Problem Statement
The use of renewable energy is increasingly becoming common in recent years. The Paris Treaty ratified in 2015 laid out the obligations of decarbonization to ensure minimal levels of greenhouse gases (Taminiau and Byrn 1). Specifically, capping global warming at about 1.5 Degrees Celsius puts an immediate plan in preparing and deploying viable, scalable, and replicable possible energy approaches with more emphasis on urban and industrialized places. Local governments and cities are responsible for identifying and installing appropriate solutions focusing on sustainable energy (Taminiau and Byrn 2).
New York City seeks to maximize sustainable and renewable energy usage. However, its increased reliance on electric power contrasts with this desired emission drop objective. For instance, among its dedication to the 2015 Paris Accord, its authorities have set a vision of fully powering the city’s operations through renewable energy (Taminiau and Byrn 6). To attain this magnificent feat, more than 70 percent of urban-extensive power usage needs to emanate from green sources.
Goals and Objectives
Internationally, more than 700 cities have devoted themselves to using renewable energy sources in connection with the 2015 Paris Treaty. Concepts such as net-zero energy, decarbonized, 100 percent renewable energy structures, and carbon-neutral are frequently used coupled with the application of many other various aims and approaches. These scenarios and concepts all set up targets and principles toward more sustainable and renewable futures for every city. Overall, these point to a determination towards a domestic shift to a sustainable and renewable energy future, although these rarely match with global transition (Thellufsen et al. 2). Therefore, it is essential for all cities, including those that are yet to commit to this strategy fulfill a sustainable energy transition.
Currently, the amount of photovoltaic production capacity is merely 15.5 percent. The problem of profound decarbonization aggravates pressure on the existing electric potential. The production and utilization of electricity are key to the municipal’s greenhouse gas releases, accounting for about fifteen million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Since its in-city fleet produces roughly 50 percent of electric power, it is a considerable contributor to greenhouse gases (Taminiau and Byrn 7). Such undertakings require data-driven choices to guide deployment, which the study seeks to substantiate with New York City as the case study. The main objectives of the study include:
- To identify and recommend energy usage and rooftop photovoltaic production possibility at the electricity network level in New York City for enhanced metropolis’s flexibility to climate change.
- To provide a deepened assessment of sustainable and renewable energy usage in urban settings with New York City as a principal example.
Scope
The research begins by reviewing contributions to metropolitan viability and susceptibility comprehension from the data-based analysis of citywide conditions. It also examines the city’s vulnerability and sustainability scenarios (Taminiau and Byrn 2). It concludes by assessing the potential of solar rooftops coupled with spatiotemporal mapping across the city. To attain these goals, the cities should create room for one another and exploit limited global and national resources in a manner that ultimately guarantees a worldwide shift to 100 percent sustainable energy sources.
State-of-the-Art Review
Climate change mitigation strategies should not only originate from national or global levels but also through local processes. Local systems and actions also drive actual engagements to encourage a viable transition. Such efforts require coordination with national and international efforts coupled with support from cities and neighboring communities to successfully mitigate the adverse effects of climate change (Thellufsen et al. 2). Con Edison dataset of 2013 provides network-level competence of solar photovoltaic deployment on rooftops (Taminiau and Byrn 10). Whereas most cities in America use modest outspread distribution structures, developed urban regions require advanced secondary network supply systems.
Methodology
To identify and suggest energy consumption and solar photovoltaic production possibility in the New York metropolis, the research adopted the methodology designed by Gagnon and Melius to determine rooftop potential through the geographic information system. The method calculates building, vegetation, and terrain geometrics using advanced resolution data. The derived geometrics are utilized to establish appropriate rooftop space for the installation of solar photovoltaics (Taminiau and Byrne 10). Con Edison’s approach to the time-of-use framework also gives the initial calculation of solar electricity export.
Data Collection
Data was gathered through mapping and forecasting of energy using the Con Edison network model.
Data Presentation
Data for this research was presented through:
- Charts
- Maps
- Graphs
- Tables
Data Analysis
Data analysis shows that New York City can generate about 10 GWp of solar fittings on the rooftop – enough to meet about 25 percent of the metropolis’s annual electricity consumption. Localized electricity export-import dimensions explored in the 68 networks show the potential of rooftops in generating photovoltaic power if fully utilized (Taminiau and Byrne 11). The amount of electricity generated can provide a considerable amount of power to city dwellers while reducing the usage of non-renewable energy.
Inference/Conclusion
Geospatial data of New York City’s solar potential provides a deep understanding and analysis of the requisite photovoltaics required to ensure the continued use of renewable and sustainable energy. The presentation outlined in the paper uncovers and maps the consumption-production relations while providing deeper insights into the development of solar-grid cities (Taminiau and Byrne 18). If organized and managed by the local government, such a strategy could stimulate novel town energy- dealings and create in-city power export-import dynamics that alleviate climate change, justice, and resilience concerns.
Next Step
Future research can evaluate the metropolis’s potential by navigating each building’s solar energy production profile and consumption for data-driven insights. Such an undertaking could better integrate with the findings presented in this study to realize a sustainable city dependent on renewable energy. Additionally, this can be attached to individual building income data, for example, the percentage of solar expansion per income fraction to explicitly narrow down the extent of the solar lifeline (Taminiau and Byrne 19). Modeling of electric power load profiles can also be confirmed against pragmatic documents of Con Edison for standardization to establish potential electricity usage at a particular time or in the future.