Climate Change Policy
Explores the international "Post-Kyoto" effort to control climate change, with studies on emissions trading systems, on programs for development and deployment of new technologies, and analysis of strategies for engaging developing countries in the collective effort to control global warming.

Global Coal Markets
PESD's coal research examines the political economy of national and global coal markets. Coal is the world's fastest growing fuel source, and how the world trades and consumes the carbon-intensive fuel will have large impacts on climate change and energy security issues.

Low Income Energy Services
Health, development, and climate benefits can be achieved by delivering more and higher-quality energy (for instance, electricity and modern cooking fuels) to low-income populations. PESD studies what institutional arrangements have the potential to do this sustainably and at scale.

National Oil Companies
This study will explore the factors that explain the organization and performance of the world's largest NOCs. It will involve in-depth case studies of over a dozen NOCs that include the enterprises that control the worl's largest oil reserves as well as several NOCs that have large marketing operations.

Natural Gas Markets
PESD has investigated the geopolitical consequences of the world's increasing dependence on natural gas. Two studies modeled potential demand in the new gas markets of China and India.

Political Economy of Electricity Reform
With detailed case studies in Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa, PESD explored the political, legal, and institutional factors that affect how countries actually restructure their electric power markets.

Renewable Energy and the Smart Grid
This study explores policies to truly create a "smart grid" by addressing the special challenges of transmission infrastructure, intermittency, and investment required to support low-carbon energy (including wind, solar, nuclear, and carbon capture and storage) in wholesale electricity markets.