Rethinking the geography of energy transitions: low carbon energy pathways through energyshed design

Abstract

Energy systems are inherently spatial entities, encompassing infrastructure and land requirements; diverse perspectives of energy system stakeholders tied to locations of supply and demand; and ultimately a spatial distribution of profits, environmental impacts, and societal changes. The spatial relationships between these social and physical components of the energy system drive its ongoing evolution in response to technological advancements, economic trends, and policy directives. A low carbon energy system transition undertaken in response to climate change will require rapid and substantial changes to all of these elements and more. To capture these relationships and inform the design of a low carbon future, we propose the use of energyshed planning. An energyshed is the geographic area that contains the land, infrastructure, people, profits, and environmental impacts connected to final energy consumption. Four distinct decarbonization scenarios are explored: each pathway strikes a different balance between centralized or decentralized energy systems and corporatized or democratized energy system governance. Finally, the energyshed lens is used to perform an initial assessment of the barriers and opportunities for U.S. states to implement a near-term low carbon transition.