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Technology Assessment Group

The Technology Assessment group is part of the multi-disciplinary Laboratory for Energy systems Analysis (LEA) at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and is the continuation of the former GaBE Project. Technology Assessment incorporates a comprehensive range of research areas to achieve three main objectives:

  1. To improve understanding and thereby enable comparisons of current energy technologies and future energy options for the electricity, heating and transport sectors based on environmental, economic and socially relevant factors.
  2. To provide quantitative, systematic, and interdisciplinary assessments of energy technologies and energy supply strategies through the development and application of consistent methodological frameworks and databases.
  3. To support rational decision-making for sustainable development in the Swiss and international energy sectors, and to communicate balanced research findings to decision-makers and stakeholders.
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Figure 1: Analytical framework for comprehensive technology assessment.
Fig.1: Cumulative electricity requirement for the European fleet between 2018 and 2100

Climate-neutral aviation: will it fly?

The European aviation sector stands at a pivotal juncture in its quest to achieve net-zero climate impacts. Focusing on flight CO2 emissions overlooks up to 80% of the sector's climate repercussions.

Our research delves deep into the role of electricity-based synthetic jet fuels and direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) as potential game-changers. These solutions promise climate-neutral aviation, but there's a catch: the relentless rise in air traffic. Relying solely on renewables-derived synthetic fuels may strain both economic and natural resources. On the flip side, offsetting fossil jet fuel impacts via DACCS poses its own set of challenges. Our findings underscore one clear message: for a genuinely climate-neutral European aviation, we must reconsider the scale of air traffic.

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Latest Publications

Schulte, S., Jakobs, A., and Pauliuk, S. (2024). Estimating the uncertainty of the greenhouse gas emission accounts in global multi-regional input–output analysis, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, doi: 10.5194/essd-16-2669-2024

Terlouw, T., Pokras, D., Becattini, V. & Mazzotti, M. (2024). Assessment of Potential and Techno-Economic Performance of Solid Sorbent Direct Air Capture with CO2 Storage in Europe. Environmental Science & Technology. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.3c10041.

Saad, M. D., Terlouw, T., Sacchi, R., Bauer, C. (2024). Life Cycle Economic and Environmental Assessment of Producing Synthetic Jet Fuel Using CO2/Biomass Feedstocks. Environmental Science & Technology. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.4c01578

Mellot, A., Moretti, C., Tröndle, T., & Patt, A. (2024). Mitigating future winter electricity deficits: A case study from Switzerland. Energy Conversion and Management. doi: 10.1016/j.enconman.2024.118426