Students and staff

2023

Outputs 2023

A General Equilibrium Model (GEM) has been developed for the University of Latvia (UL), which was developed in cooperation with the researchers of the company E3 Modeling (E3M) within the framework of the Technical Support Instrument programme of the European Commission (EC). The VLA model is a computer simulation (in the GAMS program) that describes the interaction of all economic sectors with a system of equations. The VLA model is a tool that allows assessing the impact of energy and climate policy measures on macroeconomic indicators in the division of economic sectors (including sectors not directly related to energy), as well as on socioeconomic indicators.
UL researchers tested the VLA model in three policy scenarios - carbon dioxide tax increase, public investment in building insulation, increase in excise duty on fuel. The VLA model makes it possible to understand whether such and similar policy initiatives will increase the gross domestic product (by sector), private consumption and exports; how they will affect the labor market (by how much the number of employed will increase and the unemployment rate will decrease), to what extent will wages and budget revenues increase.

The report is available here (in Latvian):

Final report PDF

 

 

On March 27, 2023 at the 81st International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia the Productivity Research Institute “UL Think tank LV PEAK” in cooperation with the European Commission Representation in Latvia organises a section “Successful Energy Transition: GAP Between Ambition and Action”.

The conference section was dedicated to the discussion of energy transition processes and its challenges, as well as to the presentation of a peer-reviewed monograph ”Towards Climate Neutrality: Economic Impacts, Opportunities and Risks”. The monograph was created and developed by UL Think tank LV PEAK within the scientific project “Modelling and Analysis of the Economic Impact of Climate Goals” and is based on the study materials of the section “Towards climate neutrality: economic impacts, opportunities and risks” of the 80th International Scientific Conference 2022 of the University of Latvia. The monograph is a comprehensive study on the energy transition process to climate neutrality and its challenges conducted by the team of energy experts form seven countries. The research on energy transition studies the global trends in three dimensions of energy trilemma - sustainability, availability and safety, and examples of several countries in implementing energy transition instruments.

The purpose of the conference section was to provide a platform where scientists, researchers and industry professionals can meet to exchange ideas, insights, research results and discuss current issues related to energy transformation.

The conference section took place at the European Union House, Aspazijas bulvāris 28. The event had a hybrid format with the possibility to attend in person and connect remotely. Live stream of the event was available on the University of Latvia website and the public media portal LSM.lv, as well as on the Facebook page of the Faculty of Business, Management and Economics of the UL.

The Programme of the Conference section “Successful Energy Transition: GAP Between Ambition and Action”

Presentations

Part I

Mr. Edmunds Valantis, State Secretary, Ministry of Economics : Energy transition from the perspective of economic development / Enerģijas transformācija no ekonomiskās attīstības skatu punkta

Mr. Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission : Europe’s energy policy - from short-term solutions to the long-term outlook / Eiropas enerģētikas politika. No īstermiņa risinājumiem līdz ilgtermiņa perspektīvām

Mr. Mihails Kozlovs, Member of the European Court of Auditors : Is EU on track to achieve the ambitious energy and climate goals? / Kā Eiropas Savienībai veicas ar  ambiciozo enerģētikas un klimata mērķu sasniegšanu?

Prof. Andris Piebalgs, Former European Commissioner for Energy : How to achieve a global breakthrough - the example of the mitigation of methane emissions / Kā panākt globālu izrāvienu - metāna emisiju mazināšanas piemērs

Part II

1.   Energy and environmental systems modelling design: Scenario modelling for Latvia

Author: REĶIS Jānis

2.   Substitution elasticity of energy and other production factors: An empirical estimation for EU 27 member states and other major economies

Authors: FRAGKIADAKIS Konstantinos, FRAGKIADAKIS Dimitris, Paroussos Leonidas

3.    Energy transition ambition and path to hit the goal

Authors: BOGDANOVA Olga, PIĢĒNS Kārlis

4. Baltic trilemma index as a lighthouse for smooth energy transition

Authors: EGLĪTE Kristīne, VISKUBA Karīna, GROZA Edgars, GORBATKO Nikita, SMILTĀNS Edgars, MANDMAA Priit, TUMILO Robertas, KURSĪTE Raimonda, TIHONOVA-ZĀĢERE Santa

5. Assessing the environmental impact of decarbonizing the electricity system

Authors: SOUSA Ana, SANTOS Bruno Henrique, CARLOS Francisco, POMBEIRO Henrique, GOMES João Graça, GONÇALVES Margarida, ITEN Muriel, CARVALHO Nuno, FRADE Pedro, FERREIRA Pedro

6. Emerging green hydrogen economy: Uruguay as a case study

Authors: BASTARRICA Felipe, DI CHIARA Lorena, ESTRADA Ignacio, FERRÉS Federico, IRRAZABAL Gonzalo, MERCANT Juan Manuel, PERRONI Alejandro, ÁLVAREZ Ariel

7. Perceived environmental quality in Riga and other European cities

Author: KRASNOPJOROVS Oļegs

­Recording of Conference Sections Part I and Part II:

  • Bogdanova O., Viskuba K., Zemite L. A Review of Barriers and Enables in Demand Response Performance Chain // Energies 2023, 16(18), 6699; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16186699

  • MONOGRAPH

Šteinbuka, I., Bogdanova, O. (eds). Towards Climate Neutrality: Economic Impacts, Opportunities and Risks : reviewed monograph. Riga: University of Latvia Press, 2023, 272 pages. ISBN 978-9934-18-947-0, ISBN 978-9934-18-948-7 (PDF), https://doi.org/10.22364/tcn.23

Participation in the 2023 autumn conference of the Association of Economists: