Institute of Energy and Climate Research - System Analysis and Technology Evaluation (IEK-STE)

The main research projects within IEK-STE aim to investigate the long-term characteristics of future energy systems and the consequences of its adoption on the development of the studied regions. On this basis, IEK-STE focusses on the analysis and evaluation of transformation pathways, targeting not only techno-economic efficiency but as well the social feasibility and the socio-technical interactions.

This approach allows providing the required political, economic, and social knowledge to transform the energy system based on technological assessment, taking into account of course the perspectives and conflicting goals of the various stakeholders. Meanwhile, the methodology developed integrates model-based scenarios as well on social context, transformation pathways, stakeholders’ preferences and behaviour patterns, and sustainability development.

Contribution to the H₂Atlas-Africa project
The main contribution from IEK-STE to the H₂ATLAS-AFRICA project would be assessing the socio-political context and analyzing the development opportunities of the West African and South African countries regions.

To do so, the current regional situation will be addressed via analysing the demographic and socio-economic indicators impacted by energy, water, and power consumption. The future regional perspectives will assess the impact of green hydrogen on employment and socio-economic improvements, and how to overcome investment limitations.

As the project aims to geolocalize the green hydrogen potential, a parallel outcome would be to translate national and regional analysis to spatial distribution results. This will be mainly done qualitatively, by reviewing the main trends on the indicators impacting the supply demand. This includes for instance the urbanization rate, regional migration, electrification rates, or industry distribution.