Bob van der Zwaan
Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy
Contact:
Email: vanderzwaan@ecn.nl
Experience
Bob van der Zwaan was a Research Associate with the Energy Technology Innovation Project and Managing the Atom Project, both based at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, while on leave from the Policy Studies department of the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) in Amsterdam. He received his Ph.D. in particle physics in 1995 after a four-year employment at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN, Geneva). In Geneva he also studied international relations at the Graduate Institute for International Studies (IUHEI). In 1997, he obtained an M.Phil. degree in economic theory and econometrics from the University of Cambridge, King's College. Since then, he has been researching various subjects related to energy economics, climate change, and technological innovation. From 1997–1999, he was a researcher at the Institut Français des Relations Internationales (IFRI, Paris). In the Fall of 1999, he was a visiting scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA, Vienna/Laxenburg). He was a 1999–2000 Science Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC, Stanford University). At the Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, he researched from 1999–2001 in the field of technological change and the integrated assessment modelling of global warming.
November 2006
"Technological Innovation in the Energy Sector: R&D, Deployment, and Learning-by-Doing"
Journal Article, Energy Policy, issue 17, volume 34
By Ambuj Sagar, Senior Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy and Bob van der Zwaan, Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy
This paper discusses aspects of R&D and ‘learning-by-doing,’ the main contributors to technological change that are complementary yet inter-linked.
Fall 2005
The Case for Carbon Capture and Storage
Journal Article, Issues in Science and Technology, issue 1, volume XXII
By Jennie Stephens, Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy and Bob van der Zwaan, Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy
The technology is advancing rapidly; now the government needs to lead the puch for deployment.
2005
"Will Coal Depart or Will It Continue to Dominate Global Power Production during the 21st Century?"
Journal Article, Climate Policy, issue 4, volume 5
By Bob van der Zwaan, Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy
This article considers whether coal must depart or whether it may still dominate power production during the 21st century, in view of the challenges implied by regional pollution reduction and global warming mitigation.
August 2005
"CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS): Exploring the Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment Continuum"
Discussion Paper
By Jennie Stephens, Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy and Bob van der Zwaan, Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy
The adoption of carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technologies is increasingly considered a potentially significant contributor to the energy infrastructure changes required to stabilize atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations for the mitigation of climate change.
June 2005
"The Economics of Reprocessing Versus Direct Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel"
Journal Article, Nuclear Technology, volume 150
By Matthew Bunn, Senior Research Associate, Project on Managing the Atom, Bob van der Zwaan, Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy, John P. Holdren, Director and Faculty Chair, Science, Technology and Public Policy Program and Steve Fetter, Affiliate, Project on Managing the Atom
The Economics of Reprocessing Versus Direct Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel
2005
"Uncertainty of Air Pollution Cost Estimates: To What Extent Does It Matter?"
Journal Article, Environmental Science and Technology, issue 2, volume 39
By Bob van der Zwaan, Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy
How large is the social cost penalty if one makes the wrong choice because of uncertainties in the estimates of the costs and benefits of environmental policy measures? For discrete choices there is no general rule other than the recommendation to always carefully compare costs and benefits when introducing policies for environmental protection.
2004
"Endogenous Learning in Climate-Energy-Economic Models - An Inventory of Key Uncertainties"
Journal Article, International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy, issue 1/2, volume 2
By Bob van der Zwaan, Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy
This paper gives an overview of uncertainties related to endogenous learning as observed in integrated assessment models (IAMs) of global warming, both for bottom-up and top-down climate-energy-economic models.
2004
"A Sensitivity Analysis of Timing and Costs of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Under Learning Effects and Niche Markets"
Journal Article, Climatic Change, volume 65
By Bob van der Zwaan, Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy
This paper analyses the optimal timing and macro-economic costs of carbon emission reductions that mitigate the global average atmospheric temperature increase.
2004
"Impacts of CO2-Taxes in an Economy with Niche Markets and Learning-By-Doing"
Journal Article, Environmental and Resource Economics, issue 3, volume 28
By Bob van der Zwaan, Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy
What is the impact of carbon taxes on emission levels, when niche markets exist for new carbon-free technologies, and when these technologies experience "learning-by-doing" effects?
2004
"Nuclear Power and Global Climate Change: Security Concerns of Asian Developing Countries"
Journal Article, Resources, Energy and Development, volume 1
By Bob van der Zwaan, Research Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy
The problem of global climate change will be solved by meeting stringent, long-term policy targets that are much more ambitious than the short-term, greenhouse gas emissions reductions that some countries currently attempt to reach.
