
Iñigo Capellán-PérezUniversidad de Valladolid | UVA · Group for Energy, Economics, and System Dynamics of the University of Valladolid
Iñigo Capellán-Pérez
Energy Engineer and Doctor in Economy
About
62
Publications
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Introduction
With Energy-Engineer degree, in 2016 I completed a PhD in Economics with the dissertation "Development and Application of Environmental Integrated Assessment Modelling towards Sustainability".
My research interests focus on the analysis and modeling of the energy-economy-environment systems, the transition to renewable energies in the context of the depletion of fossil fuels and climate mitigation and the technical and social transformations towards sustainability.
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Publications
Publications (62)
The climate scenarios that form the basis for current climate risk assessments have no assigned probabilities, and this impedes the analysis of future climate risks. This paper proposes an approach to estimate the probability of carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration scenarios used in key climate change modeling experiments. It computes the CO2 emissio...
Long term-energy planning has gradually moved towards finer temporal and spatial resolutions of the energy system to design the decarbonization of the society. However, integrated assessment models (IAMs), focusing on a broader concept of sustainability transition, are typically yearly-resolution models which complicates capturing the specific supp...
The replacement of internal combustion engines by electric vehicles (EVs) is being promoted towards the decarbonisation of the transportation sector. EVs require important amounts of materials, some of which are...
Valladolid (Spain) is a medium-size city (~300,000 inhabitants) that established a greenhouse (GHG) emissions reduction target in 2011 of 20% from 2010–2020. However, tracking the evolution of GHG in medium-size cities is challenging due to the general lack of compulsory data collection at this scale and issues with boundaries when attempting alter...
This deliverable summarizes the set of tasks carried out by the work package 4 in order to collect the required information for modelling the endogenous climate change and adaptation of the economic system in WILIAM.
Today, we are witnesses to the early days of a change in the mobility technology as oil reserves decline and society's environmental awareness increases. Electric technologies are intended to replace those based on hydrocarbons as they have been initially conceived as more environmentally friendly and energy efficient. However, the problem of the f...
Although the transition to renewable energies will intensify the global competition for land, the potential impacts driven by solar energy remain unexplored. In this work, the potential solar land requirements and related land use change emissions are computed for the EU, India, Japan and South Korea. A novel method is developed within an integrate...
R
epresent ation the variable renewable energy supply (VRES) in the integrated assessment models (IAMs), includes the hourly variability of renewable energy
modeled in EnergyPLAN software. H ourly effects of the integration have been accessed. Finally, flexibility options are recommended to accommodate this
variability within existing energy system...
Four explorative scenarios, depicting different strategies for the decarbonization of global transportation by 2050, have been implemented in the IAM MEDEAS-World which allows to take into account two factors understudied in the literature: the potential of lifestyle change and mineral requirements of mobility alternatives. Co, Li and Ni emerge as...
This paper reviews different approaches to modelling the energy transition towards a zero carbon economy. It identifies a number of limitations in current approaches such as a lack of consideration of out-of-equilibrium situations (like an energy transition) and non-linear feedbacks. To tackle those issues, the new open source integrated assessment...
Achieving ambitious reductions in greenhouse gases (GHG) is particularly challenging for transportation due to the technical limitations of replacing oil-based fuels. We apply the integrated assessment model MEDEAS-World to study four global transportation decarbonization strategies for 2050. The results show that a massive replacement of oil-fuele...
This paper reviews different approaches to modelling the energy transition towards a zero carbon economy. It identifies a number of limitations in current approaches such as a lack of consideration of out-of-equilibrium situations (like an energy transition) and non-linear feedbacks. To tackle those issues, the new open source integrated assessment...
Whether renewable energy sources (RES) will provide sufficient energy surplus to entirely power complex modern societies is under discussion. We contribute to this debate by estimating the current global average energy return on energy invested (EROI) for the five RES technologies with the highest potential of electricity generation from the compre...
Community energy (CE) initiatives are developing in many regions of the world through a great diversity of typologies. Europe has a leading role with thousands of ongoing projects of small and medium size, which are however unevenly distributed over the continent. The density of CE projects is highest in NorthWestern and parts of Central Europe; on...
A diversity of integrated assessment models (IAMs) coexists due to the different approaches developed to deal with the complex interactions, high uncertainties and knowledge gaps within the environment and human...
A novel methodology is developed to dynamically assess the energy and material investments required over time to achieve the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources in the electricity sector. The obtained results indicate that a fast transition achieving a 100% renewable electric system globally by 2060 consistent with the Green Gr...
The estimation of future energy demand is a key factor for the development of effective alternative policies towards a low carbon economy. This paper describes a novel method to estimate the energy demand in the new integrated assessment framework MEDEAS based on the projection of sectoral final energy intensities. The dynamic of each of the sector...
There is a general need to facilitate citizens’ understanding of the global sustainability problem with the dual purpose of raising their awareness of the seriousness of the problem and helping them get closer to understanding the complexity of the solutions. Here, the design and application of the participatory simulation game Global Sustainabilit...
Game-based learning refers to the use of game thinking and mechanics to engage and motivate students in the learning process. We applied this innovative concept to complement the theoretical sessions of an introductory course on ecological economics in the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). A partic...
Hubbert based models to project future oil extraction in Ecuador were developed. Two values of ultimate recoverable resources (URR) (7860–10,700 million barrels (MMbbl)) are applied to 16 models, considering symmetric and asymmetric Hubbert models and one and two cycles under top-down and bottom-up approaches. Models are discussed based on the best...
Introducción y motivación
Las energías renovables (solar, eólica, etc.) y otras tecnologías “verdes” de apoyo como las baterías eléctricas están caracterizadas por una densidad energética menor que las fósiles. Esto repercute en una mayor cantidad (y diversidad) de materiales que necesitan las infraestructuras de captación y producción por unidad d...
Renewable Energy Sources (RES) offer a key transformative potential from a social point of view due to their modularity and capacity to generate energy at local level, allowing for the development of democratic and participative bottom-up initiatives. Spanish RES cooperatives, unlike other European countries, are few in number. Here, we review thei...
Analyses proposing a high share of concentrated solar power (CSP) in future 100% renewable energy scenarios rely on the ability of this technology, through storage and/or hybridization, to partially avoid the problems associated with the hourly/daily (short-term) variability of other variable renewable sources such as wind or solar photovoltaic. Ho...
The transition from fossil fuels to Renewable Energy Sources (RES) is an indispensable condition to achieve sustainable socioeconomic systems. Despite their indisputable environmental benefits, their technical performance can be, in some cases, worse than those of fossil fuels. This is the case of the Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROI). Much w...
The transition to renewable energies will intensify the global competition for land. Nevertheless, most analyses to date have concluded that land will not pose significant constraints on this transition. Here, we estimate the land-use requirements to supply all currently consumed electricity and final energy with domestic solar energy for 40 countr...
This paper analyses the contribution of the high speed rail project in the Basque Country, Spain, to energy consumption reduction and to climate change mitigation by means of a simplified Life Cycle Assessment. The calculation of CO2 emissions and energy consumption reductions over the service lifetime of the infrastructure (60 years) shows that, e...
The rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic is one of the most striking manifestations of climate change. As sea ice melts, more open water is exposed to solar radiation, absorbing heat and generating a sea-ice–albedo feedback that reinforces Arctic warming. Recent studies stress the significance of this feedback mechanism and suggest that ice-free sum...
This document documents the “World Limits Model” version 1.5 (WoLiM 1.5), reporting the methods, rationale and hypothesis applied. This model is an energy-economy-environment simulation system dynamics model that focus on future energy resource availability and its implications for human socioeconomic systems at world aggregated level. In this vers...
Cuando se cumplen 10 años del inicio de las obras y más de 20 años desde su diseño, el proyecto
de tren de alta velocidad para el País Vasco, comúnmente conocido como Y vasca, parece moverse
a baja velocidad, lastrado por la escasez presupuestaria y las crecientes dudas acerca de su utilidad
social. Este trabajo muestra, desde una perspectiva trans...
El modelo hegemónico de desarrollo requiere ingentes cantidades de consumo energético. La distribución desigual en el uso de la energía necesaria para satisfacer el consumo de un país acentúa las desigualdades. En el tránsito hacia la sostenibilidad es esencial concebir sistemas culturales alternativos que permitan la satisfacción de nuestras neces...
One of the main concerns in international climate negotiations is policy fragmentation, which could increase the carbon emissions of non-participating countries. Until very recently the carbon leakage literature has focused mainly on ‘industrial’ carbon leakage. However, there is another potential channel that has received little attention so far:...
The transition to renewable energies is at the heart of the Sustainable Degrowth (SD) proposals due to its potential to relocalize and democratize the energy generation in a sustainable way. In this paper, we review the development and current situation of the Renewable Energy Sources Cooperatives (REScoops) in Spain, assessing their strengths, bar...
Through history, special attention has been paid to the study of the relationship between the energy use of a country and its level of development. While the interest of this research area is unquestionable, the energy indicators commonly used (e.g. total primary energy) are problematic. In the current context of globalization, the energy used by a...
The scale of human activities worldwide has grown so great that they are increasingly affecting the regular functioning of the biosphere and critically threatening its equilibrium: during the last few decades, human actions have become the main driver of global environmental change. The design of effective policies to rectify current trends critica...
One of the main concerns in international climate negotiations is policy fragmentation, which could increase the carbon emissions of non-participating countries. Until very recently the carbon leakage literature has focused mainly on “industrial” carbon leakage through various channels, such as the induced changes in the prices of fossil fuels. But...
Uncertainties concerning fossil fuel resources availability have traditionally been deemphasized in climate change research as global baseline emission scenarios (i.e., scenarios that do not consider additional climate policies) have been built on the assumption of abundant fossil fuel resources for the 21st century. However, current estimates are...
The expanding contribution of transport emissions to EU’s GHG footprint and the danger of transport accounting for a disproportionate share of emissions in 2050 explains the important role played by the biofuels policy framework in the overall European climate and energy strategies. The cornerstone of the EU legislation promoting the use of biofuel...
Aunque la urgencia de actuar de forma decidida contra el cambio climático es cada vez más perentoria, las cumbres donde se deberían adoptar compromisos fracasan una y otra vez. La complejidad e inercia de un sistema multipolar, la tremenda fuerza de los grupos que se benefician del uso generalizado de los combustibles fósiles, y la propia forma de...
Growing scientific evidence shows that world energy resources are entering a period shaped by the depletion of high-quality fuels, whilst the decline of the easy-to-extract oil is a widely recognized ongoing phenomenon. The end of the era of cheap and abundant energy flows brings the issue of economic growth into question, stimulating research for...
El problema es más crítico si se consideran diversas dinámicas, como las realimentaciones Un análisis de la metodología del IPCC revela luces pero también sombras. Mientras que el diagnóstico del problema resulta notable, las soluciones planteadas para reducir esas emisiones adolecen de importantes sesgos, y están muy condicionadas por el paradigma...
The progressive reduction of high-quality-easy-to-extract energy is a widely recognized and already ongoing process. Although depletion studies for individual fuels are relatively abundant, few of them offer a global perspective of all energy sources and their potential future developments, and even fewer include the demand of the socio-economic sy...
This report has various objectives: (i) to provide an overview of the climate Integrated Assessment approach; (ii) to describe the Global Climate Assessment Model (GCAM); (iii) to outline the new IPCC scenario framework represented by the Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs) and the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs); and (iv) to documen...
This paper documents the first version of the “World Limits Model” (WoLiM 1.0), reporting the methodology and assumptions applied. This model is a E3 simulation system dynamic model that focus on energy resource constraints and its implications for human socioeconomic systems at world aggregated level. In this version, it aims to describe the relat...
The perspectives of the depletion of fossil energy resources, together with the consequences of climate change, have provoked the development of numerous national and pluri-national energy policies. However, there have been few overall studies on the evolution of these resources. This paper uses a dynamic model to study the exhaustion patterns of w...
Questions
Questions (2)
...or what "just" used in your paper about GEMBA?
Thank you very much,
Iñigo Capellán-Pérez
Data EROI Data
You maybe also judge that this technology may be never available at a widespread level, all comments are welcome.
Projects
Projects (5)
Web site: https://www.locomotion-h2020.eu
LOCOMOTION: Low-carbon society: an enhanced modelling tool for the transition to sustainability
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
With funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme (GA 821105), the LOCOMOTION project aims to design a new set of IAMs (Integrated Assessment Models) to provide policymakers and relevant stakeholders with a reliable and practical modelling system to assess the feasibility, effectiveness, costs and ramifications of different sustainability policy options. By doing so, LOCOMOTION will help them to identify the most effective transition pathways towards a low-carbon society.
Building on existing IAMs developed by the EU-funded MEDEAS project, and including knowledge from other relevant models (World6, TIMES, LEAP, GCAM, C-Roads, etc.), a number of substantive improvements are planned with respect to the state-of-the-art in energy-economy-environment modelling.
Drawing on research teams from different European countries, the improved IAMs will be the product of interdisciplinary work in data management, policy and scenario assessment, as well as the system dynamic modelling of relevant environmental, economic, social, technological and biophysical variables.
This new IAM will be a robust, usable and reliable tool of diagnostic and scenario assessment for a sustainable transition towards a low-carbon society. LOCOMOTION will provide the different stakeholders with a more effective, user-friendly and open-source, model system for decision-support, education and social awareness.
PROJECT PARTNERS
University of Valladolid (UVa), Austrian Energy Agency (AEA), Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), CARTIF Foundation (CARTIF), Centre of Economic Scenario Analysis and Research (CESAR), Centre on Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving (CRES), European Environmental Bureau (EEB), FCiências.ID – Associação para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento de Ciências (FC.ID), International Centre for Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) , University of Pisa (UNIPI), United Nations University (UNU), University of Iceland (UoI)
LOCOMOTION Project web site: https://www.locomotion-h2020.eu/
LOCOMOTION LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/locomotion-h2020/
LOCOMOTION Twitter: https://twitter.com/LocomotionH2020
LOCOMOTION Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/locomotion.h2020/