2nd to 7th of February 2014

“Interdisciplinary energy prospective: towards a common toolbox for scenario assessment and design?”

The identification of the energy-climate coupling has launched a new type of exercise: designing scenarios for energy transition towards less carbonized and more sustainable developments. Besides international agencies and large firms involved in energy production, a large variety of institutions has entered the field: ministries, NGOs, research laboratories, lobbies. Such a variety implies different cultures and working schemes, which makes it difficult to appreciate the performance of a given scenario as a tool for decision-making. It seems therefore appropriate to analyze existing scenarios from a physical science approach: characteristics and availability of energy sources, accordance with the general laws of physics. Through critical analysis of a number of significant scenarios, the school should help stabilizing, among the community of physicists for whom the École des Houches is a worldwide reference, those whose research activity has some relevance on scenario design. It also aims at providing the various authors of scenarios with critical viewpoints starting with physical quantities and characteristics of energy systems before taking into account market and prices. This implies that a fraction of the professors and the participants to the school should come from the field of economy. The focus will also be put on historical records of energy transitions, concerning some particular nation or the world as a whole. A cross-disciplinary discussion of these historical events shall help understand the evolution of our present system. Hopes are high that a new common, exploratory research program will result from this unusual meeting. The objective is certainly not to produce recommendations on the evolution of the energy system but rather to focus on the methodological aspects of energy scenarios assessment and design. In the process, this one week seminar will attempt to draw a clear mark between political considerations and a scientific approach when discussing about the potential future of energy systems. We think that this workshop should help a proficient use of complementary academic perspectives and a wide collaboration among the scientific world.

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ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Léo BENICHOU (The Shift Project)
Hervé BERCEGOL (CEA)
François DAVIAUD (CEA)
Jean-Marc JANCOVICI (the Shift Project)
Jacques TREINER (Paris 6 et Sciences Po, Paris)

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SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Yves BRECHET (CEA)
Gérald BRONNER (Université Denis Diderot)
Valérie MASSON-DELMOTTE (CEA)
Jacques PERCEBOIS (Université de Montpellier)
Semida SILVERA (KTH, Stockholm)
Friedrich WAGNER (Max Planck Institut)

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ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

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SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE

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PROGRAM

SLIDES & VIDEOS

sorry, video will not be broadcasted