Equitable Decarbonization and Evaluation Program

C56-10b-273657The Biden Administration has set a national goal to be 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 with at least 50% of energy be locally supplied clean energy such as solar PV, wind, geothermal, energy storage, etc. However, the transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy infrastructures and rising social inequities are two of the most significant socio-technical challenges in the shift towards a more sustainable world. It is imperative to achieve an equitable energy future that leaves no one behind, by integrating justice principles, fairness, and social equity into energy systems and energy system transitions. Therefore, it is urgent to develop a community-centric equitable decarbonization program to ensure equity outcomes are met and benefits are maximized and distributed fairly. The Equitable Decarbonization Evaluation Program (E-DEP) project will develop a community- centric equitable decarbonization program to achieve energy justice at the community-level. Based on the four principles of the responsible innovation framework, the E-DEP project draws upon three key interconnected approaches that enable the integration of justice tenets in the various stages of the program life cycle to measure and forecast impacts and advance social equity in processes of decarbonization transitions. Using a holistic approach to justice and fairness, the E-DEP equitably promotes low-cost, decarbonization technology solutions in communities, particularly for underserved and underrepresented communities. In Phase I, the project team will work together to deliver a proof of concept (PoC) of E-DEP using a testbed for field validation. The team will further engage with project supporters, underserved communities, community organizations, and various stakeholders throughout Phase I to prime the design, codification, and implementation of E-DEP for deployment on potential sites and commercialization pathways. The teams will assess the scalability for mass- scale adoption and commercialization. The proposed E-DEP provides a pragmatic program or framework to ensure the equitable rollout of decarbonization technologies in a systematic and sustainable way. The codified E- DEP program is an all-in-one solution to assess, implement, and evaluate clean energy adoption in communities and allow implementors to track progress, evaluate effectiveness, and enforce accountability in decarbonization efforts. Broader adoption of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies allows us as a nation to become closer to the goal of becoming carbon pollution free by 2035 and to build an equitable and sustainable world. The Inflation Reduction Act is the largest piece of federal legislation ever to address energy security and equity with $391 billion investment. In the US, approximately 43% of households are LMI, amounting to approximately 120 million people. Therefore, commercial application and market potential for our equitable decarbonization solution is significant.