Mapping Energy Vulnerability
Luis Antonio Bittar Venturi
Pedro Paulo F. da Silva
Alexandre Vastella F. de Melo
Greta Yale Lima dos Santos
Abstract
In a context of a growing urban population, energy supply and vulnerability are of paramount importance. Although many authors address this matter, we seldom find proposals to express concretely this concept in a way that it can be applied to certain urban realities. This study aims to fill this gap in creating different classes of energy vulnerability that can be mapped and, consequently, used to support energy management. After discussing the concept and its indicators according to different authors, we frame four classes of vulnerability to be applied to the city of São Paulo. Then, we present a first approach of a vulnerability map, pointing to some pendent issues yet to be solved. Then, we will draw some partial conclusions.
Key words: energy, vulnerability, urban, mapping
Introduction
Considering that around 54 % of world population live in cities6, energy supply is essential to guarantee all human activities. Hence, discussing energy vulnerability is a momentous issue. Many authors studied the concept of energy vulnerability proposing different indicators to assess it, as we will show in the next section. However, few tried to apply the concept to an empirical urban reality. It is the case of Maliszewski and Perrings (2012) that mapped central Phoenix (USA) although he focused the concept of resilience (as the speed of return to equilibrium following perturbation), not vulnerability itself. Furthermore, the wide diversity of cities requires us to choose different indicators of energy vulnerability. In an immense metropolis of a developing country, in the likes of São Paulo with more than 21 million inhabitants, some indicators may be more relevant than others. This being said, this study aims to fill a gap concerning the application of energy vulnerability concept in São Paulo where there is a permanent pressing energy demand. After discussing the concept and its indicators according to different authors, we will frame four classes of vulnerability to be applied to the city of São Paulo.
Then, we will present a first approach map, which is a methodological essay rather than a definitive product. At the end, we will draw some partial conclusions.
This article was presented in the International Science and Technolgy Conference hold in Ankara-Turkey in 3-6 October 2016
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