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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.

Commentary
Consequences of the War in Ukraine: The Economic Fallout
Before Russia invaded Ukraine, projections estimated global economic growth in 2022 would be around 5 percent. But the war in Ukraine contributed to slowed economic growth in 2022 and a slowed recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. What are the broader consequences for the global economy?
Mar 7, 2023
Commentary
Can China's Green Energy Acceleration Put at Risk the West's Hydrogen Plans?
Hydrogen (H2) plays a key role in the decarbonization plans of the European Union and the United States. Both have launched aggressive hydrogen strategies to increase the generation of H2 and deployment of related technologies. But these bold ambitions may face headwinds due to the acceleration of China's energy transition.
Apr 3, 2023

Explore Energy

Essay
How Smart Grids Can Change the Way We Live
A modernized, “smart” grid could change how much you pay for electricity, where it comes from, and how likely you are to lose it in a summer storm. But has the reality of the smart grid kept pace with the promise?
Apr 27, 2015
Report
Measuring the Resilience of Energy Distribution Systems
The U.S. economy depends on reliable and affordable distribution of energy, but distribution systems are vulnerable to disruption. If energy infrastructure is to become more resilient, better use of metrics will be crucial to guiding planning and evaluating progress.
Apr 24, 2015
Report
Integrating Operational Energy Implications into System-Level Combat Effects Modeling: Assessing the Combat Effectiveness and Fuel Use of ABCT 2020 and Current ABCT
The authors developed and applied a methodology that leveraged detailed combat effectiveness models to account for the operational energy needs of an Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) 2020 and the current ABCT conducting combat missions.
Apr 23, 2015
Commentary
Oil Bonanza: Good News for the World
World oil prices have fallen by more than 40 percent since June 2014 and over the next several years prices are more likely to fall than to rise. The global economy will benefit hugely from this shift, and it's possible that global security will also benefit from lower oil prices.
Mar 31, 2015
Report
Fuel Reduction for the Mobility Air Forces: Executive Summary
Reducing aviation fuel use is an ongoing goal for military and civil operators, and Air Mobility Command is feeling increasing pressure to further reduce fuel use by implementing and following known best practices.
Mar 24, 2015
Report
Fuel Reduction for the Mobility Air Forces
Reducing aviation fuel use is an ongoing goal for military and civil operators, and Air Mobility Command is feeling increasing pressure to further reduce fuel use by implementing and following known best practices.
Mar 24, 2015
Dissertation
Federal Funding and Academic Productivity: Assessing Policy Levers for Sustainable Energy Researchers
Examines the relationship between federal funding and research productivity, as revealed through publications and citations, for a sample of academic researchers with sustainable energy technology interests.
Mar 13, 2015
Journal Article
How Can State Transportation Agencies Prepare for an Uncertain Energy Future?
In what ways will the mandate, role, funding, and operations of state departments of transportation be affected by changes in energy supply and demand in the next 30 to 50 years? Different supply-and-demand scenarios will require robust decision-making techniques.
Mar 3, 2015
Dissertation
Competition and Collaboration: A Comparison of U.S. and Chinese Energy Outward Direct Investment
Compares and contrasts the characteristics, current positions, and future trends of both the U.S. and Chinese energy outward direct investments.
Feb 5, 2015
Commentary
China Can Fix Its Severe Pollution Problem
China's economic transformation over the last three decades has produced potentially deadly air pollution its people inhale every day. But an investment of $215 billion annually could substantially reduce pollution, lessen its drag on productivity, spare the lungs of countless people, and save lives.
Jan 19, 2015
Commentary
ISIS Aims to Occupy Mecca
As ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi reaches for control of the holy sites in and around Mecca and Medina and the wealth that comes with them, the U.S., NATO, and others should consider providing significant equipment and know-how to shore up the border defenses of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan.
Jan 19, 2015
Commentary
Can Eurasian Energy Compete?
Cheaper oil, government interference, and market dynamics jeopardize the future of Russian and Caspian energy. To be globally competitive, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan should let the private sector play a greater role and make more decisions on commercial, rather than political grounds.
Jan 16, 2015
Report
The Adoption of New Smart-Grid Technologies
A smart grid for the United States could have large-scale benefits. There are technological, economic, and regulatory barriers, but new policies or changes to policy could help overcome them.
Jan 15, 2015
Report
How Can China Reduce Its Air Pollution, and How Much Will It Cost?
Air pollution has been one of the most harmful consequences of China's last three decades of economic transformation and growth. China must address its air-pollution problem soon, but approaches to improve air quality come at a cost.
Jan 12, 2015
Journal Article
Bringing Online in Line: Contribution to an Impact Assessment for the Delegated Act to Implement the Online Provisions of the Revised Energy Related Products Directive
Objectives for the Delegated Act are directly derived from the Energy Related Products Directive, and specifically aimed at the online environment.
Dec 29, 2014
Commentary
In South Africa, Bold Investments Turn Trash into Treasure
In South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, investments made over the past 20 years have created a dump with a difference. Rather than being a blight on the neighborhood of Mariannhill, the state-of-the-art Mariannhill Landfill Conservancy is an asset.
Dec 3, 2014
Announcement
RAND to Evaluate New STEM Initiative in Appalachia Region
RAND will provide research and analysis for a multiyear, multimillion-dollar investment by Chevron in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) K-12 education and energy-sector workforce development training in the Appalachia region.
Oct 21, 2014
Commentary
The Upside of Lower Oil Prices
Movement toward sharply lower oil prices should be a prominent component of any strategy directed at disabling many of the world's most disruptive threats: Iran's nuclear development, ISIS, Hamas attacks on Israel, and Russia's threat to Ukraine.
Oct 17, 2014
Dissertation
The Political Sustainability of Carbon Control Policies in an Evolutionary Economics Setting
Analyzes the long term coevolution of market structures, technological change and government institutions.
Sep 29, 2014
Commentary
One Day in the Life of Russia
Russia faces major challenges, some self-inflicted. Freedoms vital to the creation of a modern civil society are declining. Dominant, state-controlled energy and aerospace companies are losing ground, weakening a strained economy.
Sep 23, 2014

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Nidhi Kalra

Senior Information Scientist

Nidhi Kalra (she/her) is a senior information scientist at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her research focuses climate change mitigation, adaptation, and decarbonization planning, as well as tools and methods that help people and organizations make…
Zohan Hasan Tariq

Ph.D. Student, Pardee RAND Graduate School, and Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND

Zohan Tariq is a Ph.D. student in the Technology Applications and Implications stream at Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy researcher at RAND. He has a B.E. in chemical engineering from the National University of Sciences and Technology in Islamabad, Pakistan. His research…

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