Fukushima – organizational issues that exacerbated the problems

Read the NEPI Working Paper “Organizations under Large Uncertainty:  An Analysis of the Fukushima Catastrophe”

Masahiko Aoki and Geoffrey Rothwell of Stanford University present an analysis of the organizational (industry and government) responses to the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe, as compared to the analagous responses to Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.  Based on their analysis, they make policy recommendations to address the systemic weaknesses that exacerbated the direct impacts of the earthquake and tsunami on the nuclear facility.

Tags: Address, Chernobyl, Earthquake, Geoffrey Rothwell, Government Responses, Masahiko Aoki, Nepi, Nuclear Catastrophe, Nuclear Facility, Policy Recommendations, Stanford University, Three Mile Island, Tsunami, Uncertainty

NEPI Responds to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s Clean Energy Standard White Paper

The National Energy Policy Institute (NEPI) submitted a response to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s Clean Energy Standard (CES) White Paper.
NEPI’s response highlighted an approach to the CES that would require a change of electrical generation to fuels and technologies that emit fewer carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions than conventional pulverized coal plants. The NEPI CES is unique in that it does not require that certain fuels get a predetermined percent of usage nor does it exclude any type of fuel. Most other CES proposals do not reward the generalized use of lower carbon fuels; they also do not give incentives for using the cleanest technology in utilization of the fuel. The NEPI CES allows utilities to choose the most economical investments in fuel choice and technology, so long as the necessary number of clean energy credits is earned. Capable of large-scale emission reductions at least-cost price, the NEPI CES is the most effective and efficient use of a portfolio standard to reduce CO2 emissions.
The complete NEPI response is available here.
The Senate Committee’s White Paper is available at http://energy.senate.gov/public/_files/CESWhitePaper.pdf.

Tags: Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Fuels, Ces, Clean Energy, Co2 Emissions, Coal Plants, Efficient Use, Electrical Generation, Emission Reductions, Energy Credits, Fuel Choice, Incentives, Investments, National Energy Policy, Natural Resources Committee, Necessary Number, Proposals, Senate Committee, Senate Energy, Senate Gov

NEPI Research

NEPI has sponsored significant research as part of its joint project with Resources for the Future and on its own behalf.  Toward a new Energy Policy:  Assessing the Options is the full report from the NEPI/RFF joint project.  The working papers cover nearly every area of energy policy and involve some of the world’s leading scholars in the field.

Allison, Gary and Williams, John (University of Tulsa) The Effects of State Laws and Regulations on the Development of Renewable Sources of Electric Energy (NEPI Working Paper 10-01)

Auffhammer, Maximilian (University of California, Berkeley) and Sanstad, Alan H. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Energy Efficiency in the Residential and Commercial Sectors (NEPI Working Paper 10-02)

Brown, Stephen P.A. (Resources for the Future); Gabriel, Steven (University of Maryland); and Egging, Ruud (University of Maryland) Abundant Shale Gas Resources:  Some Implications for Energy Policy (NEPI Working Paper 10-03)

Brown, Stephen P. A. (Resources for the Future) and Huntington, Hillard G. (Stanford University) Estimating U.S. Oil Security Premium (NEPI Working Paper 10-04)

Darmstadter, Joel (Resources for the Future) The Prospective Role of Unconventional Liquid Fuels (NEPI Working Paper 10-05)

Deutch, John (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Oil and Gas Security Issues (NEPI Working Paper 10-06)

Egging, Ruud (University of Maryland) An Evaluation of Input Data, Assumptions and Functionality of the Natural Gas Market Modeling Aspects in NEMS (NEPI Working Paper 10-07)

Gabriel, Steven (University of Maryland) The Future of Natural Gas (NEPI Working Paper 10-08)

Goulder, Lawrence H. (Stanford University and Resources for the Future) Using Cap and Trade to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions (NEPI Working Paper 10-09)

Krupnick, Alan J. (Resources for the Future), Energy, Greenhouse Gas and Economic Implications of Natural Gas Trucks (NEPI Working Paper 10-10)

Liu, Xiaobing (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Technical Assessment for Benefits of Retrofitting Existing Single-Family Homes with Ground Source Heat Pump Systems (NEPI Working Paper 10-11)

McConnell, Virginia (Resources for the Future) and Turrentine, Tom (Center for Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis) Should Hybrid Vehicles be subsidized? (NEPI Working Paper 10-12)

Palmer, Karen; Sweeney, Richard; and Allaire, Maura (Resources for the Future) Modeling Policies to Promote Renewable and Low Carbon Sources of Electricity (NEPI Working Paper 10-13)

Rothwell, Geoff (Stanford University) New U.S. Nuclear Generation: 2010-2030 (NEPI Working Paper 10-14)

Small, Kenneth A. (University of California, Irvine) Energy Policies for Automobile Transportation: A Comparison Using the National Energy Modeling System (NEPI Working Paper 10-15)

Tags: Berkeley National Laboratory, Commercial Sectors, Electric Energy, Energy Efficiency, Gas Resources, Gas Trucks, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hillard, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Liquid Fuels, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Prospective Role, Renewable Sources, Resources For The Future, Ridge National Laboratory, Stanford University, Technical Assessment, University Of California Berkeley, University Of Tulsa, Xiaobing