Search Climate Insights Directory

The document provides a comprehensive checklist of data requirements for users of the LEAP software, emphasizing that requirements vary based on whether a user chooses an aggregate top-down or disaggregated bottom-up approach. It details necessary inputs across demographic, macroeconomic, and energy sectors, including demand forecasting metrics and supply-side technical data. The guide notes that national energy balances are the most critical data source and suggests supplementing missing domestic data with international sources or estimates.

The report details the creation of the LEAP Ireland 2050 model to simulate GHG emissions from Ireland's energy and agriculture sectors. It evaluates the impact of the 2019 Climate Action Plan (CAP) targets, specifically electric vehicle (EV) penetration and residential retrofitting, while introducing the Application Script Editing Tool (ASET) to improve model topology and sensitivity analysis.

The report analyzes the feasibility of decarbonizing Estonia's electricity production, which was 86.39% dependent on oil shale in 2013. Using the LEAP model and multi-criteria analysis, it compares several scenarios, finding that a 'LowCO2' path could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% compared to 1990 levels by 2050. Achieving this requires phasing out oil shale subsidies, investing in grid interconnections with Latvia and Sweden, and significantly increasing support for energy efficiency and distributed renewable generation.

The document details the construction of the EW3 database, which integrates 2008 Energy Information Administration (EIA) data with NREL and Argonne National Laboratory water coefficients to estimate freshwater withdrawals and consumption. It describes the process of mapping cooling systems to specific generators, using Google Earth to verify cooling types, and applying the Water Supply Stress Index (WaSSI) to identify watersheds where electricity generation significantly increases water stress. The methodology also covers the projection of water use through 2036 using the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) model and the calculation of water and carbon intensities for the top 15 U.S. electricity providers.

The report analyzes greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Utilizing the World Resources Institute's Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT-US), it examines all six Kyoto GHGs across the regional economy to overcome inconsistencies in previous state-level inventories. The analysis covers regional, sectoral, and state levels, assessing major emission sources, trends, and socioeconomic drivers to inform stakeholders on the Midwest's role in global climate change.

The U.S. electric power system is transitioning away from coal, with coal's share of total generation dropping below 40% for the first time since 1978 in late 2011. While some companies attribute plant retirements to EPA regulations like the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), the document argues that market forces—including low natural gas prices and the competitiveness of renewables—are the primary drivers.

The document describes a methodology for estimating annual electricity generation of power plants when plant-level data are unavailable. The approach utilizes statistical regression and machine learning, incorporating plant-level characteristics (size and fuel type) and country-level data (average generation per megawatt of installed capacity). The author notes that fuel-specific models increase accuracy for wind, solar, and hydropower plants, while natural gas plant estimations show improvement but maintain high error rates, particularly for smaller facilities.

The document outlines the friction between utility and customer GHG reporting, specifically regarding the lack of standardized platforms and the treatment of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). It advocates for the use of supplier-specific emission factors over outdated average factors and highlights The Climate Registry's (TCR) Electric Power Sector Protocol as a best practice, while noting its failure to provide guidance on REC accounting.

The document identifies the systemic challenges of integrating climate change risks into policy, such as uncertainty, non-linear impacts, and temporal lags. It proposes a research framework for the World Resources 2010 report to identify the conditions and hurdles for creating decision-making processes that are responsive, proactive, flexible, durable, and robust. The methodology includes sectoral case studies, commissioned expert papers, and scenario exercises focusing on developing nations.