Uncovering and Mitigating Energy Inequity During New York City’s Clean Energy Transition: A Data Science Approach
Abstract
Energy inequity is a growing social, health, and environmental issue affecting New York City today. It is generally defined by the accessibility of clean, efficient, and affordable energy sources, and can take many forms, including more frequent or longer durations of utility service disruptions like power outages. To address this inequality, a data-driven study of historical 311 outage complaints focused on uncovering insights and trends with the frequency of power outages and the average duration of subsequent recovery times throughout the boroughs of New York City. Many communities, especially ones with a higher Black, Hispanic or Latino, and low-income populations, were found to be disproportionately affected by frequent and persistent power outages. Increases in outage reporting frequency and the distribution of extended recovery times across New York City conveyed the importance of mitigating this form of energy inequity in the future. As local government agencies respond to climate change and other environmental threats with plans for transitioning to a clean energy system, this study proves the need to ensure the future system is equitable, optimal, and resilient for all New Yorkers. Recommendations for creating an adoptable framework to address energy inequity in government planning are provided and based on the trends and insights of this study and similar research.
Subject Area
Computer science|Electrical engineering|Energy
Recommended Citation
Clark, Spring Bailey, "Uncovering and Mitigating Energy Inequity During New York City’s Clean Energy Transition: A Data Science Approach" (2023). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI30488731.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI30488731
