Energy and Environmental Management

The energy transition relies on strong citizen support for renewable energy. A part of the team’s research examines citizens’ perceptions and resistance for renewable energy technologies using economic tools and business model analyses. Through surveys, we for instance assess the level of public support for wind energy and how it correlates with political orientation and trust in institutions. We compare the way the media portray wind power and nuclear energy, and what this reveals about changes in public opinion. We also analyze methanization projects and how social acceptability is constructed when these projects disrupt agricultural practices.

Researchers of the team study individuals’ and firms’ adoption of low-carbon technologies such as energy efficiency technologies, load flexibility technologies, and renewable energy technologies. We also investigate how market logics reward efforts for adoption of more radically sustainable technologies and under which conditions they are given a chance to thrive. We use large-sample quantitative methods to identify key drivers of and barriers to adoption, thereby taking a broad interdisciplinary perspective and considering financial, organizational, policy and behavioural aspects.

The team’s research focuses on how companies respond to climate change by developing and adopting sustainable technologies, practices, and business models and how these innovations benefit businesses, their partners, and local communities. We examine business models for low‑carbon technologies including those designed to improve social acceptance. We also explore how business ecosystems emerge around new energy services and how firms collaborate with public actors to enable the implementation of low-carbon solutions. We also study how firms’s adoption of digital technologies influences their decarbonisation. Finally, we analyse how regulations and standards influence firms’ climate strategies across the globe.

The team is also active in research on market design and regulation in electricity markets. We analyse optimal support schemes, such as long-term contracts, that should be offered to solar, wind, and nuclear production to promote investment in low-carbon technologies in the presence of market risk. We combine methods from economics, finance, and operations research to model and simulate the functioning of markets and investment decisions, with the objective of quantifying the impact of contracts and regulation on carbon emissions and welfare.

The team’s researchers contribute to a better understanding of how development impacts water resources and climate change, and how access to water resources and air quality shape future development. First, they examine the political decision-making process and policy structures, focusing on their coherence, integration, causes, and effects. Their analyses primarily use surveys and network analysis. Second, through spatial analysis and econometric methods, they identify how economic growth and sectoral specialization affect—and could be affected by—water stress and carbon emissions.

Researchers in the team are studying the impact of the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) on electricity markets and their potential regulation, as well as the role of AI in decision-making and its environmental implications. Their work combines modeling techniques from industrial economics, operations research, and data science along with field experiments. They aim at formulating recommendations for policymakers, while also informing businesses and society about the challenges and opportunities of AI in the context of decarbonisation.

Researchers in the team have been actively involved in designing and evaluating energy, water and climate policies at the national and European Union level such as European Emissions Trading System for companies, energy efficiency audits, energy efficiency labelling scheme for household appliances, drinking-water regulation, and integrated water resource management in Switzerland. They assess the effectiveness of policy instruments, both independently and jointly, as well as the organisation of public policies and administrations in relation to cross-sectoral goals such as sustainability and climate change.

The team, within the framework of the Energy for Society Institute, conducts research on the political economy and geopolitics of energy in Europe. It co‑coordinates the GEEP Observatory (Geopolitics of Energy and European Power), a consortium bringing together academic and policy institutions to analyse how energy markets, infrastructures, and external dependencies shape European power and vulnerability. Ongoing research also examines how, over the medium term (2000–2025), the European Union allowed a structural energy dependence on Russia to develop by treating infrastructures primarily as economic assets rather than geopolitical instruments. Results are disseminated through policy‑oriented outputs, media contributions, and academic publications, including the book “Energie: Retrouver une ambition Européenne”.

Energy communities—where citizens, local authorities, and entrepreneurs jointly produce and manage renewable energy—are a promising driver of the energy transition. Our work provides insights for policymakers, industry partners, and researchers on how to unlock the full potential of these communities for a more sustainable and inclusive energy system. For instance, our research examines how energy communities emerge and grow. We show that their success depends on supportive ecosystems, effective business models, and active local engagement. Using surveys and experiments, we also identify what motivates citizens to participate. Trust, local benefits, financial returns, and low perceived risks all play an important role.

Driving sustainable energy transitions by linking research, society, and education; past research cycle studied the social acceptance of energy technologies. Led by Carine Sebi.

Studying Factors enabling and impeding Plug&Play solar systems in multifamily buildings in France. Co-coordinated by Joachim Schleich.

French-German Institute for Environmental Research in Karlsruhe (Germany) research project on Energy Transition in France and Germany (since 2023) – collaborator: Joachim Schleich.

“Algal Blooms in Lake Geneva in the Face of Global Changes”

Project on twin transition (digital – net zero in firms). Collaborator Anne-Lorène Vernay