The S3 Group focuses on demand-side systems as entry points for sustainable transformations. The group analyses demand for energy and materials through the lens of service provision of mobility, shelter, and consumer goods, as well as how lifestyle changes can contribute to consumption reduction.

The S3 Group have two overarching research objectives. First, to understand the evolution of behaviors and lifestyles around energy services and assess their environmental impacts; and second, to identify and understand policy interventions that can change behaviors and lifestyles to minimize environmental impacts. The group’s research binds together work on three domains that are critical for a transformation toward sustainable societies, namely buildings, mobility, and consumer goods, which are connected through changes in infrastructures and lifestyles. S3 aims to establish and lead a research community on demand-side transitions and to innovate conceptual frameworks for demand-side model comparisons.
Projects
Staff
News

12 January 2023
Turning abandoned mines into batteries

10 January 2023
Winners of the EDITS-ARTS 2022 Competition: Life in 2050 with much less energy

02 December 2022
IIASA researchers awarded for excellence in integrated assessment modeling
Events
Focus

06 December 2022
Challenges and opportunities for a South American waterway system
Julian Hunt writes about the challenges and opportunities that the development of a South American Waterway System could bring to the region.
29 November 2022
Bridging the gap between science and policy

28 November 2022
Linking health status and clean cooking practices in South Africa

Publications
Hunt, J. , Zakeri, B. , Nascimento, A., Gazoli, J.R., Bindemann, F.T., Wada, Y. , van Ruijven, B. , & Riahi, K. (2023). Compressed air seesaw energy storage: A solution for long-term electricity storage. Journal of Energy Storage 60 e106638. 10.1016/j.est.2023.106638.
Zhu, P., Tan, X., Wang, M., Guo, F. , Shi, S., & Li, Z. (2023). The impact of mass gatherings on the local transmission of COVID-19 and the implications for social distancing policies: Evidence from Hong Kong. PLoS ONE 18 (2) e0279539. 10.1371/journal.pone.0279539.
Hunt, J. , Zakeri, B. , Jurasz, J., Tong, W., Dabek, P., Brandao, R., Patro, E.R., Durin, B., Filho, W.L., Wada, Y. , van Ruijven, B. , & Riahi, K. (2023). Underground Gravity Energy Storage: A Solution for Long-Term Energy Storage. Energies 16 (2) e825. 10.3390/en16020825.
Jäger, J., Brutschin, E. , Pianta, S., Omann, I., Kammerlander, M., Sudharmma Vishwanathan, S., Vrontisi, Z., MacDonald, J., & van Ruijven, B. (2023). Stakeholder engagement and decarbonization pathways: Meeting the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Sustainability 3 10.3389/frsus.2022.1063719.
Ding, B., Makowski, M. , Zhao, J., Ren, H., Zakeri, B. , & Ma, T. (2023). Analysis of technology pathway of China's liquid fuel production with consideration of energy supply security and carbon price. Journal of Management Science and Engineering 8 (1) 1-14. 10.1016/j.jmse.2022.07.002.