Energy modelling platforms for policy and strategy support

Abstract

The energy field has been dominated by ‘hard’ modelling approaches advocated by researchers from engineering and economics disciplines. The recent trend towards a more liberalised environment moves away from central planning to market-based resource allocation, leading to the creation and use of strategic tools, with much ‘softer’ specifications, in the ‘systems-thinking’ tradition. This paper presents the use of system dynamics in a generalised way, to provide a platform for integrated energy analysis. Issues of modularity and policy evolution are important in the design of the modelling platform to facilitate its use, and reuse. Hence the concept of a platform, rather than a model, has to be implemented in a coherent way if it is to provide sustained value for ongoing support to both government policy and corporate strategy.

Keywords:

• system dynamics
• simulation
• energy modelling
• strategy