Transdisciplinary research promoting clean and resilient energy systems for socially vulnerable communities: A review

Abstract

Extreme weather events caused by climate change can affect the energy sector in different ways. For example, extreme heat, cold spells, strong winds, or flooding may lead to increased energy demand and consumption, reduced energy production, or cause infrastructure failures and outages. Underserved communities are among those most impacted by power outages resulting from extreme weather events due to lower infrastructure investment in the areas where they live. These phenomena encompass a variety of social and technical challenges, for which we propose a new, transdisciplinary framework to explore solutions for providing clean, affordable, and resilient energy systems to vulnerable and at-risk communities. The authors consider a new approach using perspectives from engineering, hazards science, and policy studies to identify and develop solutions for the expansion of the use of solar energy production coupled with increased storage capacities in places where power outages and social vulnerability intersect.