Ethical Considerations in Smart Grid Optimization: Promoting Energy Equity and Fairness

Abstract

As the global climate security situation becomes increasingly severe, the development of renewable energy has become an important strategic direction for global energy transformation and addressing climate risks. Terminal energy electrification is a key measure to accelerate this strategic shift from the energy consumption end. By increasing the proportion of clean energy power supply in terminal energy consumption, it can reduce dependence on fossil energy, improve energy utilization efficiency, reduce environmental pollution, and promote sustainable development. Under the "dual carbon" goal, China proposes to build a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system, accelerate the construction of a new power system with new energy as the main body, and promote the large-scale optimization of clean power resources. However, China's power structure, which is dominated by thermal power, is heavily dependent on coal, and energy resources and power demand are inversely distributed. More than 80% of energy resources are distributed in the western and northern regions, while more than 70% of energy consumption is concentrated in the eastern and central regions. Against this background, the country has adopted macro-adjustment measures such as "west-to-east power transmission" and "north-to-south coal transportation" to optimize energy allocation and promote energy supply and demand balance. At the same time, the western and northern regions have borne many negative externalities of energy production transferred from the eastern and central regions, such as coal-fired power generation, carbon emissions in coal production, environmental pollution, and health impacts. In addition, for resource-based cities and high-carbon industry clusters that are highly dependent on fossil energy, In the short term, terminal energy electrification will increase the burden on economic income, energy security, reemployment, electricity costs, etc., and thus cause new regional social equity issues. Therefore, in the context of China accelerating the high-quality development of new energy in the new era and large-scale layout of renewable energy base construction, it is of great practical significance to focus on the three dilemmas of energy "security, equity, and ecology" and study and identify the spatiotemporal pattern characteristics and key influencing factors of the coupled coordinated development of regional terminal energy electrification and social equity.