Energy Project at AGCI

Men in hard hats install solar panels on rooftop with mountains in background
Photo: Dennis Schroeder / Department of Energy

The Energy Project at AGCI, conducted in partnership with Energy Innovation Policy & Technology LLC®, identifies energy policy and technology solutions and educates decision-makers and stakeholders on smart and practical pathways toward a clean energy system. This work is focused on five areas:

Modeling and Analysis

The Energy Project equips policymakers with the tools and analysis to assess which policies can most effectively reduce emissions and provide economic benefits, as well as how to design those policies to succeed. The cornerstone of this work area is the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), a free and open-source computer model created by Energy Innovation®.

Take the Energy Policy Simulator for a spin and learn more.


Electricity

Existing technologies, combined with smart policy, are capable of creating a US electric grid that runs on 90% clean energy by 2035. Building on analysis co-authored by Energy Project team members in UC Berkeley’s 2035 Study, the top priority of this program area is to help policymakers design and implement policies that will accelerate the transition to an affordable and reliable clean electricity system.


China

Guiyang skyline lit up at night

China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases and a critical venue for deploying climate solutions at speed and scale. The core work of the Energy Project in China focuses on a “Four Zeros” strategy: a zero-carbon grid, zero-emission vehicles, net-zero energy buildings, and zero-waste manufacturing. The project continues efforts to build low-carbon and livable cities using the principles from the book Emerald Cities: Planning for Smart and Green China.

Read more about this work.


Industry

Chemical refinery at sunset

The goal of the Energy Project’s Industry Program is to accelerate the transition to sustainable industry: Producing the materials and products we rely on every day while reducing net GHG emissions to zero. Building on an assessment of technology and policy opportunities at a 2018 AGCI workshop, Industry Program director Jeffrey Rissman is writing a foundational book on zero-carbon industry, coming soon.

Read more about this work.


Transportation

Motor vehicles account for about 75 percent of all transport greenhouse gas emissions. As consumers, manufacturers, and governments coalesce around clean vehicles, the Energy Project’s Transportation Program helps transportation policymakers identify and calibrate policies needed to remain below the 1.5 degree Celsius warming threshold. The goal of this work is to achieve 100 percent clean vehicle sales as quickly as possible (and no later than 2035 in leading markets), prioritizing policies governing the world’s largest new vehicle markets.