NAVIGATING THE GREEN TRANSITION WITH
INTERSECT
Reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 will require the most disruptive economic transformation in decades. And it remains one of the most complex challenges facing governments and businesses today. To help navigate this transition, Copenhagen Economics and Bain & Company have developed INTERSECT.
What is INTERSECT?
INTERSECT is a tool designed to help you understand the full economic implications of climate action and identify the most effective paths forward. It is a global Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model that simulates how households, industries, and governments respond to climate policies, price shifts, and technological change.
How can INTERSECT help your business?
Understanding the risks ahead means you can respond to them better. INTERSECT empowers you to explore a wide range of future pathways through scenario analysis that reflect the complex interdependencies of variables.
For example, investing in greater security of supply through diversifying energy sources can reduce vulnerability to trade shocks, but can come with reduced cost-effectiveness in the energy transition. INTERSECT can quantify the trade-offs between these different strategies and identify the most resilient and cost-effective routes to decarbonisation.
INTERSECT use cases cover a great variety of sectors and challenges
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INTERSECT allows us to consider different scenarios to analyse the global effect of trade frictions on value chains for renewable technologies. Here, we draw up and compare three different scenarios using INTERSECT: i) business-as-usual, ii) global trade wars , and iii) decoupling energy supply chains from China using trade policy in the EU/UK.
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INTERSECT scenario modelling finds that an ambitious decarbonisation scenario could drive €178–231bn of investment in Finland and €243–309bn in Sweden by 2040, creating up to 160,000 high-productivity jobs. To capture these benefits, both countries need long-term market frameworks to secure the energy transition.
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INTERSECT shows that with the right policies, credible demand, lower trade costs, and reduced investment risks, African green hydrogen production could grow 500% by 2030. This would cut the costs of the European Green Deal, boost energy security, and position Northern Africa as a major hydrogen hub for Europe.
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INTERSECT as a general equilibrium model that captures supply, demand, and price effects is a powerful tool that enables a dynamic analysis of the metals required in the energy transition. INTERSECT allowed us to understand the uncertainties that are incorporated in market forecasts.
INSIGHTS FROM INTERSECT
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![An aerial view of green farmland divided by hedgerows and fences. There are cows grazing on the fields and a wind turbine standing in the middle of one field.]()
An affordable green transition: the what and the how
What policymakers should know about energy transition affordability: three critical policy ELEMENTS when stepping up from “STEPS” to Net Zero.
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![A landscape view of a vineyard at sunset with wind turbines on a hill in the background.]()
EU industrial policy: Dependencies in global green technology
Clean electricity production and storage are cornerstones in the energy transition. Green technologies can help meet energy needs.
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![An aerial view of an industrial area with factory buildings, smokestacks emitting smoke, parking lots, roads, and some trees with autumn-colored leaves.]()
The role of carbon credits in an affordable green transition
Broader international cooperation has the potential to lower the cost of climate action and accelerate the energy transition.
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![An aerial view of farmland with wind turbines, clouds, and a patch of woodland.]()
Risk analysis for the green transition
Insights into how policies and technologies shape the speed and path of the transition.
The technical setup of intersect
Read a detailed overview of the INTERSECT Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model, its structure, coverage, and use cases for decarbonisation analysis across countries, sectors, and technologies.
Listen Up
Listen to how Intersect can help make the green transition more cost-effective (podcast in Danish).