Improving Equity in OC’s Renewable Energy Transition
Abstract
Renewable energy access, like solar power, empowers disadvantaged communities to align with the future’s renewable energy model. This proposal aims to ensure equitable access to renewable energy, thereby, reducing energy costs and the overall climate change burden for disadvantaged communities in Costa Mesa’s Districts Four and Five. Our study aims to facilitate the transition towards renewable energy by providing disadvantaged communities with solar panels and free access to solar panel installations in their complexes. We also aim to emphasize the importance of ensuring that disadvantaged populations, who are most directly affected by climate change effects, have an equitable opportunity to adapt and assimilate to the transition to renewable energy. Expanding the knowledge and availability of renewable energy sources, like solar panels, allows for environmental and economic benefits for residential homeowners. The installation of solar panels in complexes helps improve energy efficiency in the households where low-income communities usually live. We propose donating and installing 30 solar panel systems in low-income housing communities living in Costa Mesa’s Districts Four and Five. The funding for this project will cover the costs for both the solar panel equipment and the installation process. To commence this sustainability project, we will be asking for funding from the City of Costa Mesa and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which are known to provide grants to projects that have potential for energy, environmental, and economic benefits. The total cost to fund the purchase of solar panels and the installation of solar panel systems in 30 households would be $1 million USD. We intend for our solar panels to ease the transition to renewable energy for low-income homes in Costa Mesa so that they can enjoy the benefits of renewable energy without the associated high costs.
