Special Seminar: Energy Modeling and Feasibility Spaces for US Decarbonization

Optional ZOOM LINK
Meeting ID: 916 2296 8729
Passcode: 030369

The Open Energy Outlook Initiative seeks to examine US energy futures to inform energy and climate policy efforts. It does so by applying the gold standards of policy-focused academic modeling, maximizing transparency, and building a networked community. Using "Modeling to Generate Alternatives," we created a range of cost-effective pathways toward achieving a net-zero carbon dioxide (CO2) future for the US energy system. Through an analysis of correlations in technology adoption and interactions within the energy system, we uncover interconnected technologies. These findings highlight the existence of diverse yet comparable pathways for achieving deep decarbonization at the system level, providing insights into the technology mix that can lead to a near cost-optimal net-zero CO2 future.

To surpass the limitations of energy system models and offer a more comprehensive view of energy transitions, the concept of socio-technical feasibility space emerges as a promising solution. A socio-technical feasibility space considers impacts across various attributes, including climate change, supply chain vulnerabilities, labor impacts, environmental justice, energy equity, and social acceptability. Leveraging modeling outputs like those presented in this talk, my future research aims to expand the modeling tools to enable the development of a socio-technical feasibility space for energy system decarbonization.

Hosted by Professor Lee Lynd.

About the Speaker(s)

Paulina Jaramillo
Professor of Engineering & Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon

Originally from Medellin, Colombia, Paulina Jaramillo is a professor in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) where she serves as co-director of the Open Energy Outlook initiative. Jaramillo's multi-disciplinary research aims to better understand the social, economic, and environmental implications of transitions in the global energy system. Jaramillo is an Andrew Carnegie Fellow, a coordinating lead author for Working Group III's report of the IPCC's 6th Climate Assessment Report, a member of the National Academies Roundtable on Macroeconomic and Climate-Related Risks and Opportunities, and an ELATES Fellow.

Contact

For more information, contact Ashley Parker at ashley.l.parker@dartmouth.edu.