In the light of the recent COVID-19 outbreak, the Center for Applied Mathematics of Mines ParisTech and the ETASP have decided to cancel the second edition of the International Summer School on Prospective Modeling and Energy Transition. We will be posting on this website any information regarding the 2021 edition of the Summer School.
The second Summer School on Prospective Modeling and Energy Transition, organized by the CMA (Centre for Applied Mathematics) and supported by the ETSAP, will take place from June 15 to June 20 at MINES ParisTech, Sophia Antipolis (between the French towns of Nice and Cannes).
The Summer School targets young international PhD students and is designed to guide them in identifying methodological keys for drawing up energy transition policies compatible with climate issues. The overall aim of the Summer School is to present prospective modeling tools and their use.
Spurred by issues of climate change and economic globalization, prospective modeling is being considerably reinvested following years of neglect. The connections it makes between numerical/quantitative projection, mathematical economics, public economy and strategic thinking make it a valuable tool in the context of international negotiations on climate.
The renewed interest in this subject is an opportunity to present the range of analyses and prospective elements developed using the TIMES family of models to build informed energy policies compatible with climate challenge and in line with the chosen direction of a society.
The TIMES family of models is used by a variety of different research environments, the topic is multi-disciplinary and many TIMES modeling teams/groups are small. To be an adept user of comprehensive energy system optimization models like TIMES requires expertise on the system in focus, operation research and economics, coupled with knowledge about what policy makers need.
During the Summer School, dedicated sessions using TIMES models will allow participants to discover the model (for beginners) or to exchange on their ongoing work if they are already advanced TIMES users.
In the context of energy transition and using concrete examples, we will explore how these tools, which bring into play applied mathematics and economics skills, have become an essential aid to prospective reflection on policies to fight climate change. In other words, we intend to understand the mechanisms underlying ambitious contemporary energy policies at work in selected countries using studies carried out by local national ETSAP teams partnering the project.
This year, the focus of the Summer School will be on vulnerabilities of territories, including: specific geographical features, resource scarcity, technical systems requirements, geopolitical issues, and human and social factors.
Students who take part in the Summer School will leave knowing how to appraise the transitions underway, and how to identify the obstacles and driving mechanisms involved in implementing them.
