Models
U.S. Regional Economy, Greenhouse Gas, and Energy (US-REGEN)
The US Regional Economy, Greenhouse Gas, and Energy Model (US-REGEN) is a model developed by the Electric Power Research Institute. It combines: (1) a detailed dispatch and capacity expansion model of the United States electric sector which includes representation of both existing generation unit capacity and the hourly profiles of load, wind speed and solar flux, (2) an end-use model which represents trade-offs between end-use technologies and fuels for a wide range of disaggregated sectors and activities with economy-wide coverage and includes structural detail across several dimensions relevant for fuel and technology choice, such as building size, type, and vintage, climate zone and location, and vehicle ownership and driving intensity, (3) a fuels model describing the supply and conversion of primary energy into delivered fuels supplied to the electric and end-use models which includes several technologies for conversion, blending, and synthesis of fuels, including petroleum refining, biomass to liquids or gas, blending fuel supply, ammonia production, and fuel synthesis.
The three models are solved iteratively to convergence, allowing analysis of policy impacts on the electric sector taking into account economy level responses. This makes REGEN capable of demonstrating the least-cost deployment mix of generation subject to a scenario-dependent range of technological and policy constraints or other drivers of future fuel supply and energy demand.
Contact:
Geoff Blanford gblanford@epri.com
John Bistline jbistline@epri.com
Nils Johnson njohnson@epri.com
Current Full Documentation List
Highlighted Analysis
- Powering Data Centers: U.S. Energy System and Emissions Impacts of Growing Loads
- Impacts of EPA’s finalized power plant greenhouse gas standards
- A multi-model study to inform the United States’ 2035 NDC
- Net-Zero 2050: Sensitivity Analysis and Updated Scenarios
- Representation of Geothermal Resources and Technologies in EPRI's US-REGEN Model: Guidelines for Enhancing Geothermal Integration in Capacity Expansion Models
- LCRI Net-Zero 2050: U.S. Economy-Wide Deep Decarbonization Scenario Analysis
- The role of natural gas in reaching net-zero emissions in the electric sector | Nature Communications
- Electrification Scenarios for New York's Energy Future (epri.com)
- Air Quality Implications of an Energy Scenario for California Using High Levels of Electrification | California Energy Commission
Methodology
- Merrick, J., J. Bistline, and G. Blanford (2024). On Representation of Energy Storage in Electricity Planning Models. Energy Economics, 136: 107675.
- Analysis of Foresight in Long-Term Energy System Models, EPRI Report 3002021161, December 2021
- Bistline, J., C. Roney, D. McCollum, and G. Blanford. Deep Decarbonization Impacts on Electric Load Shapes and Peak Demand. Environmental Research Letters, 16(9):094054, October 2021.
- Bistline, J.E., G. J. Blanford, T Mai, J Merrick. Modeling Variable Renewable Energy and Storage in the Power Sector. Energy Policy. 156:112424, September 2021,
- Bistline, J.E. The Importance of Temporal Resolution in Modeling Deep Decarbonization of the Electric Power Sector. Environmental Research Letters, 16:084005, July 2021,
- Bistline, J.E. Variability in Deeply Decarbonized Electricity Systems. Environmental Science & Technology. 55:9:5629-5635. April 2021.
- Geoff Blanford, James Merrick, John Bistline, and David Young (2018): "Simulating Annual Variation in Load, Wind, and Solar by Representative Hour Selection" (The Energy Journal)
