Research

The Asia Energy and Sustainability Initiative (AESI) leverages the Ash Center’s depth in the study of governance and policy innovation in Asia, the Belfer Center’s expertise in energy technology and energy policy, and draws on the Sustainability Science Program’s system-based analysis of sustainable development. Three key questions motivate the AESI research agenda:

  • Is State-led Capital “Patient” in the Energy Innovation Process? AESI’s work investigates how government finance, ownership, monopsony, and other levers shape risk-sharing models between state and private actors as well as pressures for innovation in technology development and deployment.
  • Is Electrification Advancing? Research identifies strategies that Asian nations are employing to electrify greater swathes of their economies, including transportation and heating.
  • What is the Future of Coal Use in Asia? The market effects and environmental effects of coal's rise are particularly critical to understand as this fuel becomes more diversified through both gasification and liquefaction advancements in the region.

AESI work is disseminated through academic journals and the popular press, academic conferences and workshops, and executive education programs tailored for government officials and company executives from Asia.

 

Current Research