Dear EEIST Community,

Season’s Greetings from the EEIST team! 

This month draws to a close the first phase of the highly successful EEIST project.  A number of smaller collaborations will ensure that EEIST’s work will continue with the majority of partners for the foreseeable future.  

The last three months have arguably been the busiest yet for the team. There have been numerous in-person and virtual training events in each of the EEIST regions, the details of which can be found below.  These events are specifically designed and tailor-made to enable partners to develop new analysis capabilities by using their own models or through licensing existing models. 

The findings of the project have been synthesised and condensed into a number of final reports that will be available on the EEIST website soon. The Brazil report-Energy Transition in Brazil: Innovation, Opportunities, and Risks -is the first of these to launch. 

If you are attending COP28 in Dubai, you are invited to join the EEIST team in the UK pavilion (Blue Zone) to hear how world leading scientists have collaborated to develop original, cutting-edge modelling solutions to decarbonise the global energy sector at pace. There will be live case studies from the UK, EU, China and the Global South plus the opportunity for discussion with the EEIST experts.

The EEIST project management team would like to convey its sincere thanks to all 16 EEIST partners for their dedication, enthusiasm, commitment and input over the last three years. We look forward to building on this strong foundation in the future.  

The EEIST team would like to thank you for your continued support and wish you a healthy and successful 2024!

Brazil Country Report - Launch Event

On 28th November the EEIST team represented by Michael Grubb (Strategic Director of EEIST and Professor of Energy and Climate Change, University College London), Roberto Pasqualino (Senior Researcher, University of Cambridge), Carlos Eduardo Young, Professor of Economic Development, UFRJ , Jose Maria de Silveira (Professor of Agriculture Economics, UNICAMP), and Marcelo Pereira (Professor of Economics, UNICAMP), with support from the British Embassy [represented by Melanie Hopkins, Deputy-Head of Mission, British Embassy in Brasilia]  addressed the Ministry of Innovation and Public Services Management in Brasilia represented by Minister Esther Dweck and Secretary for the Transformation of the State Francisco Gaetani with EEIST report on “Energy Transition in Brazil: Innovation, Opportunities and Risks”.

The event lasted for two hours: there was a detailed presentation of the report to a wider audience including members from the Ministry of Energy and Mining, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Sciences and Technology, and several public agencies including the Energy Research Office, CEPAL, and ECLAC. 

The event was recorded and made publicly available on the YouTube Channel of the Ministry of Innovation and Public Services Management in both English and Portuguese languages.

With high demand from the public, the report was subsequently presented in Rio de Janeiro for a 2-hour event at BNDES on 4th December and there is demand for reorganising a similar event for the Ministry of Energy and Mining very soon.

As well as the presentations of the EEIST report there were also smaller events at IPEA (27th November), UFRJ and EPE (4th December) to present EEIST research and form stronger relationships with both government and public institutions on the territory.

You can read/download the full report here

The role of green hydrogen and ammonia in a low-cost, resilient power system in India: national grid connection versus energy islands AND Socio-Economic Impacts of Coal Transition in China: A Regional Challenge

On September 21st, EEIST held its Climate Week NYC event, “Advancing Net-Zero through Just Energy Transitions.” Speakers discussed content covered in two EEIST policy briefs launched earlier that day, including a breakdown of green hydrogen and ammonia in India, and the socio-economic impacts of a coal transition in China. More details and a recording is available here.

EEIST research in the media spotlight

“Change happens slowly at first – and then faster than we ever thought possible. We’ve seen rapid transformations before in history, from the industrial revolution to the information revolution. Now, we’re at the beginning of the renewables revolution.”

– an excerpt from Richard Branson’s blog: An optimistic look at the future.

Over the past few weeks, the spotlight has been on the EEIST project – with a mention from Richard Branson on the Virgin blog and a mention in the newly released newsletter from Global Optimism: Ahead of the Curve Xpress.

We are delighted that the conversation is growing around the power of economic modelling to shape and inform our fight against the climate crisis.

EEIST at UK Pavilion at COP28, Dubai

You are invited to join the EEIST project team in the UK pavilion at COP28  for a fascinating opportunity to hear how world-leading scientists have successfully collaborated to develop original, cutting-edge modelling solutions to decarbonise the global energy sector at pace, with live case studies from the UK, EU, China and the Global South.  There will also be the chance to present questions to the team. The event is titled:  Unlocking the potential of energy innovation and system transitions: Effective models and policy for a bright future.  The event is a chance to see Associate Professor Cristina Penasco, Professor Michael Grubb and Simon Sharpe present and summarise the project’s successes over three years and discuss what the future holds if we continue to work together. The event will be livestreamed  at 10:00am until 11:00 (Dubai time ie GMT+4) and a recording will be available shortly afterwards.

Cambridge Econometrics organise Training workshops with EEIST's in-country partners

India Training Workshop

The workshop had a really packed schedule with an excellent turn out through the week (50+ people in some sessions). There was a mix of students, academics, and policy practitioners. The sessions were held at India Habitat Centre, TERI University, and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. We had sessions on risk-opportunity analysis, agent-based modelling of the labour market, and systems mapping. Dr Yaroslav Melekh and Dr Peter Barbrook-Johnson also had a very well-attended session with WRI India and TERI colleagues, sharing experiences with systems mapping in policy from the UK and forthcoming work on technology choices for the transition in middle income countries. It was a very energising week building new connections and strengthening existing ones.

Online attendees of this session also included several representatives from the government including from NITI Aayog, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India’s G20 Secretariat (Ministry of External Affairs),  Environmental Planning & Coordination Organisation (EPCO) of the Government of Madhya Pradesh, and faculty/researchers from several public universities/institutions.

Brazil Training Workshop

In late October and early November, the EEIST project organised capacity building workshops in Brazil and the UK on “New economic models of energy innovation and transition”. These workshops followed similar workshops organised in China (June 2023) and India (October 2023). The purpose of the workshops was to disseminate recent advances in alternative modelling approaches for the energy transition and the environment, to an audience of academic and policymaking practitioners.

The Brazil workshop was jointly organised by Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), the University of Brasilia, and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (URFJ), and consisted entirely of online webinars. Researchers from the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, UCL and Cambridge Econometrics presented a mixture of introductory and hands-on sessions on models and tools including risk-opportunity analysis, macroeconomic and labour market modelling, and models covering technology forecasting and green complexity indexes. Recordings of these events are available -please contact eeist@exeter.ac.uk.

UK Training Workshop

The UK workshop was organised specifically for civil servants from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), and was conducted in person in London. The workshop followed a similar programme to that organised for the Brazil workshop.
Our thanks go out to the workshop organisers and session leads for their hard work in delivering a productive set of workshops, and for realising the EEIST project’s ambition to develop and spread new knowledge about innovative analytical techniques for a new climate economy.

How are climate policies assessed in emerging economies? A study of ex-ante policy appraisal in Brazil, China, and India

This paper by Cormac Lynch (Exeter University PhD student) investigates the appraisal approaches used in three major emerging economies and discusses the implications for climate policy.

Read the full paper here

Interview with Carbon Brief

Alex Clark a PhD researcher at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment Univeristy of Oxford was recently interviewed by Carbon Brief. For full details of that Interview click here

Wall Street Journal - EEIST China Policy Brief

The Wall Street Journal covered the China Policy Brief we launched in September by featuring it in its Climate & Energy newsletter. 

The momentum of the solar energy transition

Authors: Femke J. M. M. Nijsse, Jean-Francois Mercure, Nadia Ameli, Francesca Larosa, Sumit Kothari, Jamie Rickman, Pim Vercoulen & Hector Pollitt.

In a new Nature Communication paper, Exeter, Cambridge Econometrics and UCL delve into the power sector. Solar energy, the planet's most abundant resource, is emerging as a star player. We use a data-driven model of 70 world regions (E3ME-FTT) to predict the future of zero-carbon energy sources. Solar power could ascend to global dominance, irrespective of further climate policies. Nevertheless, challenges loom in grid stability, financial backing in developing nations, supply chain capacity, and potential political resistance. Our research underscores that resolving these hurdles may prove more effective than price incentives for accelerating the shift to clean energy.

New-Zero transition planning for pension fund and other asset owners

This report sets out how the Economics of Energy Innovation and System Transition (EEIST) programme – initially targeted at net-zero policymakers – can be applied to catalyse a paradigm shift in transition planning in the investment industry.

Read/download the full report here.

The new Brazil country report — Energy Transition in Brazil: Innovation, Opportunities, and Risks

This report provides insights on how unique dimensions of the Brazilian landscape and financial situation give scope for effective action towards a low-carbon re-industrialisation. It illustrates in particular that the dynamic nature of low-carbon re-industrialisation offers an opportunity, with ROA a more useful tool than traditional (but impractical) cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to assess the green transition via empirical case studies.

Read/download the full report here.

Policies to Pass the Tipping Point in the Transition to Zero-Emission Vehicles

Authors: Aileen Lam, Jean-Francois Mercure, Simon Sharpe.

KEY FINDING: Policy packages that combine financial incentives and mandates can achieve more than the sum of their parts, resulting in fast transitions and the greatest cost savings.

Download/View full policy brief here.

Socio-Economic Impacts of Coal Transition in China: A Regional Challenge

Authors: Alex Clark, Weirong Zhang, Peter Barbrook-Johnson and Anupama Sen.

While China has over 50% of the world's coal-fired power generation capacity, record growth in the country's clean energy supply could trigger an immient decline in coal use. 

EEIST findings show that measures to prevent excessive coal sector expansion now can reduce company losses and unemployment later.

Read/Download the full policy brief here to uncover reommendations for transition support in China's coal sector.

The role of green hydrogen and ammonia in a low-cost, resilient power system in India: national grid connection versus energy islands

Authors: Zac Cesaro, Matthew Ives, Rasmus Bramstoft, René Bañares-Alcántara, Peter Barbrook-Johnson and Anupama Sen.

This policy brief focuses on the power of grid-connected green hydrogen and ammonia to help India meet its growing energy demand and clean energy targets.

Read/Download policy brief here.

The EEIST newsletter is published quarterly. If you would like your work, news or event shared please send the details to eeist@exeter.ac.uk  by March 20th 2024.