| Description | Low-Carbon Energy Transitions: Understanding Trade-Offs Between Sustainability and Equity In the fight against climate change countries have set strong electricity sector decarbonization targets. However, there is uncertainty regarding whether these policies will exacerbate social inequities, and how they will impact environmental sustainability across different income groups. Currently, most electricity planning models determine the least cost option, without considering how the recommended pathways impact distributional equity. This research will explore the sustainability and equity trade-offs between different energy transition pathways for the US. To establish the decarbonization pathways we use a least-cost optimization energy system model, which identifies different investment strategies for the US. Specifically, the model evaluates the least cost option of building out the US electricity system from 2010 to 2050 given cost and carbon constraints. We then evaluate cost, environmental sustainability, and distributional equity trade-offs across 134 regions in the US. Finally, to perform the trade-off analysis, we employ a multi-criteria decision analysis model, which compares the decarbonization pathways on the trade-offs of cost, environmental sustainability, and distributional equity metrics. |
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