Electrification of Surrey: Energy and Equity Implications

Including equity in energy sector modelling to ensure more just energy planning decisions is a complex and crucial issue that remains largely unexplored. This thesis explores the potential for including equity in our energy models. Several non-traditional energy models that include equity factors in their analysis are investigated. The equity context of Surrey is examined to provide a starting point for a potential equity model. The utility and importance of thermodynamics in energy generation is examined. Applying these energy fundamentals, several energy scenarios are modelled to demonstrate key equity concepts. To conclude, concrete methods for measuring equity are explored, as well as how these methods could be integrated within an energy model to make more informed energy policies. Through exploring what an energy equity model might look like, the importance of defining an appropriate scope becomes apparent. Another important finding is that the absence of readily available data on equity highlights an ntense need for disaggregated data to be collected and made available as data aggregation prevents equity trends from being observable and thus much more difficult to model.