Energy Use Impacts on the Environment (EnerGEO)

Overview

With the International Energy Agency estimating that global energy demand will increase between 40 and 50 percent by 2030 (compared to 2003), scientists and policymakers are concerned about the sustainability of the current energy system and what environmental pressures might result from the development of future energy systems.

The EnerGEO project uses models to study the interactions between land use and energy sectors, as well as bioenergy technologies and air pollution, and the water demands of new energy technologies. The goal is to link large-scale energy models projecting medium- to long-run developments with more detailed models to improve projections, policy recommendations, and environmental assessments.

IIASA Research

To meet EnerGEO’s goal of creating comprehensive energy systems assessment tools, Institute researchers are integrating IIASA-based models such as MESSAGE and RAINS/GAINS with high-resolution models of other partners. IIASA-based models such as GLOBIOM and G4M are also being used to improve input data for the medium- to long-run assessments. The EnerGEO model cluster is being designed to work as part of the much broader Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) program.

Last edited: 29 June 2012