Environmental Systems Analysis Program
The Center for Energy, Environmental, and Economic Systems Analysis (CEEESA) conducts environmental systems studies of a wide range of key strategic issues
for a diverse set of clients. Our clients include international lending institutions, international agencies, and domestic and foreign regulatory and government bodies.
Our main activities focus on the following areas:
Click here to see brief project summaries in the environmental systems analysis program.
GHG Projections and Mitigation Analysis
CEEESA works for sponsors, such as the U.N. Development Program (UNDP), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), World Bank, U.S. Department of State (USDOS), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Center provides modeling support to international experts around the world in implementing CEEESA-developed computer tools to analyze greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation policies and options, joint implementation (JI) projects, and projects under the clean development mechanism (CDM). A number of countries already have submitted their first, second, and third national communications based on CEEESA models (e.g., Bulgaria, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Romania, Slovakia, South Korea, and Uruguay). Several countries present their latest updates and projections for carbon emissions and reduction potentials at upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings.
Emissions Inventory
CEEESA is working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) through the University of Iowa to support a large field experiment called TRACE-P (Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific). As part of this project instrumented aircraft flies over the western Pacific to measure pollution outflow from Asia. CEEESA experts are supporting on-line chemical forecasting by developing data and methods for emission inventories that will be key inputs to atmospheric models.
Acid Rain
CEEESA staff members are working with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria on the refinement of the RAINS-Asia model.
Control of Atmospheric Pollution
Working for the World Bank, IAEA, the Department of State, and the U.S. Trade and Development Administration, CEEESA uses in-house analytical tools to estimate the economic and environmental costs and benefits of different pollution control strategies.
Environmental Externalities
CEEESA works with the Department of State and the IAEA to implement a simple analysis tool for estimating environmental externalities related to electricity generation. The simplified approach minimizes the need for local data that typically prohibits the use of a full-blown integrated assessment model. The software also allows for a more detailed analysis if local population statistics and meteorological data are available. The simplified tool generates results within the uncertainty range of the full models and is implemented in over 30 countries.
| Project |
Brief Description |
| Plug-in Hybrids: Can the Electric Transmission Grid Handle Them? |
In an analysis for the U.S. Department of Energy, we used our Electricity Market Complex Adaptive System (EMCAS) model to analyze the impact of plug-in electric hybrid vehicles on the transmission grid and electricity prices in Illinois. |
| Climate Change — How Vulnerable is our Power Sector? An Analysis of the Western United States |
We used results from regional climate models to study the impacts of projected changes in temperature and precipitation on the development and operations of the power system in the Western United States. We presented this analysis last December at the 2007 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco. We have also been invited to summarize this study in an upcoming journal article and present it at the IAEE Conference in Ankara, Turkey in June 2008. |
| The March 2008 Glen Canyon "Flush": What are the Economic Costs? |
In support of the March 2008 experiment with high-flow water releases from Glen Canyon Dam, we helped the Western Area Power Administration by using our Generation-Transmission Maximization (GTMax) model to determine the economic cost of the “flush. |
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Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, DOE, and the IAEA, CEEESA staff assisted Mexico’s government in the environmental analysis of that country's electric power system. CEEESA trained a local team of experts in the use of WASP and DECADES. The team included experts from CFE, IIE, SENER, and UNAM. The team successfully analyzed the economic and environmental impacts for fourteen power sector development scenarios, including limitations of gas supply, various fuel price forecasts, different levels of reliability and reserve margins, and forced nuclear. |
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As part of a World Bank-sponsored Energy and Environmental Review, CEEESA collaborated with several companies in Japan, Europe, and the U.S. to analyze a variety of pollution control and policy options that Turkish authorities might consider. Various ENPEP modules were used to conduct the integration analysis. The analysis included a Reference Case as well as a number of GHG Reduction Scenarios and Local Pollution Reduction Scenarios (primarily targeting emissions of PM, SO2, and NOX). Scenarios included efficiency improvements, clean coal technologies, nuclear power, demand-side management, industrial cogeneration, renewables, carbon taxes, petroleum product quality improvements, and implementation of EU environmental standards. |
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Funded by UNDP, CEEESA assisted the Turkish Ministry of
Energy and the Turkish Ministry of Environment in developing GHG
emissions projections for Turkey's First National Communication
to the UNFCCC. |
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As part of a World Bank-sponsored Energy and Environmental Review, CEEESA collaborated with several companies in Japan, Europe, and the U.S. to analyze a variety of pollution control and policy options that Turkish authorities might consider. One scenario specifically analyzed the costs and environmental impacts of meeting new EU standards for PM, SO2, and NOX. |
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Faced with a rapid decline in domestic oil and natural gas production, the Government of Romania decided to develop a long-term energy strategy aimed at the efficient use of energy resources. The primary goals were to develop and adopt an appropriate fuel policy for the country that would (1) facilitate decision making for promoting the efficient use of energy resources and (2) formulate least-cost development plans for the energy sector. Additional goals for the new energy strategy included assessing Romania’s comparative advantages with regard to the availability and use of energy resources (both domestic and imported) and of environmental impacts associated with different fuel policy options. |
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Expanding the Uruguay ENPEP model developed by CEEESA under a previous natural gas market analysis, the National Environment Office (DINAMA) in collaboration with Energy Office (DNE) and the Planning Ministry (OPP) analyzed a variety of energy sector GHG mitigation options. Funded by UNDP, CEEESA provided technical support to the team. |
| Capacity building in analyzing CDM options in Asia |
Under a regional Asian project, 11 countries used ENPEP to analyze different carbon mitigation policies, including Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. |
| Capacity building in analyzing CDM options in Eastern Europe |
Under a regional European project, 10 countries used ENPEP to evaluate various GHG mitigation options, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Turkey, and Ukraine. |
| Capacity building in the environmental analysis of the power system in Egypt |
Sponsored by the U.S. government and the IAEA in Vienna, CEEESA trained and supported a team of experts from the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plant Authority (NPPA) in electric system expansion analysis using the DECADES tools. NPPA used DECADES to conduct a comparative assessment of environmental issues of different future energy generation technologies. |
For more information, contact CEEESA.
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