About
The Energy Economics and Management Group (EEMG) at the University of Queensland (UQ) engages in advanced research in energy economics and on related environmental questions. Our energy economic researchers have a strong reputation, both nationally and internationally, ranked 12th in the world out of 1812 institutions that have published in the field (IDEAS/RePEc, University of Connecticut, August 2013).
EEMG has developed its own sophisticated model of the national electricity market called the Australian National Electricity Market Model for policy evaluation. The group also uses other models for policy evaluation such as the commercial linear optimisation software called PLEXOS.
The group has engaged in extensive collaboration with industry, particularly through Australian Research Council (ARC) industry linkage projects. For example, EEMG has industry partners in both the following ARC linkage projects: 'Increasing wind power in Australia' and 'The impacts of carbon trading on the Australian electricity industry'. The group also engages in extensive collaboration with researchers in other universities, for example, in the following projects: 'Climate change and the effects on the electicity sector' and 'Economic modelling on the Intelligent Grid' for the Australian National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), respectively.
Although open to research proposals and collaborations in all energy fields, the group has been focusing on renewable energy, such as solar and wind, on climate change, on generation and transmission and on the impacts of different kinds of carbon mitigation policies, both on the electricity sector and the wider economy. The group's affilate, UQ's Global Change Institute (GCI) administered the following group projects: a pilot study for the 'RAC - Collinsville Solar Thermal Power Station', 'Climate change and the effects on the electicity sector' and 'Delivering a competitive Australian power system'. In addition to its in house research team, the EEMG also has industry-based members who regularly provide invaluable inputs into its research programs.
With the benefit of its advanced modeling capability and in-depth knowledge of the Australian energy system, the EEMG is able to provide a range of consultancy services to government departments, private sector companies and international organisations. The group also has experience in policy design and in the enactment of clean energy strategies, for example, the 1.2 MW Solar PV Array at UQ which became operational in 2011.
In summary, the group’s expertise lies in the following fields:
Energy economics
- Electricity markets; coal, natural gas and oil markets; renewable energy; distributed generation; electric vehicles, electricity transmission, bio-fuels
Environmental economics
- Emissions trading; environmental policy; impacts of climate change; impacts of fuel stock depletion
Business management
- Energy security; risk management; investment appraisal for new technology; carbon finance; remote and regional community energy options; energy for developing and transition economies
Regulatory economics
- Energy market design; regulatory adaptations to facilitate investment and deployment of new technology