111Future Socio-Economics, Energy, Land Use, and Radiative Forcing
3.3.1 Energy System in GCAM
GCAM models the complete energy system, tracking energy from its point
of origin through alternative transformation processes to its nal end use.
The GCAM begins with potentially available resources, including both
depletable (coal, gas, oil, uranium) and renewable (wind, solar, geothermal)
resources, which are represented through graded resource curves. As more
energy is extracted and used, costs rise, though those cost increases can
be ameliorated by technological improvement. The supply of bioenergy is
determined by the agriculture and land use sub-model within the GCAM,
which is discussed below.
GCAM models the transformation of primary energ ...