Energy
The way society uses energy gives rise to major environmental, social, and economic challenges. Energy Program research identifies the solution space to energy challenges, analyzes whether current policies are on track to meet policy targets, and examines the interaction between different sectors. A main strength of the program is its ability to understand trade-offs and synergies between multiple policy priorities and objectives in different sectors.
Objectives
- Continue to develop the program’s integrated assessment Model for Energy Supply Strategy Alternatives and their General Environmental Impact (MESSAGE) as a tool for energy policy analysis in collaboration with scientists in IIASA member countries.
- Develop and quantify a new conceptual framework for energy poverty–moving from energy access to a broader definition of energy for human wellbeing.
- Investigate the interplay between global sustainable energy and climate objectives, and national goals, sociopolitical circumstances, and capacities.
- Build on the position of the IIASA Energy Program as a leader in the scientific community coordinating major international research projects, and continue to serve as a hub for important community datasets and services.
- Develop interactive web-based policy tools and hold regular stakeholder workshops that foster the science-policy dialogue on energy sustainability.
- Establish a broad capacity-building platform with key partners from G20 countries (with a focus on the co-benefits of climate and development policies).
- Analyze the interactions between land, water, and energy sectors to identify solutions that meet multiple policy objectives and quantify the cost of implementing multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Top image © Diyana Dimitrova | Shutterstock
Selected highlights
Finding solutions to ease pressure on water, land, and energy systems
The IIASA Energy Program (ENE) is pioneering systems analysis tools for analyzing the water-energy-land nexus. Water, land, and energy systems all face pressures. By analyzing interactions between these sectors, researchers can identify multi-sector vulnerabilities to...
The climate implications of today’s energy policies
What do today’s energy policies add up to and how do they differ by region? Although climate change is a global problem, the policies to address it will be enacted at the national and local level. We need to understand the emissions implications of today’s energy...
Developing an open source energy model
The IIASA Energy Program (ENE) has developed a new generation of its modeling platform MESSAGEix, which is now available under an open source license. The model is used for research applications, as well as for capacity building in IIASA member countries and teaching...
Ensuring a decent standard of living for all
How much energy growth and what climate impacts are associated with meeting basic human needs? Bottom-up modeling of energy demand requirements in three countries–Brazil, India, and South Africa–shows that current energy supply could provide decent living standards if...