sources are available, reduces demand when fossil fuel generation is present, and can offset centralized generation using distributed combined heat and power resources. In this thesis, steps to design a micro-thermal network (MTN) for the ICE-Harvest system are outlined and different operational strategies are explored that respond to grid behaviour in real time. How fast the thermal network reacts to grid level variations is defined as the response time. The physical response of the thermal network is a temperature set point change. A design map was developed presenting multiple parameters that contribute to the response time, the trade-offs between them, and the corresponding temperature difference achievable. Through developing models in the equation-based object-oriented software Dymola, the viability for real time temperature set point changes in micro-thermal networks was explored. The MTN and the energy transfer stations (ETSs) that transfer energy between the thermal network and the buildings have been modeled. Yearly system simulations were conducted to analyze the corresponding performance of the MTN in terms of electrical requirements and overall GHG emissions. An operational range of the system was presented demonstrating the flexibility of the ICE-Harvest system. The simulation results have identified the ICE-Harvest system as a viable means to provide demand response to the grid and to reduce GHG emissions. Future work and recommendations will be made to improve the response of the system and further reduce electrical consumption and GHG emissions. / Thesis / Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME)

The electricity sector around the world is significantly changing towards the adoption of cleaner energy sources and its implementation through distributed generation technologies. The need to expand rural electrification to reduce energy poverty and the trends in decentralizing power generation are becoming major drivers of change. In Mexico, there are very few comprehensive studies on energy use and its impact on rural livelihoods. Energy studies in the development literature tend to analyze livelihoods that do not have access to modern energy services, and do not take into account that many rural communities, although connected to the grid, still may be considered energy poor. This research presents findings of current livelihood conditions of three rural communities in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, in the context of livelihood diversification and energy poverty. This paper also presents a feasibility study for the development of a community energy model that will fulfill energy and vegetable intake requirements for each community analyzed. Results show that these communities can potentially improve their livelihood conditions through the implementation of what this research calls a Community Integrated Sustainable Energy (CISE) model by reducing energy poverty and food insecurity. By adopting a CISE model, communities will become healthier by becoming supporters of energy conservation and energy efficiency strategies. The adoption of this community energy model will also encourage climate change mitigation by increasing resilience to vulnerable communities through enhancing food and energy security. The aim of this research is to inform stakeholders (including policy makers, urban planners, and community members themselves) of the current status of Chihuahua's communities and to start a dialogue in Mexico about engaging in a community-led, clean energy project that would generate electricity for those communities while preserving rural livelihoods.

From the steady rise in dairy farm closures to concerns over algae blooms in Lake Champlain, Vermont’s dairy industry is facing a multitude of challenges. While many potential solutions have been proposed, this study focuses specifically on community anaerobic digester systems (CADS) to aid in manure management, help to mitigate runoff, produce renew energy, and even provide an alternative revenue source to participating farms. CADS technology converts the gas emissions from manure and other organic substances into biogas through a process called anaerobic digestion. Unlike traditional on-farm biodigesters, which are often only financially viable for the largest dairy farms, CADS are able to accept both manure from multiple dairy farms and food waste from the surrounding community. In Vermont, consumers can purchase biogas-produced electricity from biodigesters in the state for an additional cost through Green Mountain Power’s Cow Power program. However, little research has been conducted regarding the success of CADS-produced electricity on the consumer market. This thesis focuses on two surveys conducted in Randolph, Vermont and Addison County exploring attitudes of local biodigesters in relation to other renewable energy sources available to consumers, as well as issues related to composting and recycling. The objective of this study is to provide policy makers and biodigester operators a better understanding of community attitudes of biodigesters compared to other renewable energy systems, as well as willingness to participate in paid services that could support the operation of the biodigesters. In 2017, a survey was distributed to households in Randolph, the location of the Vermont Technical College CADS, through the local newspaper. A second survey was also conducted in 2019, distributed via newspaper to residents in Addison County, a dairy county home to four operational biodigesters. Results from the 2017 survey suggest that there is generally a low willingness to pay for the Cow Power program and food waste removal services that support biodigesters, although targeted educational approaches focusing on how CADS benefit the community may improve attitudes towards them. The 2019 survey shows similar levels of willingness to participate and pay, although attitudes of biodigesters and public support for anaerobic digester technology were considerably higher. Through educational outreach efforts, community acceptance of biodigesters can be improved to avoid cancellation of projects due to lack of community support.