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.

  • illustration of cars, trucks, buses, and helicopter traveling in a city

    Blog

    What Mobility Might Look Like in the U.S. in 2030

    Mobility — the ability to travel from one location to another — may look very different in the United States in the year 2030. Three key drivers differentiate possible scenarios: the price of oil, the development of environmental regulations, and the amount of highway revenues and expenditures.

    Oct 28, 2013

  • maritime training in the Gulf of Guinea

    Blog

    Using Air Power Against Pirates Off West Africa

    A U.S. Official has confirmed that two mariners thought to be U.S. Citizens were kidnapped from an American ship in a pirate attack off of the West African coast — the 40th such attack reported in the Gulf of Guinea in 2013. The current security situation in the Gulf has affected petroleum and natural gas production.

    Oct 25, 2013

  • depiction of fast-moving traffic at night

    Report

    Scenarios Examine Future of Mobility in the United States

    What might one expect for the future of mobility in the U.S. in 2030? A six-step scenario development process resulted in two thought-provoking scenarios that address this question, and three key drivers differentiate the scenarios: the price of oil, the development of environmental regulation, and the amount of highway revenues and expenditures.

    Oct 24, 2013

  • Wind Turbine,Energy,Wind Power,Windmill,Alternative Energy,Wind,Efficiency,Environment,Turbine,Power Generation,Power,Electricity,Farm,Silhouette,Equipment,Generator,Sky,Horizontal,Nobody,Back Lit,Renewable Energy,Landscape,Cloudscape,Sunset,Cloud,Dusk,Dramatic Sky,Photography,Sunrise,Color Image,Sunlight,row,group,space,sun,nature,panorama,wind generators

    Dissertation

    Policy Impacts on Wind and Solar Innovation

    Predicting the effects of climate policies on energy use and the economy requires understanding how they will affect innovation. This study helps fill research gaps by using the number of relevant academic journal articles published per month as a proxy for innovation in wind and solar energy.

    Oct 16, 2013

  • A Chinese contractor at the site of the Nairobi-Thika highway project

    Commentary

    The Strategy Behind China's Aid Expansion

    Between 2001 and 2011, China's pledged foreign aid was $671 billion. In all regions and countries, China's assistance focuses on the development of natural resources, principally energy-related (coal, oil, and gas). Both parties presumably benefit from China's aid but both are also exposed to added risks and hidden costs.

    Oct 9, 2013

  • Labourers work at a railway station construction site in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa

    Blog

    New RAND Study Examines Chinese Economic Assistance to Other Countries

    With the world's second largest economy, China has the capacity to engage in substantial programs of economic assistance and government-sponsored investments in 93 emerging-market countries.

    Sep 19, 2013

  • Report

    China's Foreign Aid and Government-Sponsored Investment Activities: Scale, Content, Destinations, and Implications

    With the world's second largest economy, China has the capacity to engage in substantial programs of economic assistance and government-sponsored investments. Researchers assessed the scale, trends, and composition of these programs in 93 emerging-market countries.

    Sep 18, 2013

  • yellow barrels containing nuclear materials

    Testimony

    The Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2013

    The Nuclear Waste Administration Act (S. 1240) appears to strike a balance between the competing values of public accountability and insulation from political influence, write Lynn Davis and Debra Knopman.

    Aug 14, 2013

  • San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

    Commentary

    San Onofre Risk Factors

    The ongoing effort to open a spent fuel repository in the U.S. demonstrates the magnitude of the technical and political challenges of such an undertaking, writes Tom LaTourrette.

    Jun 20, 2013

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Identifying Key Drivers of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Biomass Feedstocks for Energy Production

    Many policies in the United States, at both the federal and state levels, encourage the adoption of renewable energy from biomass.

    Jun 20, 2013

  • quality engineer

    Testimony

    Refinery Process Safety Performance and Models of Government-Industry Relations

    U.S. safety performance at refineries has not been good by international standards. However, Cal-OSHA inspections of refineries typically find so few hazards that they contribute relatively little to refinery safety.

    Jun 12, 2013

  • Report

    Report

    Key Trends That Will Shape Army Installations of Tomorrow

    Assesses how future trends external to Army installations may affect the Army's ability to provide quality installation services and infrastructure.

    Jun 6, 2013

  • Traffic Jam Stopped Cars Pennsylvania Turnpike Exit 358 Bristol Levittown

    Commentary

    Paying for Infrastructure, a Taxing Issue

    If the “user pays” idea is worth saving, the United States needs a different calculation, writes Liisa Ecola. Some states are looking at mileage fees. With mileage fees, you pay based on the number of miles you drive, rather than the number of gallons of gas used.

    May 16, 2013

  • South China Sea map

    Testimony

    The Relationship between Natural Resources and China's Maritime Disputes

    Media and policy sources often cite natural resources as a primary driver of tensions in the South and East China Seas. In reality, the region’s hydrocarbon potential is moderate. Resource issues function primarily as focal points for more powerful underlying drivers of domestic political legitimacy, popular nationalism, and regional order.

    Apr 4, 2013

  • coal and dollars

    Commentary

    A Gradually Escalating Carbon Tax Would Allow Businesses and Consumers Time to Prepare

    A conservative, cost-efficient response to climate change involves sending price signals to people and businesses now so that they take steps to reduce emissions, writes Keith Crane.

    Mar 29, 2013

  • An array of solar panels

    Commentary

    Why China’s Suntech Might Not Be Alone in Heading Toward Bankruptcy

    As solar power remains more expensive than conventional sources of electricity in most parts of the world, demand for photovoltaic solar panels still primarily depends on government subsidies, says Keith Crane.

    Mar 29, 2013

  • paying for gas at pump

    Commentary

    Prices Will Still Be Dictated by World Markets and the Middle East Will Continue to Bedevil Policymakers

    Even if the United States no longer imports oil from the Middle East, the United States will still be vulnerable to oil price shocks driven by developments in the Middle East, writes Keith Crane.

    Mar 28, 2013

  • gas pipeline

    Multimedia

    An Energy-Independent United States

    Energy expert Keith Crane discusses shifts in U.S. energy markets, their economic implications and effects on gasoline and electricity prices, and how these developments might affect climate change.

    Mar 20, 2013

  • Report

    Report

    The Industrial Base for Carbon Dioxide Storage: Status and Prospects

    If policies aimed at large reductions of carbon dioxide emissions are enacted, more carbon capture and storage will be needed. RAND researchers explored the ability of the industrial base to support the expansion of carbon storage.

    Mar 18, 2013

  • wind energy

    Commentary

    Transitioning to a Carbon Tax Credit

    Instead of setting an arbitrary Production Tax Credit value for producers of renewable energy, we could provide a tax credit based on the social value of clean electricity generation, writes Constantine Samaras.

    Feb 20, 2013

Research conducted by