Linking global and regional energy Strategies

The KMB project LinkS is a joint, multi-disciplinary project combining world-leading global top-down climate related research and bottom-up regional energy system design with assessment of regulations and policy instruments in a cross-national comparative perspective. The research challenge of LinkS is to establish an analytical framework to address regional characteristics and advantages in energy system development, integrated with global initiatives like the Global Energy Technology Strategy Program ( GTSP) to ensure that regional development is sustainable and efficient also from a global perspective. The global strategies provide long-term guidelines for use of different energy sources and technologies, and when to phase them into the energy system s considering global energy markets, global effects and policy. More detailed regional studies are used to established implementation strategies for the local/regional energy system based on its existing status, local premises and guidance from the global strategies (prices on global commodities and policies). This LINK between the global and regional strategies thus demonstrate feasibility and provide verification of time schedules, costs and volumes, including the effects of current and future policy in centives and instruments. Cross-national case studies of regulations and policy instruments will further assess and contextualize the impact of global factors and their LINK with crucial regional parameters. LinkS will provide an important arena for sta keholders with international activities to envision the potential development for the energy sector over the next 50 years, to identify scientific and technological requirements in an international marketplace, to understand the impact of different policy instruments and to gain public and corporate commitments to a future development. This will enable them to maintain their competitiveness, performance and success in the future.