Comprehensive country energy assessments using the MARKAL-MACRO model

A number of comprehensive country energy assessments were performed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The assessments provided a framework for analyzing the impacts of various national strategies for meeting energy requirements. These analyses considered the total energy framework. Economics, energy supply, national resources, energy use, environmental impacts, technologies, energy efficiencies, and sociopolitical impacts were some of the factors addressed. National policy makers identified the various strategies to examine. The results of the analyses were provided to the national policy makers to support their decision making. Almost 20 years have passed since these assessments were performed. There have been major changes in energy supply and use, technologies, economics, available resources, and environmental concerns. The availability of improved computer modeling, i.e., MARKAL-MACRO, and improved data collection methods and databases now permit such assessments to be performed in a more sophisticated manner to provide state of the art support to policy makers. The MARKAL-MACRO model was developed to support strategic energy planning. It is widely used in the international community for integrating analyses of environmental options, such as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It was used to perform the analyses in the least cost energy strategy study for the Energy Policy act of 1992. Improvements continue to be made to MARKAL-MACRO and its capabilities extended. A methodology to conduct country energy assessments using MARKAL-MACRO is discussed