Benefits analyses assess how the advanced energy technologies being developed at NETL compete in the marketplace, both in the near term and over the next several decades. OSAP analysts exercise economic models including
NEMS and
MARKAL to forecast the market penetration of advanced energy systems. They quantify the associated societal benefits in terms of reduced cost of energy, reduced environmental impacts, and improved energy security. Benefits analyses are used to justify the federal investment in energy R&D and also to advise funding priorities within the research portfolio.
A large part of benefits analysis involves translating the cost and performance results from technology analyses to a representative set of model inputs. NETL's systems analysis team is an important source of technology analyses. The benefits team also interfaces with DOE's Energy Information Administration and investigates instances where the technology characterizations contained in the Annual Energy Outlook are inconsistent with the results from OSAP's technology analysis efforts.
The benefits team uses information and understanding from OSAP's situational analysis team to construct relevant policy scenarios within the economic models, and also to refine the models to robustly characterize the objectives and priorities of decision makers within the energy industry.
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