The EQUALS project (EQUitable Allocation of Low-carbon Electricity Sources in a Changing and Resource-limited World) addresses the challenge of transitioning from fossil fuels to low-carbon energy under the constraint of planetary and social boundaries. While the rapid electrification of end-uses is a major lever against climate change, the transition faces limited natural resources, carbon budgets, and territorial specificities. EQUALS assesses the feasibility of meeting global energy needs within these limits, treating energy as a common.

Based at CEA Liten in Grenoble, this 18-month postdoctoral position establishes the project’s methodological foundations. The mission focuses on the generation of country-level hourly electricity demand time-series. This work involves reconstructing demand profiles that integrate thermal sensitivity (heating and cooling), socioeconomic development trajectories, and the electrification of end-uses. In parallel, vRES (variable Renewable Energy Sources) generation profiles will be developed to quantify resource availability worldwide.

These data will feed a global optimization model to identify transition pathways that minimize reliance on fossil fuels, while respecting social floors and planetary ceilings. The candidate will join the interdisciplinary EQUALS team, collaborating with a network of experts in modeling, energy geography, industrial ecology, and climate science. This position offers a stimulating research environment within the Grenoble scientific ecosystem, bridging technical engineering with sustainability science.