Energy Regulatory and Industrial Complex (ERIC): A New Framework

Climate change agreements force us to explore interconnected social, economic, and energy related transitions needed to combat the effects of anthropogenic activities on the Earth’s climate. To help us understand what brought us to where we are today and guide us in our decision-making for tomorrow, we introduce the Energy Regulatory Industrial Complex model (ERIC). ERIC illustrates the transformation of energy from energy sources through to energy services, as in energy flow diagrams, but adds the emissions greenhouse gases from those transformations. ERIC includes the creation of wealth enabled by energy services, innovation that supports advances in science and technology, and activities that maintain and sustain existing systems. Policies and geo-politics can influence each decision and investment stream. At its core, ERIC relies on a firm foundation of education. Using data from the United States and India, we show how ERIC can be used to pinpoint the vulnerabilities and places for interventions in transitioning to a clean energy future.