Energy system models are vital decision support tools. However, many countries in the Global South grapple with socio-techno-economic challenges that are rarely represented in conventional energy models, such as informal economies, suppressed energy demand, and power sector inefficiencies. Their cities will also experience climate change impacts more acutely compared to those in industrialized nations; thus, maximizing urban resilience is essential. This project pioneers methods to address these gaps in energy system optimization models.
Our team consists of multiple experts across disciplines and geographic boundaries. We employ the expertise of economists, climate change experts, power sector analysts, and energy system modelers across Switzerland and Africa in order to identify interdisciplinary synergies across our modeling methods. We use the open-source OSeMOSYS optimization modeling framework to demonstrate developed methods through the case study city of Accra, which is committed to sustainability planning.
We aim to ensure knowledge transfer by sharing our results, models, data, and methods. In this way, cities around the world can apply demonstrated models and methods to support their own sustainable energy strategies. Please reach out to us if you’d like to learn more.
This project was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) between 2020-2023 (grant number IZSTZ0_193649).