Industrialization brings a well-known shift from traditional energy sources--such as wood and crop residues--to more modern fuels and technologies. For households at the lowest income levels, rising welfare is both a cause and consequence of a shift in fuels and technologies. The Program on Energy and Sustainable Development is sponsoring research on the factors that explain when and how this "energy transition" occurs and its consequences for human welfare. How strong is the influence of income in driving the transition? What is the role of policies and programs in promoting the shift?

The Platform's niche is the development and application of sophisticated quantitative economic and engineering models. These models are being developed in tandem with field research, based principally in South Africa, India and China. Our aim is to allow policy makers to better predict energy--and in particular electricity--demand patterns, and in doing so maximize the efficiency of, and access to, modern energy systems.

The Program's newest research in this area will investigate how institutional structures affect the development and deployment of distributed generation technologies. DG offers the potential to significantly improve the delivery of energy services in many of the world's poorest countries.