The importance of weather and climate to energy systems: a workshop on next generation challenges in energy–climate modeling

The challenges emerging from the workshop highlight the need for increased interaction. Weather and climate scientists must first begin to understand how climate information is used by energy researchers in practice, ensuring that the data provided can interface with the tools and techniques being used. This understanding requires atmospheric scientists to investigate how the processes involved in energy modeling relate to the impacts of weather and climate, rather than focusing on the climate itself. In parallel, energy scientists should seek to develop a better appreciation of climate uncertainty, addressing its importance for oth historical and future simulations. A key step is therefore to develop the tools and understanding required to quantify the effects of climate uncertainty in highly complex energy systems, and to understand the importance of climate relative to the contributions from other sources of uncertainty.