Traps in the Energy Transition: Carbon Capture and Top-Down “Distributed” Energy

Abstract The energy transition presents policymakers and communities with emerging opportunities, divergent pathways and consequential choices. It is possible, on the one hand, to address climate change by moving to zero-carbon power generation while simultaneously ensuring equitable and affordable access to abundant clean energy. The transition is also an opportunity for the fossil fuel industry and other power sector actors to create new channels for profitmaking that can distract from addressing the causes of climate change, increase inequity in energy access and pose threats to safety and economic well-being, particularly for low-wealth households and environmental justice communities. This article addresses two prominent energy transition plans being pursued in the United States—carbon capture and top-down “distributed” energy. These strategies can, in varying ways, prove counter-productive to climate goals and human needs. An alternative framework is then presented: local solar generation and storage networks, structured for equitable and affordable access, reliability, local control and decarbonization.