An electric planet?
This research area focuses on investigating the pertinence of a vision regularly presented as a desirable, even unavoidable, direction for the transition, i.e. the deployment of electricity. This involves exploring the inherent challenges of electrification and thus defining the technical, social, organizational and political conditions, along with the means of implementing trajectories, that would lead to a low-carbon transition at different scales.
This requires exploring the technological trajectories and consumption trajectories that are compatible with low-carbon electrification. To this end, we will need to look at operational issues for the electrical system, production technologies, energy vectors and resources, and at lifestyles. We also propose to explore the economic and political drivers for implementing the trajectories identified. To ensure that the measures, projects and solutions analyzed are consistent and applicable, questions will always be tackled in terms of accessibility, social adoption, and acceptability, and we will propose multi-scale analyses to consider regional features, geopolitical conditions, and different externalities, such as the exportation of impacts (digital sector, consumption of rare metals, relocation, etc.).
For all of the options envisaged, the research undertaken at the Institute will aim to shed light on the tensions arising around energy choices related to electrification, through an analysis of their environmental impacts (such as through life cycle assessment), issues related to managing the resources needed to follow these trajectories, sociopolitical questions related to these choices, and the business models associated with this shift towards an electric planet.
For example, concerning the deployment of renewable energy, such as solar power, all of the aspects related to choosing this resource will be consolidated: life cycle assessments of panels, environmental risks, issues related to materials and resources required, resource projections, consequences of deploying solar power on competition for land use, land planning issues related to integration into the grid and local areas, associated business models, investment requirements, uses, regional acceptance, etc.
Lead researchers
ASSOUMOU Edi (edi.assoumou(at)minesparis.psl.eu), CMA – Mines Paris
DELLORO Francesco (francesco.delloro(at)minesparis.psl.eu), CEMEF- Mines Paris
DOKLADADL Petr (petr.dokladadl(at)minesparis.psl.eu), CMM – Mines Paris
DUPLESSIS Bruno (bruno.duplessis(at)minesparis.psl.eu), CES – Mines Paris
GIRARD Robin ( robin.girard(at)minesparis.psl.eu), PERSEE – Mines Paris
TADONKI Claude (claude.tadonki(at)minesparis.psl.eu), CRI – Mines Paris
You will find a summary of the research carried out in this area soon in our “Resources” section.