Behnam Zakeri profile picture

Behnam Zakeri

Senior Research Scholar

Integrated Assessment and Climate Change Research Group

Energy, Climate, and Environment

Biography

Behnam Zakeri joined IIASA in 2017 and is currently a senior research scholar in the Energy, Climate, and Environment (ECE) Program. He has a master's degree in Energy Technology (Modeling of Energy Systems) from Lappeenranta University of Technology, and a PhD in Energy Technology (Energy Systems Analysis) from Aalto University, Finland. Prior to joining IIASA, he was affiliated with Aalborg University, Denmark, as an assistant professor with the Sustainable Energy Planning Research Group.

Zakeri's research revolves around the modeling and analysis of energy systems and markets at different geographical and jurisdictional levels. He investigates market mechanisms, systems designs, emerging technologies, and policies that enable a low-carbon energy transition. In this respect, he is interested in systems integration of renewable energy, flexibility solutions such as energy storage, digitalization and decentralization of energy, and international energy markets.

Together with his coauthors, his research on the value of energy storage has led to several best paper awards including one from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 11th International Conference on European Energy Markets (2014) and another from the 9th International Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water, and Environment Systems (SDEWES 2014). His work on the economics of energy storage systems has been among the most cited articles in Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews.

At IIASA, he is involved in the modeling and study of energy pathways and their broader economic and environmental impacts in different regions of the world. He acted as the Alternate Leader of Sustainable Energy, as part of the IIASA- International Science Council (ISC) initiative on Transformations within Reach. He is the co-investigator of the research theme Modeling for National Transformations in the ECE program. He is also a visiting lecturer at the Technical University of Vienna (TU Wien), where he teaches the course, Global Energy Transitions and Climate Policy.


Last update: 16 MAR 2023

Publications

Hunt, J. , Falchetta, G., Zakeri, B. , Nascimento, A., Schneider, P.S., Weber, N.A.B., Mesquita, A.L.A., Barbosa, P.S.F., & de Castro, N.J. (2023). Hydropower impact on the river flow of a humid regional climate. In: Advances in Hydropower Systems. Eds. Perera, A., Rieu-Clark, A., Hunt, J. , Neupane, B., & Chuphal, D.S., pp. 291-312 Scientific Research Publishing. ISBN 978-1-64997-604-8

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.

Göke, L., von Hirschhausen, C., Yoshi, S., Kemfert, C., Kropp, J.P., Schellnhuber, H.-J., Weber, E.P., & Zerefos, C. (2023). European Power Sovereignty through Renewables by 2030. Executive Summary. Aquila Group , Hamburg, Germany.