Equity and Sustainability: A framework for Equitable Energy Transition Analyses

从化石燃料等传统能源向更可持续的可再生能源系统过渡的决策影响到多个群体，包括社会中最脆弱的成员。本研究解决了两个问题：(1)美国电力部门从不可再生能源（如化石燃料）向可再生能源（如风能和太阳能）的过渡途径是什么，可以在考虑社会公平和可持续性的同时，最好地平衡（有时相互冲突的）过渡目标？(2)如何在向低碳电力系统过渡的同时，最大限度地减少对社会中最弱势群体的不利影响？这项研究的目标是创造一种新的方法，在向新能源系统过渡的可持续性分析中考虑社会公平，这可能有助于指导决策者。能源系统规划中有许多决策者和支持者，每个人都可能根据自己的期望目标版本做出决策或影响决策。这项研究在三个关键方面建立和扩展了以前的研究，这些研究允许对未来电力系统进行更有力的可持续性评估，并将社会公平纳入能源转型讨论。首先，将电力系统扩展模型与系统可持续性模型相结合，然后对日益增加的碳限制如何影响电力系统发展进行研究，以及区域合作在实现美国电力系统完全脱碳方面可能具有多大的重要性。其次，社会公平将成为可持续性分析框架的一个组成部分，从而显示可持续性的其他方面如何阻碍或支持公平的能源转型。第三，为了阐明社会公平权衡，将研究区域合作如何影响全国范围内的就业和价格公平。这项研究将是对整个美国的系统可持续性分析，结合多种社会公平指标，同时捕捉将间歇性可再生能源整合到电网中的影响。PI将开发一个用于电力可持续性分析的开源数据分析工具，丰富讨论并揭示国家范围内可持续性标准之间的相互作用。以社会公平为重点的框架旨在促进有关能源转型将如何影响美国社区的全国性讨论。这一框架也有助于支持那些受化石燃料发电退役影响最严重的人的就业恢复规划。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Decisions regarding transitions from traditional energy sources such as fossil fuels to more sustainable, renewable energy systems impact multiple constituencies, including the most vulnerable members of society. This research addresses two questions: (1) What are transition pathways from non-renewable energy sources (such as fossil fuels) to renewable energy sources (such as wind and solar) for the US electricity sector that can best balance the (sometimes conflicting) objectives of the transition, while accounting for social equity and sustainability? (2) How can transition to a low-carbon electricity system be done in a way that minimizes adverse impacts on the most vulnerable members of society? This research targets creating a new way to account for social equity in the sustainability analysis of transitions to new energy systems, which may help guide decision-makers. There are many decision makers and constituencies in energy system planning, each of which may make decisions or influence decisions according to their own versions of the desired goals. This research builds and expands upon previous research in three key ways that permit a more robust sustainability assessment of future electricity systems, and incorporates social equity into the energy transition discussion. First, an electricity system expansion model is coupled with a system sustainability model and then examined to ask how increasing carbon constraints are likely to impact power system development, and how important regional cooperation is likely to be in achieving a fully decarbonized US electricity system. Second, social equity will be an integral part of the sustainability analysis framework, thus displaying how other facets of sustainability impede or support an equitable energy transition. Third, to illuminate the social equity trade-offs, how regional cooperation may impact job and price equity around the country will be investigated. This research will be a system sustainability analysis for the entire US that incorporates multiple metrics for social equity, while capturing impacts of integrating intermittent renewables in the grid. The PI will develop an open-source data analysis tool for electricity sustainability analysis, enriching the discussion and uncovering the interactions among sustainability criterion at a national scale. The social equity focused framework is targeted to facilitate national discussions about how energy transition will impact communities in the US. This framework may also help support planning for job recovery of those most affected by the retirement of fossil fuel generation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.