This workshop series brings together experts from the private and public sectors, regulatory bodies, international institutions, academia, and research think-tanks to discuss the role of energy systems models in analyzing and formulating energy policies. Topics are both technical and policy-relevant. Workshops in this series have focused on timely themes such as the role of government interventions in energy systems and economies; the complex interactions of coal markets; and the challenges and opportunities for integrating regional energy economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Insights from these workshops allow for an exchange of ideas and help develop a common understanding of what economic and policy questions models can answer, their limitations and strengths, and avenues for future collaboration in collecting data, implementing new methodological approaches, or developing scenarios to investigate. This is accomplished by fostering dialogue between both the creators and consumers of models in order to yield more valuable insights.

This workshop aims to inform a joint initiative between the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission in China and KAPSARC. While the energy economies of Saudi Arabia and China differ in many respects, they are similar in that their industrial sectors contribute around 75 and 60 percent of total energy demand respectively. This compares to industry contributing around 40 percent globally. This means that in both countries encouraging industrial energy efficiency and diversification can have a particular impact in supporting strong, stable and sustainable economic growth. The objective of this workshop is to explore how each country is navigating their own industrial development path and how energy efficiency in energy intensive industry is being employed to achieve a transition to more sustainable growth.

This workshop, held in partnership with the Clingendael International Energy Program, is one in a series of workshops to inform research into the role of fossil fuels through the transition to a low carbon future. Key questions for the workshop include whether there really is a need for a transition away from oil and how we can achieve carbon emission targets at least cost? What is the range of macroeconomic adaptation strategies? How will producer/consumer relationships be affected? Is there a great reconfiguration in the future for refining, chemicals and energy intensive industries? Innovative strategies for minimizing the loss of social welfare resulting from climate mitigation strategies will be required if binding targets are to be met without free riders. We have constructed a Global Energy Transition ‘War Game’ to be used as a tool through the series of workshops. This will provide insight into the areas that require more research to inform the debate.

This workshop is the fourth of a series of collaborative workshops on the modeling of collective decision-making processes (CDMPs). Discussions will focus on the continued development and application of an open source platform that KAPSARC has been developing: the KAPSARC Toolkit for Behavioral Analysis (KTAB). CDMPs are those in which a group of individual actors interacts to arrive at a decision. In both general and technical parlance, CDMPs may be termed bargaining or negotiating. KTAB has been developed by KAPSARC to meet the need for widely available, state-of-the-art, supported, and open source software that facilitates the modeling and analysis of CDMPs.

The workshop will cover both the mathematical underpinnings of models developed in KTAB, as well as applications of those models as they relate to recent studies on energy decision making in the United Arab Emirates, Japan, the GCC region, and other studies completed by this time. We will discuss, and take feedback, on future planned releases in July and October of this year. We will also discuss our planned release of a user-friendly version of KTAB, accessible on the web, intended for university students as well as users interested in accessing these models without rigorous training.

Consumer adoption of fuel-efficient vehicles is a crucial step in improving energy utilization and reducing emissions from the personal transportation sector. To promote adoption, multiple supply- and demand-side policies such as fuel economy standards, zero-emission vehicle mandate, renewable fuel standard, low carbon fuel standard, ethanol subsidies, financial and non-financial incentives, have been employed. For these policies to achieve their intended goals, understanding the demand for fuel-efficient and zero-emission vehicles from the consumer’s perspective is paramount.

Specific attention will be placed on consumer valuation and demand for fuel-efficiency; drivers and barriers to adoption of zero-emission vehicles; and cost-effectiveness of overlapping emission reduction strategies.

The mobility sector is undergoing significant shifts including the rise of shared, automated, multi-modal and electric mobility options based on the concept of mobility as a service model. The shared vehicle ecosystem has expanded from station-based car sharing to app-based ride-sourcing, with shared autonomous mobility holding promise for the next phase of the evolution. It is worthwhile to gain a better understanding of the future of mobility and its societal impacts so that a resilient planning and policy framework could be developed that incorporates a wide range of future scenarios.

The workshop will address specific aspects related to shared autonomous mobility-on-demand: understanding energy and environmental impacts; understanding adoption potential using the consumer perspective; societal cost-benefit evaluation; and future urban planning in light of evolving mobility ecosystem.

This event is part of our Utilities of the Future Energy Workshop Series which focuses on how disruptive technological innovation is transforming the electric power industry.

The workshop will focus on four key areas:

(1) From energy provision to electricity services: what can we learn from other energy transitions?

(2) The role of small-scale technological startups in the power sector: friend or foe of traditional utilities?

(3) Lessons from disruptions in other industries through technological and business innovations.

(4) What lessons can we derive from countries that are in the process of reforming their electricity sectors?

This event is part of our Utilities of the Future Energy Workshop Series which focuses on how disruptive technological innovation is transforming the electric power industry.

The workshop will focus on four key areas:

(1) Mechanism design for current and future electricity markets.

(2) the role of semi-autonomous “Smart Houses” in future electricity markets.

(3) Blockchain-based technology as enablers of new electricity market designs.

(4) adapting regulation to facilitate emergence of new electricity market designs.

Generating electricity from renewable energy sources has become a priority for the Gulf States. Growing electricity demand coupled with population growth, alongside the move to reform energy prices and commit to global environmental targets has put renewable energy in the spotlight. Despite promise, the renewable energy industry must grow and adapt to help meet these objectives. Unclear policies and regulations, disjointed research and development efforts and lack of certainty for the private sector have hindered the effort. This workshop is the culmination of a yearlong collaborative research initiative among experts all focused on renewable energy in the GCC. The research is intended to identify and investigate ways to promote policies which allow renewable energy to reach its potential.

The workshop will bring together the various institutions, researchers, and academics working on renewable energy development in the GCC countries, as well as other senior delegates from the region. We intend to use this forum to discuss the challenges preventing large scale adaptation of renewable energy in the region, and the practical steps that can be taken to enhance it. The workshop will be informed by the comprehensive collaborative research effort which KAPSARC has spearheaded. As with all KAPSARC workshops, the event will provide a chance to think through recent trends, concepts and issues with feedback from a community of experts so as to enhance the overall collective outcome.

After three years of stability in oil prices, a violent shift in oil prices took place in 2014. Oil prices plunged from $108/bbl in June 2014 to $48/bbl in January 2015. This radical change in prices generated macroeconomic volatility in both producing and exporting countries. Currently, oil producing countries are adjusting their economic policies to absorb a shock that took place three years ago.

In this context, the overall theme of this workshop is to better understand how energy price shocks impact on the economy of importing and exporting oil and gas countries, and the best way to shelter the economy from these disruptions.

The discussions of the workshop will be focused on the global impacts of oil shocks and policy levers that governments can use to minimize the macroeconomic impacts. We will also explore the role of stabilizations funds and sovereign wealth funds as long term investment instruments. Finally, participants will discuss how a diversified economy can help to soften energy price shocks, in particular in oil exporting countries.

Asian countries are increasing coal capacity addition. The intent of this workshop is to understand the drivers of coal consumption from an Asian perspective and understand how energy policy objectives and environmental policies are being balanced.

The workshop will address:

(1) What are the impact of COP21 and how do Asian countries work with these new regulatory regimes?

(2) Increased Asian coal consumption will mean that the coal industry will increasingly be focused on the Asian markets. What are the regional views in terms of supply and demand scenarios and their impact on the seaborne coal markets?

(3) How will policy play a role in ensuring supply and balance in the markets?

The workshop series “Drivers of Transportation Fuel Demand” provides a forum for discussing key sustainability issues in transportation and current policy strategies to address them. In particular, much emphasis is placed on the adoption of fuel-efficient and alternative-fuel vehicles for road transportation, innovation in fuel and vehicle technology mixes and the shift from road to other modes of transportation.

This workshop is organized in cooperation with the Columbia Center for Global Energy Policy and the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM). It uses as a case study the challenge of developing East Africa’s gas resources for the regional markets.

Massive new discoveries of natural gas have been made in Mozambique and Tanzania. When it comes to monetize gas resources in such remote regions and underdeveloped markets, LNG exports are often the preferred solution. However, the outlook for LNG is uncertain in a context of low oil and gas prices, while regional gas markets are often considered as too small or too remote to be a major driver behind resource development.

This workshop focuses on the case of East African gas and how demand could grow beyond current expectations based on the development of resources in Mozambique and Tanzania. It will challenge the narrative that these markets alone would not justify upstream developments as well as the associated pipeline infrastructure, disregarding the fact that gas supply availability can spur demand beyond what is initially anticipated.

This is the fifth of a series of collaborative workshops on the modeling of collective decision making processes (CDMPs). The workshop will focus discussions on the continued development and application of an open source platform that KAPSARC has been developing, the KAPSARC Toolkit for Behavioral Analysis (KTAB). The methodology has a wide range of applications for anyone who wishes to better understand how groups of people influence each other to make decisions. The policy making process, and indeed most decision making processes, are the result of formal and informal negotiations that attempt to build consensus. Successful policies tend to have the support, or at least the acquiescence, of both the policy makers and those who are affected by the policy. KTAB provides a methodology to systematically examine these processes, and provide insight into how a decision is likely to be achieved.

On the first day, new participants to this workshop series, with little or no exposure to KTAB and CDMPs, will be provided with an introduction to the underpinnings and practical use of the methodology. Repeat participants in the series, as well as those with a deeper interest in the computer science and mathematics of KTAB, will be able to attend a parallel set of sessions on Day 1 tailored to their interests.

On the second day of the workshop, all participants will come back together for a broader discussion on applications of the KTAB models from a growing number of research partners, and for a discussion on the future of KTAB and the study of CDMPs.

The workshop will bring together key individuals and institutions to shed light on the capabilities and limitations of existing models in the Kingdom.

A decline in oil prices and a new policy agenda to reform, diversify and grow the Saudi economy have emphasized the need to utilize available modeling capabilities in the Kingdom. Different modeling groups have been operating to assess the impact of alternative policies on the economy. Each model has strengths and weaknesses so that a strategy of using multiple models where economists and modelers share knowledge and data would potentially provide the greatest insights for the kingdom. Furthermore, due to the cost and complexity associated with building and maintaining models, it is essential to maintain close cooperation between policymakers, economists, and modelers. The goal of this workshop is to leverage their different perspectives, discuss emerging policy questions and potential modeling gaps, and build relationships that last beyond the workshop.