April 15, 2016

Energy Scenarios: The Value and Limits of Scenario Analysis

Energy scenarios are a useful tool for industry experts, government officials, academic researchers and the general public to assist in policy-making, planning and investment decisions. Such scenarios provide projections on a wide range of issues, including production, consumption, trade, prices, investments, technology mixes, and many others.

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April 8, 2016

OPEC vs U.S. Shale: Analyzing the Shift to a Market-share Strategy

In 2014, global oil supply overtook demand and the oil price started to decline. In its November 2014 meeting, OPEC decided not to reduce supply and prices fell further. In its December 2015 meeting, OPEC reiterated its commitment to a “market-share” strategy. Many have opined on whether or not OPEC’s moves are sensible.

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March 12, 2016

The Impact of Uncertainty on Capacity Remuneration Mechanisms

Intermittent energy resources increase the volatility of energy supply as well as the associated market clearing prices, creating uncertainty around when the system will experience “scarcity”— the very few hours of the year when capacity is strained exhibiting prices high-enough to cover a large portion of the capital and fixed operation and maintenance costs incurred by all types of installed generation capacity.

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February 5, 2016

Will We Ever Stop Using Fossil Fuels?

On the heels of a historic climate agreement in Paris, a new study published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives sheds light on the world’s ability to stop using fossil fuels. Its conclusion: fossil fuel consumption is likely to continue growing without clear and decisive global action to introduce an adequate price on greenhouse gas emissions and increase research and development spending toward clean energy technologies.

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January 17, 2016

A Review of the Value of Aggregators in Electricity Systems

Electricity systems are currently facing significant changes as a result of the deployment of information and communication technologies (ICTs), power electronics, and distributed energy resources (e.g., gas-fired distributed generation, solar PV, small wind farms, electric vehicles, energy storage, and demand response). Given the small scale of these technologies, many industry stakeholders claim that aggregators can create economic value by enabling DERs to provide these services at scale.

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December 5, 2015

2015 Fall Research Workshop

Held in Cambridge, Massachusetts on November 19 and 20, the 2015 Fall Research Workshop brought together over 80 participants for a lively discussion of relevant issues in the broader energy and environmental policy arena.

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