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Energy

Energy plays a vital role in the global economy: fossil fuel dependency, the stability of the supply chain, and the prospects for harnessing previously untapped resources affect a range of policy concerns, from national security and international affairs to economic development and climate change. RAND's energy research covers the spectrum from energy conservation and security to emerging technologies and energy use by the U.S. armed forces.

Dissertation
Let There Be Light: Green Industrial Policy and Energy Access in India
Explores the competitiveness of India's domestic manufacturing across the supply chain; barriers and enablers to developing a domestic industry; and the cost of industrial policy support.
Feb 27, 2017
Commentary
Uncertainty and Complexity: Biomass Can Help on the Path to Deep Decarbonization
While biomass will almost certainly never become the dominant fuel for the electricity sector in the United States, it is still worth including as part of a menu of greenhouse gas mitigation strategies.
Feb 24, 2017
Report
How Are European Countries Vulnerable to Russia?
Russia's aggression against Ukraine has highlighted potential threats to NATO and the EU. But European countries differ in how susceptible they are to possible Russian actions.
Jan 18, 2017
Commentary
Investing in Infrastructure? Don't Forget the Electric Grid
Leaving the future of America's electricity grid to chance should not be an option. To maximize the potential benefits of a multibillion-dollar smart grid investment, a closer examination of technology and policy is needed.
Dec 7, 2016
News Release
China Invests Warily in Middle East
China endeavors to protect its expanding interests in the Middle East by not taking sides in conflicts and controversies. The United States should encourage China to become more involved in efforts to improve regional stability while reassuring partners of its own commitment to the region.
Dec 5, 2016
Report
China Invests Warily in the Middle East
China endeavors to protect its expanding interests in the Middle East by not taking sides in conflicts and controversies. The United States should encourage China to get more involved in efforts to improve regional stability while reassuring partners of its own commitment to the region.
Dec 5, 2016
Commentary
States Could Step Up on Climate Change
The new administration has expressed skepticism about climate change. But states may choose to pursue their own climate change initiatives.
Nov 26, 2016
Dissertation
Turning Policy Promises into Blue Skies: Mixed-Method Assessment of China's Past and Future Air Pollution–Reduction Efforts
Assesses China's past and current efforts towards preventing and controlling air pollution and conducts a mathematical simulation to illustrate the potential effectiveness of the government's proposed Action Plan and consequences of noncompliance.
Nov 18, 2016
Periodical
RAND Review: November-December 2016
This issue highlights the policy issues facing the next U.S. president; the problem of food, energy, and water scarcity throughout the world; and the connection between violence against women and murder.
Oct 17, 2016
Essay
The Hot Spots of the World
Scarcity of food, energy, and water endangers the lives of millions. So RAND created a tool with the potential to help make aid initiatives more effective.
Oct 13, 2016
Report
Scenario Development for the 2015 Quadrennial Energy Review: Assessing Stresses, Opportunities, and Resilience in the Transmission, Storage, and Distribution Systems for Oil and Refined-Oil Products, Electricity, and Natural Gas
RAND researchers developed a framework and metrics for examining vulnerabilities, opportunities, and risks to U.S. energy transmission, storage, and distribution systems through 2030 under a range of uncertainties.
Sep 27, 2016
Commentary
Cutting the Islamic State's Money Supply
Airstrikes have hit ISIL tanker trucks, oil fields, refineries, and banks, but it would be a mistake to view the group as a poor man's version of its old self. New steps are needed to counter its multi-million dollar taxation and extortion machine.
Jul 21, 2016
Report
Human and Organisational Factors in Major Accident Prevention: A Snapshot of the Academic Landscape
RAND Europe was commissioned by TOTAL E&P Research and Development to consider the role of human and organisational factors in major accident prevention in the oil and gas sector. The work drew on insights from industrial and academic experts.
Jul 20, 2016
Report
Technological Lessons from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident
How was technology used to address the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in Japan? Lessons from this event can help inform preparation for and response to future emergencies.
Jun 1, 2016
Tool
Developing the Pardee RAND Food-Energy-Water Security Index: Toward a Global Standardized, Quantitative, and Transparent Resource Assessment
To provide information to agencies and efforts focused on food, water, and energy resources, the RAND Corporation developed the Pardee RAND Food-Energy-Water Security Index. This report serves as the technical documentation for the index.
Apr 28, 2016
Report
Policy Options for Better Service Outcomes from the Future Electric Grid: A Stakeholder Symposium
This symposium's goal was to identify important policy questions related to the present and future electric power grid system. This convening aimed to identify problem areas that could benefit from stakeholder-driven objective research.
Apr 18, 2016
Report
Proposed Refinery Regulations in California Could Provide Safety and Cost Benefits
New regulations could improve safety at oil and gas refineries in California and benefit nearby communities. Even if the proposed regulations make refineries only 7.3 percent safer than they are currently, they will be worth their implementation costs.
Mar 16, 2016
Report
Wages, Employment, and STEM Education in Appalachia
The first county-level examination of wages and employment for workers in the Appalachia region with STEM training sets a baseline that will help measure the ongoing success of the Appalachia Partnership Initiative's efforts to prepare K-12 students and local workers for jobs in the energy and advanced manufacturing sectors.
Mar 9, 2016
Commentary
Low Oil Prices: Good for U.S. Security, Troublesome for the Economy
Will oil prices remain low? And how can the balance between cheap oil's positive effects on U.S. security and its negative effects on the economy be assessed?
Feb 26, 2016
Journal Article
Climate and Energy Analysis: Reinvigorating the Scenario Technique
Scenarios are widely used for long-term climate and energy analysis, but scenario developers and users typically capture only a subset of future uncertainties. By adopting three focal points as part of this methodology, researchers can expand uncertainty consideration and gather user-specific insights.
Feb 4, 2016

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