Model Type: Partial-equilibrium model (energy and land-use) including numerous energy supply technologies, agriculture and land-use model, and a reduced-form climate model. Emissions include CO2, CH4, N2O, and SO2. 15-year timestep. Run period 1990 - 2095.
Developer/Home Institution: Joint Global Change Research Institute (PNNL). Contacts: Sonny Kim (skim@pnl.gov) or Steve Smith (ssmith@pnl.gov).
Sector Detail: Three end-use sectors (Buildings, Industry, Transportation). Supply sectors: fossil-fuels, biomass (traditional & modern), electricity, hydrogen, synthetic fuels.
Regional Detail: Global coverage with 14 regions (United States, Canada, Western Europe, Japan, Australia & New Zealand, Former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, China [& Asian Reforming Economies], India, South Korea, Rest of South & East Asia)
Technology Detail: Electric generation (Coal, Oil, Gas, Biomass, Hydro, Nuclear, Wind, Solar PV), Hydrogen production (Coal, Oil, Gas, Biomass, Electrolysis), synthetic fuels (liquids and gases from coal, oil, gas, biomass), geologic carbon sequestration from fossil fuels (electric generation, hydrogen generation, synthetic fuel production). Tradiational, residue, and biomass crops. Biomass crops generated regionally by an AgLU model.
Energy Demand: Technology-based U.S. end-use sectors. Transportation by mode (Passenger: light duty vehicles, bus, train, air, motorcycle; Freight: truck, ship, rail, air) and technology (e.g., ICE cars, ICE light trucks, hybrid cars, electric cars, fuel-cell cars). Separate commercial and residential buildings by service (heating, cooling, lighting, hot water, other) and technology (e.g., gas or oil furnace, electric baseboard, electric heat pump). Industrial energy use by sector (9 manufacturing sectors; 4 non-manufacturing) and end-use (boilers, process heat, machine drive, HVAC, electro-chemical, feedstocks, other).
ObjECTS Framework: The MiniCAM is implemented within the Object-Oriented Energy, Climate, and Technology Systems (ObjECTS) framework. ObjECTS is a flexible, modular, Integrated Assessment modeling framework. The component-based structure of this model represents global energy, land-use, and economic systems through a component hierarchy that aggregates detailed technology information up to a global macroeconomic level. Input is provided by the flexible XML standard, where data is structured in an object hierarchy that parallels the model structure.
Special Features: Ability to understand the impact of technologies and policies related to GHG emissions in a national and global context. Ability to quickly evaluate technologies including carbon sequestration. Biomass land competes with food and fiber uses in the agriculture/land-use model. MAGICC provides GHG concentrations, radiative forcing, and climate change. Flexible object-oriented structure allows new technologies and sectors to be quickly implemented.
Documentation:
Edmonds, J., and J. Reilly (1985)Global Energy: Assessing the Future (Oxford University Press, New York) pp.317.
Edmonds, J., M. Wise, H. Pitcher, R. Richels, T. Wigley, and C. MacCracken. (1997) “An Integrated Assessment of Climate Change and the Accelerated Introduction of Advanced Energy Technologies”, Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 1, pp. 311-39
Kim, S.H., J. Edmonds, J. Lurz, S. J. Smith, and M. Wise (2006) “The ObjECTS Framework for Integrated Assessment: Hybrid Modeling of Transportation ” Energy Journal (in press).
