Modeling of industrial energy consumption: An introduction and context

Industrial energy accounts for roughly one third of total global energy consumption, and is expected to continue to use a similar share in the foreseeable future. However, this is one of the hardest end-uses to analyze, model and forecast. The reasons for modeling industrial energy consumption are as varied as the ways in which energy is used in production processes. This has led to the application of a broad set of emperical tools from several different disciplines. In this article, we provide an introduction and context for a compendium or survey of the methods used in this area. This special issue of Energy Economics is designed to provide both newcomers and accomplished researchers with an overview of the current state of development in the are of industrial energy modeling.