Improvements in the representation of behavior in integrated energy and transport models

Abstract

The inclusion of sociological aspects, as human behavior related to transportation, in energy–economy–environment (E3) models may enable an inclusive representation of the system under analysis, thus providing a more likely representation of reality. This article presents a review of integrated energy and transport models characterized by a detailed description of the passenger transport sector and by the presence of transport behavioral features. First, we propose a working taxonomy based on the level of integration of the energy and transport sectors. As the study underlines, a high level of integration is a precondition for incorporating the consumer behavior related to purchase decisions and use of transport technologies in energy and transport models. Second, we identify and review the recurring behavioral features related to transport included in current integrated energy and transport models: technology choice, modal choice, driving pattern, and new mobility trends. The main contribution of the paper resides in analyzing the modeling methodologies adopted in the literature to incorporate behavioral features in transport and in examining opportunities and challenges of each of them. We draw recommendations on model structure and relevant attributes to consider in relation to consumers’ choices in transportation.

Keywords:

• Behavior
• driving pattern
• energy model
• modal choice
• technology choice
• transport model

Notes

1 https://www.webofknowledge.com/

2 https://findit.dtu.dk/

3 For Web of Science search syntax, see http://images.webofknowledge.com/WOKRS527R13/help/WOS/hp_search.html

4 The European Environment Agency showed that values close to 2 for car occupancy have been reached in some European countries in 2008. Hence, the value has been chosen to represent carpooling as an important phenomenon in the two countries.

5 The analysis has been performed with the bottom-up optimization energy model TIMES-DK for the period 2015–2050 for Denmark, and with the bottom-up sectoral simulation model CarSTOCK for Ireland.

6 Sectoral energy models (E), energy models partially including the transport sector (E+), highly integrated energy and transport system models (E + T), transport models partially including the energy sector (T+), and sectoral transport models (T) (see Section 3).

Additional information

Funding

This work is a result of the research activities of the project COMETS (Co-Management of Energy and Transport Sector), grant No. COMETS 4106-00033A), which has received funding from The Innovation Fund Denmark. It is also supported by the Science Foundation Ireland MaREI Centre under grant No. 12/RC/2302.