Researchers and analysts at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) use advanced modeling techniques known as system dynamics to understand the complexities of clean energy systems, including biofuel economics and supply chains. Masu.
Since its creation in the 1950s by Professor Jay W. Forester at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, system dynamics has become a proven method for understanding the behavior of complex systems in terms of stocks, flows, and feedback loops. Ta. Connect them. Its applications include testing everything from public health to renewable energy systems.
Over the past decade, much of the research conducted to gain insight into the biofuels market has focused on NREL’s Bioenergy Scenario Model (BSM), which was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technology Office (BETO). I have been using it. System Dynamics Society’s award-winning model tracks the impact of biofuel adoption and a variety of influences on biofuel markets, including changes in consumer demand, government policy, and the availability of land for feedstock. Masu. We dynamically model these elements as part of the U.S. domestic biofuel supply chain.
For BSM, the large-scale and comprehensive nature of bioenergy makes it difficult to focus on smaller-scale system dynamics. That’s why the NREL team is working to reduce that in limited-case regional scenarios using a new BETO-funded model called the Regional Bioeconomy Model, which allows researchers to reduce these small-scale systems. allows us to explore the logic behind the feedback loops in The team aims to make this model available to the public within the next year or two.
Learn more about these two BETO-funded modeling systems and how NREL is working to show what a decarbonized energy system looks like.