Thematic center

Energy & Climate Center

Mobilizing research in energy and climate economics to address climate challenges.

Featured research

Why Europe’s forests aren’t as green as they look

  • TSE Reflect

  • Energy and Climate

Europe has protected more than a quarter of its landmass, closing in on the COP15 biodiversity target for protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030. Yet a comprehensive new study, forthcoming in ‘The Review of…

Image d'une usine qui pollue avec de la fumée

Should we stop the COPs?

  • TSE Reflect

  • Energy and Climate

Every year, COP summits call for action to tackle climate change. Every year, global emissions remain stubbornly far above targets. Is it time to rethink the strategy? Instead of searching for the ‘optimal’…

Water prices: Make every drop count

  • TSE Reflect

  • Energy and Climate

Water stress is a defining planetary issue of the 21st century. How can we apply economic tools to provide sustainable water solutions? A new study by TSE’s Céline Nauges draws on global evidence to explore the…

Latest news

Économie du désordre mondial (Economy of Global Disorder) : A Best-Seller That Fuels Public Debate

  • Corporate

  • Research

  • TSE Research

  • Development

  • Social and Behavioral Sciences

  • Economics

Erosion of multilateralism, strategic priorities, belief traps... As we begin the 2026 academic year, Jean Tirole and Karine Van der Straeten are contributing their insights to the public debate with the release…

portrait d'Olivier Rolland

Large scale deployment of biobased products in Europe: an economic perspective

  • Corporate Relations

  • Finance

  • Partnership research

  • Energy and Climate

L’Oréal and TSE initiated in 2025 a research partnership on the analysis of policy options to promote bio-based content in products sold on the European market in the context of the revision of the European Union…

Discussion panel on decision-making under risk and uncertainty

  • Corporate Relations

  • Energy and Climate

  • Finance

  • Infrastructure and Networks

  • Partnership research

On June 11–12, TSE hosted a scientific conference on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of Christian Gollier, a leading figure in the economics of risk and uncertainty. Co-founder of TSE alongside Jean Tirole…

In the press

Renewable Energy in a Political and Legal Maze

  • Op-ed

  • Energy and Climate

  • Infrastructure and Networks

  • Competition policy and regulation

  • Environnement

One of the appealing aspects of renewable energy—wind and solar—is that it is supposedly free. In reality, however, one must first invest in fixed capital for production and connection before reaping the benefits…

Seeking a Compromise Between Brussels and Paris on Funding for France’s New Nuclear Power Plants

  • Op-ed

  • Environnement

  • Infrastructure and Networks

  • Energy and Climate

France is counting on nuclear power to decarbonize its economy, but the French government’s massive funding of the six future EPR2 reactors runs up against European competition rules. A standoff is brewing between…

Towards an electricity industry regulation adapted to data centers

  • Op-ed

  • Energy and Climate

Since the early 2020s, electricity demand linked to investments in data centers (DCs) has accelerated. The International Energy Agency (2025) forecasts that upcoming massive investments in DCs will increase their…

Events

To be announced

  • Seminar

  • Environmental Economics Seminar

  • Date 9 November 2026

  • Place Auditorium 4

  • Speaker or organiser Katinka Holtsmark (University of Oslo)

Détails

Past

15th Energy and Climate Economics Conference

  • Conference

  • Date From 4 to 5 June 2026

  • Place Auditorium 3 JJL -Auditorium 4

Détails

Past

Costs of Climate Adaptation: Evidence From French Agriculture

  • Seminar

  • Environmental Economics Seminar

  • Date 9 December 2024

  • Place Auditorium 4

  • Speaker or organiser Jeffrey Shrader

Détails

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Videos

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Podcasts

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Seen on LinkedIn

Purpose & ambition 

The growing importance of energy and climate issues is profoundly transforming economic systems and public policies worldwide. In this context, TSE seeks to contribute to a better understanding, among public and private stakeholders, of the economic mechanisms underlying the energy transition. In particular, it aims to promote the development of innovative analytical tools and to inform public policy decisions in the fields of energy and the environment. 

In this context, the TSE Energy & Climate Center aims, in the field of energy and environmental economics, to: 

  • Bring together and promote TSE’s scientific expertise in energy and climate economics
  • Foster collaboration with partners around targeted research issues
  • Structure and encourage researchers’ contributions to public policy debates 

TSE has developed recognized expertise in the analysis of major economic challenges related to energy markets and climate policies. Established in 2017, the TSE Energy & Climate Center builds on a longstanding tradition of research in environmental and energy economics. Today, TSE researchers actively contribute to public debates on energy and climate issues by providing expertise to both businesses and policymakers. 

Portrait de Stefan Ambec

Addressing energy and climate challenges requires mobilizing economic analysis to inform public and private decision-making. The TSE Energy & Climate Center helps structure this expertise in support of the energy transition.

Stefan Ambec, Director of the Center

Research areas 

Over the past twenty-five years, our researchers’ expertise in the fields of energy and climate has continued to grow and strengthen. The two research areas presented below reflect the main fields of research in which they are engaged. 

Objectives: Our researchers analyze how the energy transition is changing energy markets and the industrial organization of the sector. They identify market structures and pricing mechanisms that ensure a reliable supply of clean energy for electricity generation and transmission. The analysis covers wholesale and retail markets, transmission and distribution pricing, and international trade.
 

Objectives: In this program, our goal is to analyze public policies and business strategies that aim to decarbonate economic activities and improve the environment. We evaluate their impact on the economy, health, biodiversity and the climate, providing recommendations and impact evaluations to practitioners and policymakers.  
  
 

Activities

The TSE Energy & Climate Center promotes, showcases, and disseminates research, in the fields of energy and climate economics, conducted at TSE through a range of scientific and outreach activities targeting both the academic community and decision-makers. 

  • A dedicated resource hub : We provide a dedicated platform showcasing TSE’s activities in the field of energy and climate economics, featuring academic experts, research outputs, events, and news related to our research programs and collaborations.
  • Events for researchers and decision-makers : We organize scientific events bringing together the academic community, as well as targeted events designed specifically for public and private decision-makers to shed light on environmental issues and their implications for public policy and business strategy.
  • Knowledge dissemination and outreach activities : We develop a variety of formats to make research findings accessible to a broader audience. These activities include the publication of research reports, the distribution of thematic newsletters, and the production of podcasts and editorial content. 

45

Researchers

409

Number of publications in scientific journals since the creation of the Center

5

Research Initiatives

The TSE Energy & Climate Center brings together several research initiatives dedicated to environmental and energy issues, as well as research projects on these topics selected through publicly funded research programs. 

Research Initiatives 

Supported by one or more partners, research initiatives foster the development of research projects addressing issues of common interest to both academics and economic stakeholders. 

View all our research initiatives

Publicly funded research projects 

Several TSE researchers currently benefit from grants or research funding related to the energy and climate economics, awarded through major national and European public research funding programs. 

European Research Council (ERC) Grants 

National Research Agency (ANR) Grants 

VIEW ALL GRANTS AND FUNDINGS

TSE Energy & Climate Center highlights all research conducted at TSE in the field of the energy and climate economics, with a particular focus on work that has a strong impact on economic stakeholders. Emerging from all of our research programs, this work draws on a wide range of disciplines, including economics, mathematics and statistics, as well as the social and behavioral sciences.

Research in accessible formats

Discover research findings through accessible and engaging formats: article summaries, op-eds by our researchers published in the media, and multimedia content (videos, podcasts, etc.). 

See more

Most recent publications

Energy Tax Exemptions and Industrial Production

Andreas Gerster, and Stefan Lamp

The Economic Journal,

Not on my plate! Using mental accounting to promote meat substitutes

Henrik Andersson, and Benjamin Ouvrard

TSE Working Paper, vol. 24-1547,

The role of financing constraints and environmental policy on green investment

Helia Costa, Lilas Demmou, Guido Franco, and Stefan Lamp

Economics Letters, vol. 239, n° 111741,

The economics of carbon leakage mitigation policies

Stefan Ambec, Federico Esposito, and Antonia Pacelli

Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, vol. 125, n° 102973,

The political economy of financing climate policy – Evidence from the solar PV subsidy programs

Olivier De Groote, Axel Gautier, and Frank Verboven

Resource and Energy Economics, vol. 77, n° 101436,

Evaluating sustainability actions under uncertainty: the role of improbable extreme scenarios

The Geneva Risk and Insurance Review, vol. 49, , pp. 59-74

A comparative study of residents and tourists' valuation for a heterogeneous environmental good: The case of coastal erosion

Marine Policy, vol. 161, n° 106038,

Re-calibrating beliefs about peers: Direct impacts and cross-learning effects in agriculture

Arnaud Reynaud, and Benjamin Ouvrard

TSE Working Paper, vol. 24-1517,

Accounting for the increasing benefits from scarce ecosystems

M. A. Drupp, M. C. Hänsel, E. P. Fenichel, Mark Freeman, Christian Gollier, Ben Groom, G. M. Heal, P. H. Howard, Antony Millner, F. C. Moore, F. Nesje, M. F. Quaas, Sjak Smulders, Thomas Sterner, Christian Traeger, and F. Venmans

Science, vol. 383, n° 6687, , pp. 1062-1064

Climate policy with electricity trade

Stefan Ambec, and Yuting Yang

Resource and Energy Economics, vol. 76, n° 101422,

When Nudges Backfire: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment to Boost Biological Pest Control

Sylvain Chabé-Ferret, Philippe Le Coent, Caroline Lefebvre, Raphaele Préget, François Salanié, Julie Subervie, and Sophie Thoyer

TSE Working Paper, vol. 24-1512,

The Morality of Markets

Mathias Dewatripont, and Jean Tirole

Journal of Political Economy, vol. 132, n° 8, , pp. 2655-2694

TSE Energy & Climate Center supports the organization of conferences, workshops, and seminars throughout the year. These events contribute to the production and dissemination of research in the fields of energy and climate economics and are designed for a variety of audiences. While some are intended primarily for the academic community, others prioritize exchanges with professionals working in companies and public institutions.

Regular scientific events

Energy and Climate Economics Conference 

Held every two years, this conference brings together researchers and decision-makers to discuss recent advances in energy and environmental economics. It fosters exchanges on the understanding of energy markets and the design of environmental and climate policies, while highlighting theoretical, empirical, experimental, and policy-oriented research. 

See all the Energy and Climate Conferences

Environmental Economics Seminars 

These seminars provide a forum for discussion of both theoretical and applied research, particularly on energy resources and climate change. Topics covered include the impact of climate change on economic growth, risk and uncertainty management, as well as the evaluation and implementation of public policies. 
See all the Environmental Economics Seminars

 

Events for decision-makers

TSE also organizes ad hoc events, often tailored specifically for decision-makers. These events are generally linked to research programs developed through our partnerships and are sometimes co-organized with other academic institutions. 

 Examples:  

All events

Past

Launching Ceremony - Initiative for Effective Corporate Climate Action

  • Conference

  • Date 18 May 2022

  • Place Cafeteria

Détails

Past

The Effects of Climate Change on Labor and CapitalReallocation

  • Seminar

  • Environmental Economics Seminar

  • Date 16 May 2022

  • Place Auditorium 4

  • Speaker or organiser Paula Bustos

Détails

Past

Induced Innovation, Inventors, and the Energy Transition

  • Seminar

  • Environmental Economics Seminar

  • Date 9 May 2022

  • Place Auditorium 4

  • Speaker or organiser Eugénie Dugoua

Détails

Past

Economic Production and Biodiversity in the United States

  • Seminar

  • Environmental Economics Seminar

  • Date 4 April 2022

  • Place Auditorium 4

  • Speaker or organiser Ivan Rudik

Détails

Past

Property Rights to the (Linear) Ocean in Customary International Law

  • Seminar

  • Environmental Economics Seminar

  • Date 28 March 2022

  • Place Auditorium 4

  • Speaker or organiser Scott Barrett

Détails

Past

Energy and Climate Workshop

  • Workshop

  • Date From 23 to 24 March 2022

  • Place Madrid

Détails

Past

The benefits and costs of information: Evidence from the New Zealand wholesale electricity market.

  • Seminar

  • Environmental Economics Seminar

  • Date 21 March 2022

  • Place Auditorium 4

Détails

Past

Zero-Interest Green Loans and Home Energy Retrofits: Evidence from France

  • Seminar

  • Environmental Economics Seminar

  • Date 14 March 2022

  • Place Auditorium 6

  • Speaker or organiser Ilya Eryzhenskiy

Détails

Past

Forest transitions and ecosystem collapse: an analysis of the role of substitutability between primary and secondary forests

  • Seminar

  • Environmental Economics Seminar

  • Date 7 March 2022

  • Place Auditorium 4

  • Speaker or organiser Kelly Cobourn

Détails

Past

Pollution and Mortality in the United States: Evidence from 1972-1988

  • Seminar

  • Environmental Economics Seminar

  • Date 13 December 2021

  • Place Auditorium 4

  • Speaker or organiser Tatyana Deryugina

Détails

Past

Disagreement Aversion

  • Seminar

  • Environmental Economics Seminar

  • Date 6 December 2021

  • Place Auditorium 4

  • Speaker or organiser Adrien Fabre

Détails

Past

Learning about collective agri-environmental contracts from co-designed public goods games with farmers in Germany

  • Seminar

  • Environmental Economics Seminar

  • Date 29 November 2021

  • Place Online

  • Speaker or organiser Jens Rommel

Détails

We warmly thank the companies and public institutions that partner with our research initiatives in the field of energy and climate economics, and that are also actively engaged alongside the TSE Energy & Climate Center. Through their support, our partners make a significant contribution to TSE’s scientific output in this field and play a key role in enhancing the visibility and impact of this research, as well as in supporting the development of the Energy & Climate Center’s activities.

Photo Charles Weymuller

[…] TSE-EDF partnership has been able to solve essential issues for the electricity sector, following the pace of the eventful reorganizations of the sector.

We would also like to express our gratitude to the public institutions that support our researchers’ work in the fields of energy and climate, particularly through major research funding programs.

European collaborations & networks

The TSE Energy & Climate Center participates in the European network project The Socio-economic energy-climate modelling for European green transition M4G (Models for Growth)  which brings together researchers and academic institutions working on issues related to economic growth, the energy transition, and climate change. This collaboration contributes to the development of joint research projects and the sharing of expertise at the international level.


 

Join us

Become a partner and help foster dialogue between researchers and decision-makers on the major challenges associated with climate change and the ecological transition. Together, we can strengthen the relevance and impact of research. 

Become a partner

Christian Gollier

Scientific Director

Eve Séjalon

Head of Research Partnerships and Centers

Pascale Maréchal

Research Partnerships Project Manager