GIMLA-PSI

The project develops an integrated methodology combining Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with energy poverty analysis to estimate the social cost of energy. The project supports the design of low-carbon, affordable, and socially equitable heating systems.

The initiative is conceived as a bilateral collaboration between Chile and Switzerland to strengthen scientific exchange on sustainable heating transitions.

The research develops a conceptual framework that links environmental externalities (climate change and air pollution), health impacts, and socioeconomic conditions to assess residential heating alternatives. Empirical field data are collected in the municipality of Ancud (southern Chile), including indoor thermal comfort measurements and social surveys, and are integrated with open-source LCA databases and scenario modeling tools.

On the Swiss side, the project is conducted at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis (LEA), Technology Assessment Group (TAG). In Chile, it is developed within the Sustainable Energy Transitions Initiative (SETI) network in collaboration with Universidad de Concepción, Universidad de Talca, Universidad del Bío-Bío, and Universidad Austral de Chile.

Key implementation partners include the Municipality of Ancud, Minergie Chile, EBP Chile, and the Services Industriels de Lausanne, contributing technical expertise and local knowledge to ensure scientific robustness and policy relevance.

This project is funded by the Research Partnership Grant 2025 of the Leading House for the Latin American Region, hosted at the University of St. Gallen and mandated by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) of the Swiss Confederation.