A Review on Energy-Economy-Environment Models developed for Energy Outlook

Under the background of low carbon energy system transitioning, energy-economy-environment (3E) modelling is becoming an essential tool for analyzing the impacts of energy systems on economic growth and environment quality and vice versa. Various 3E models have been developed to provide quantified scientific projections of energy systems which supports the decision making process of government policies and investments. This paper introduced bottom-up, top-down and hybrid energy system modelling approaches, and reviewed three representative energy models developed by international agencies and national governments. In the end, recommendations on future 3E modelling are made based on the comparative study which focused on the mathematical methodologies, established scenarios and key assumptions as well as model composition and operation.