Gateway:International/Economic and Environmental Impacts
From Open Energy Information
Where can I find out about potential economic and environmental impacts related to clean energy development?
Exploring the environmental and economic impacts of different energy choices is an increasingly important aspect of project and program planning in developing countries. With many competing technologies and diverse resources available, it is important to understand how different clean energy portfolios will affect the economic, environmental and social settings in which they are to be applied.
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Impact Analysis Tools
- Energy and Power Evaluation Program (ENPEP-BALANCE)
- ENPEP-BALANCE is a software tool developed at Argonne National Laboratory that allows users to evaluate the entire energy system (supply and demand sides) and the environmental implications of different energy strategies.
- International Atomic Energy Agency - Indicators for Sustainable Energy Development
- The International Atomic Energy Agency Planning and Economic Studies Section has conducted analysis and published reports on Indicators for Sustainable Energy (ISED) through its Energy, Economic, and Environmental Studies (3-E Analysis) work. The analysis is intended to help countries track progress on energy for sustainable development, and is part of the United Nations Work Program on Indicators of Sustainable Development (WPISD). The publications and reports present guidelines and country studies to assist statisticians, analysts, policy makers and academics to study the relationship between energy policies and sustainable development.
- International Energy Agency RECaBS Interactive REcalculator
- The International Energy Agency's RECaBS Interactive Renewable Energy Calculator is a web-based calculator for international and national policy makers to help account for the economic value of clean energy project externalities, or non-economic, indirect benefits of these projects. The calculator allows you to include the value of such externalities as air emissions, system integration, supply security, jobs creation in the calcuation of energy prices.
- Job and Economic Development Impact Models (JEDI)
- The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Jobs and Economic Development Impact Models (JEDI) are Microsoft Excel-based models that estimates a renewable energy project's costs and economic impacts, including on jobs and wages. A separate model is available for wind, biofuels, solar, natural gas, and coal projects. The models are intended for use in the United States and includes parameters for the U.S. states, but do include a facility for customization for other locations.
Impact Assessment Methods
- Bioenergy Sustainability Assessment at ORNL
- The Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Center for BioEnergy Sustainability (CBES) analyzes the impact of biomass use for energy and bio-based products on environmental, economic, and social sustainability. The center's website provides access to its fact sheets, publications, and other documents relating to its research activities.
- Economic and Energy Security Co-benefits Presentation
- The National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed this overview presentation to provide an introduction to economic and energy security co-benefits related to renewable energy policy, technology and infrastructure.
- Integrated Environmental Strategies - Co-benefits Analysis
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency works with a number of developing countries to analysis economic, environmental and public health impacts of related to policy, technology and infrastructure.
- Lifecycle Assessment and Sustainability Analysis at NREL
- The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Energy Analysis group's Technology Systems Analysis activities include analysis of the economic viability of biomass projects that are still in the research phase to assess their potential for success in the market. Life-cycle assessment analysis involves understanding and minimizing the environmental impact of a biomass conversion process. The website describes the group's capabilities and provides a sampling of NREL publications on the topic.
Climate Change Research Programs
- Berkeley India Joint Leadership on Energy and Environment
- The Berkeley India Joint Leadership on Energy and Environment (BIJLEE) is a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory joint research and development program in which researchers work with the government and private sector of India to assist in the adoption of pathways and approaches for reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases while pursuing sustainable economic development.
- Climate Activities at NREL
- The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is involved in a number of international climate and clean energy initiatives that achieve large greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions through accelerated renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) use.
- Climate Change and International Studies at LBNL
- The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's (LBNL) Climate Change and International Studies website provides a list of climate change, country study, energy efficiency standards, and industrial energy analysis projects of the laboratory.
- Developing Countries Studies at LBNL
- The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's (LBNL) International Energy Studies Group is involved in a number of activities relating to energy use in developing countries and climate change.
- Global Change and Developing Country Programs
- The Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Global Change and Developing Country Programs have involved more than forty countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East. These projects have included every major kind of energy technology and policy, along with a wide range of environmental technologies and policies.
- Global Energy Technology Strategy Program
- The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Global Energy Technology Strategy Program (GTSP) has been assessing the important roles that technology can play in effectively managing the long-term risks of climate change. This involves an integrated approach to fully exploring all aspects of climate change - including scientific, economic, regulatory, and social impacts - and then aligning new or existing technologies to mitigate negative consequences.
- International Energy Studies at LBNL
- The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's International Energy Studies (IES) Group has been active for more than 25 years and is composed of scientists active on the world forum in the areas of energy, forestry, and climate research.
- Joint Global Change Research Institute at PNNL
- The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI) houses an interdisciplinary team dedicated to understanding the problems of global climate change and their potential solutions.
- Low Carbon World
- LowCarbonWorld is a platform for collaboration that provides open access to public data, facts and information related to a low carbon economy.
- Netherlands Climate Assistance Program (NCAP)
- The Netherlands Climate Assistance Program (NCAP) provides technical and financial assistance to developing countries in their national climate policy efforts. The NCAP website describes the program and provides links to country information and project reports for the countries involved in the program.
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