Decarbonizing Schools: A Spatial Analytic Framework to Prioritize School-Based Solar Photovoltaic Installations in Durham County, North Carolina

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  • October 17, 2023
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  • Public schools play a crucial role in renewable energy investment as they can serve as emergency spaces during extreme weather events due to climate change and offer an avenue for decarbonizing the building sector, which accounts for 10% of US public building electricity consumption. Recent legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS & Science Act will boost renewable energy technology and infrastructure investment in the US. Public schools, especially those eligible under the DOE Office of Legacy Management’s Environmental Justice Initiative and the Justice 40 Initiative, stand to benefit significantly. Focusing on Durham County, North Carolina, this study develops a spatial analytic decision-support tool to prioritize solar installations on schools based on various criteria, including solar potential and social vulnerability indicators. Using a GIS-based framework and linear optimization, the tool guides investment decisions by considering solar insolation, financial benefits, energy demand reduction, and Justice40 criteria. The approach is tested in Durham County and can be scaled up for larger regions. The study estimates that each school in Durham County could potentially host 216 kW of solar PV generation per roof, resulting in substantial financial savings based on building energy load profiles
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  • In Copyright
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  • Kittner, Noah
    • ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3449-7823
    • Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
    • Other Affiliation: Department of City and Regional Planning
Degree
  • Master of Science in Public Health
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  • 2023
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