• Primary Program Energy efficiency, demand and productivity
  • Research Interests Energy markets, environmental policy, environment and growth, energy modeling, energy sources, economics of climate change

Biography

Alessandro is a visiting researcher and a professor of energy and environmental policy at LUISS University. He has held the positions of deputy head of the Energy and Environment Division of the IEA/OECD, Eni’s chief economist and executive director of the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei, and chief executive officer of Eni Corporate University. Alessandro’s career has also included working as a researcher at the IEFE and the Joint Research Centre of the European Union at ISPRA, and as a research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

He had the distinction of being lead author for the IPCC Third Assessment Report when IPCC was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize, and for the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report. More recently Alessandro has been serving on the board of directors of ENEA, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development.

Publications

See all Alessandro’s publications
  • Discussion papers
  • Methodology paper
  • Instant Insights
  • KAPSARC journal articles
  • External journal articles
Toward Economic Prosperity Through Industrial Energy Productivity Improvement

Toward Economic Prosperity Through Industrial Energy Productivity Improvement

In this report, we explore the main trends and policies that relate to industrial energy productivity in China and Saudi Arabia, focusing on energy efficiency, structural economic reform, industrial upgrading and energy pricing. Our objective is to increase shared understanding on these issues as both countries deepen their engagement as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

19th February 2018
Growth Through Diversification and Energy Efficiency: Energy Productivity in Saudi Arabia

Growth Through Diversification and Energy Efficiency: Energy Productivity in Saudi Arabia

With domestic energy demand in Saudi Arabia expected to potentially double by 2030, managing the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth will be very important for the Kingdom’s sustainable development. To assist in this task, this report recommends using energy productivity as an indicator and policy framework to help inform policymakers as to where and how the most value can be achieved from energy use.

24th November 2017
Growth, Investment and the Low-Carbon Transition: A View From Saudi Arabia

Growth, Investment and the Low-Carbon Transition: A View From Saudi Arabia

A common priority across G20 countries is the need to reinvigorate economies through an economic transformation that delivers a higher level of better quality growth. At KAPSARC, the need to improve economic growth and deliver climate goals agreed at COP21 in Paris is being investigated using an energy productivity framework, or how greater value can be obtained from the energy system for each unit of energy consumed.

31st August 2017
Energy Productivity as a New Growth Model for GCC Countries

Energy Productivity as a New Growth Model for GCC Countries

Following the collapse in oil prices, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have intensified efforts to find a new growth model which increases the welfare of their citizens, while reducing exposure to volatile energy markets. This paper argues that placing energy productivity at the heart of such a new growth paradigm offers a compelling path forward to strengthen economic diversification, energy efficiency and innovation efforts.

18th October 2016
A global degree days database for energy-related applications

A global degree days database for energy-related applications

Weather can have a profound effect on energy consumption, especially extremes of hot and cold temperatures. These variations in particular drive residential and commercial energy demand because space heating and cooling is such an important component. Traditional approaches are customized to the specific geography of interest. Energy regulators use a measure of divergence from normal temperatures to estimate peaks in demand when planning future capacity, or to strip out short-term weather effects to identify underlying growth trends. Energy traders marry weather forecasts to demand data to identify potential price peaks and troughs. What unites these analyses is that they tend to be either local or short term in nature; or both. However, the customization of methodology to a particular geography renders comparisons of the effects of weather between countries invalid.

6th April 2015
Saudi Arabia’s CO2 Emissions Steady in 2019 Ahead of Expected 2020 Fall Due to COVID-19

Saudi Arabia’s CO2 Emissions Steady in 2019 Ahead of Expected 2020 Fall Due to COVID-19

The 2019 data on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have just been released ahead of an expected large fall in CO2 emissions in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. On June 3, Enerdata released its data for Saudi Arabia’s 2019 emissions from fuel consumption, estimating them to remain stable at 526.84 million tonnes of CO2 (MtCO2), slightly down (-0.04%) from 527.05 MtCO2 in 2018.

12th July 2020
Saudi Arabia’s 2018 CO2 Emissions Fall Faster Than Expected

Saudi Arabia’s 2018 CO2 Emissions Fall Faster Than Expected

The Instant Insight published on December 03, 2019 (KS–2019-II16) was based on data downloaded from the following sources: Enerdata Global Energy & CO2 Database (www.enerdata.net), 9 September, 2019 Enerdata EnerDemand Database (www.enerdata.net), 9 September, 2019 Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI), 9 September 2019 The data used in the previous analysis has been updated by Enerdata, with material revisions to the estimates for 2018 carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Due to media interest in this topic, we have updated our analysis to reflect the most recent information (downloaded January 9, 2020). 

21st January 2020
What is Behind the Recent Fall in Saudi Arabia’s CO2 Emissions?

What is Behind the Recent Fall in Saudi Arabia’s CO2 Emissions?

The International Energy Agency has recently released data showing that in 2018 Saudi Arabia’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions fell by 15 million tonnes of CO2 (MtCO2), or 2.7%, from 577 MtCO2 to 562 MtCO2. This is significant as it is Saudi Arabia’s first large policy-induced reduction in CO2 emissions. It also highlights how Saudi Vision 2030’s economic transformation plans are helping to decouple its economic growth from its CO2 emissions. The Kingdom is now the fourth-fastest reducer of greenhouse gasses among the G20 group of countries.

4th December 2019
On the Robustness of the Robustness of Checks on the Environmental Kuznets Curve

On the Robustness of the Robustness of Checks on the Environmental Kuznets Curve

Environmental and Resource Economics

2009
How Consistent are Alternative Short-term Climate Policies with Long-term Goals ?

How Consistent are Alternative Short-term Climate Policies with Long-term Goals ?

Climate Policy

2006
Modelling Dynamic Conditional Correlations in WTI Oil Forward and Futures Returns

Modelling Dynamic Conditional Correlations in WTI Oil Forward and Futures Returns

Finance Research Letters

2006
Conditional Correlations in the Returns on Oil Companies Stock Prices and their Determinants

Conditional Correlations in the Returns on Oil Companies Stock Prices and their Determinants

Empirica

2006
Reassessing the Environmental Kuznets Curve for CO2 Emissions: A Robustness Exercise

Reassessing the Environmental Kuznets Curve for CO2 Emissions: A Robustness Exercise

Ecological Economics

2006

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