Energy Security Policy Initiative

RESEARCH

In addition to supporting general research in the area of energy security, the Energy Security Policy Initiative focuses on four specific areas of research: (1) energy and conflict, (2) the political economy and security aspects of green energy, (3) energy infrastructure, and (4) Intermountain West energy.

Energy and Conflict
As we know, global energy transitions have tremendous implications for energy markets, environmental policy, science and technology research and development strategies, military and corporate strategy, and international relations. Often times, these global transitions are accompanied by significant conflict and economic and political instability. The current global energy transition, fueled by constraints on supplies of fossil fuels and the increasing development of and demand for renewable and alternative energy sources, may significantly impact global order and stability.

This research program will examine the vulnerabilities and risks potentially arising from geopolitical conflict related to access to global energy resources and climate change. Among the topics our researchers will explore are: the impact of disruptions in global energy markets due to civil order and global conflict, the geopolitical impact of partial energy transitions from fossil fuels to renewable and alternative energy sources, the relationship between energy security and human/ecological security, the security implications of the potential use of nuclear energy as an alternative source to fossil fuels, and the impact of climate change on political sources of conflict over resources (i.e. water).

The Political Economy and Security Aspects of Green Energy
Over the last few years as oil prices have climbed, there has been increasing enthusiasm for the development of renewable energy sources, including wind, geothermal, tidal and solar. While advocates champion these alternate sources of energy, recent research suggests that renewable energy technologies have their own set of challenges and constraints. For example, global grain markets have been disrupted over the last year by the rising demand for corn (used to make ethanol) amidst falling supplies as farmers move away from planting rice and other traditional crops in favor of planting corn. And despite financier T. Boone Pickens’ advocacy of wind-generated power, full scale operability remains limited because the infrastructure does not yet exist to support it, and the political capital required to build and strengthen the required infrastructure is absent. Strikingly absent from the public debate are comparative and balanced assessments of the tradeoffs and limitations associated with the range of new technologies, and strategies to derive a greater share of energy from renewables.

To address this limitation, the ISS ESPI will design a research program that provides comparative research and analysis that considers political and economic costs and benefits and security aspects of green energy in the total energy portfolio of the U.S. Among the issues for analysis are: the costs and benefits of partially shifting away from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources; the political, legislative, and economic challenges faced by policymakers in developing and using different sources of renewable energy; the research and development (R&D) challenges; the potential for new technologies and renewable energy sources to improve U.S. energy resilience; multilateral efforts to transfer  new technologies across countries; and the global strategic and policy implications of new green technologies. In addition, within the context of the link between energy security and economic security, we explore the implications of renewable energy development and use on economic development and on reducing global conflict and instability.

Energy Infrastructure
The global energy marketplace is an increasingly complex network of production and generation locations, transmission corridors, pipelines and shipping channels that are interlaced with transit stations, transportation chokepoints and boundary crossings. This vast and complicated network is overseen by managers, diplomats and armed forces subject to dynamic geopolitical conditions. Global energy infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to acts of terrorism, sabotage, criminality, and piracy. Increasing this vulnerability of energy suppliers is the fact that current inventory of energy infrastructure requires significant investment to maintain current supply.  However, the recent volatility in global market prices for fossil fuels undermines the private sector’s ability to manage production and risk. In short, market forces, geopolitical realities, conflicts, and social conditions – all have the potential to threaten U.S. access to global energy resources. The ESPI research initiative will assess the reliability, redundancy and resilience of the global energy infrastructure as it may impact the U.S. In addition, the ESPI will assess the infrastructure requirements for the development and global expansion of green energy.

Intermountain West Energy
The ESPI seeks to synthesize the above mentioned research programs in an Intermountain West Energy program that will address the energy challenges of the Intermountain West, focusing on energy infrastructure; the policy and regulatory challenges to the development, production, and use of renewable energy; the potential role of renewable energy in promoting economic development; and the relationship between changes in energy markets, climate change and conflict.