Research Interests
Energy, sustainability transition, social innovation Research projects: • 2023 – 2029 "The Politics of Transnational Infrastructure Public-Private Partnerships". Supported by JSPS, Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (International Collaborative Research) (P.I. So Morikawa) • 2024 – 2027 "Cross-border energy planning for just transition in Southeast Asia". Supported by KAKENHI, Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists (Project 24K20970) https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/ja/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-24K20970/ (Principal investigator) • 2019 – 2023 “Sustainable cross-border energy planning by using participatory multi-criteria evaluation in the Thai-Laos electricity system”. Supported by KAKENHI, Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists (Project 21K17923) https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-21K17923/ (Principal Investigator) • 2019 – 2022 “Public attitudes towards energy policy and sustainable development in ASEAN” Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo. Supported by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) https://ifi.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/projects/public-attitudes-in-asean/ (Project member) • 2016 – 2019 “Electricity futures in the Greater Mekong Subregion: Towards sustainability, inclusive development, and conflict resolution” Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo. Supported by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) https://ifi.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/projects/electricity-in-the-greater-mekong/ (Project member)
Selected Publications
Academic journal (last five years) 1. Sagawa, M., del Barrio Álvarez, D., Alves, L. B. O., Kato, H. (2025). Impacts of BRT introduction on local economy in a developing city: case study in Brasilia. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2. Del Barrio Álvarez, D., Nan. W., Sugiyama, M., Numata, M. Thuy, T.D., Aziz, A. A., Palanca-Tan, R., Ya, A. Z., Yusfus, A. A., Ghani, A. N. A., Castillo, G., Siyaranamual, M. D., Phrakonkham, S., Nitivattanano, V., Swe, W. (2024) Are all renewable energy sources the same? A comparative analysis of public perceptions and preferences for renewable energy types in Southeast Asian Cities. Sustainability Science. 3. Aziz, A. A., Ghani, A. N., Sugiyama, M., del Barrio Álvarez, D., Cox, E., Spence, E., Kamaludin, M. (2024). Public perception of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) in Malaysia and its influencing factors. Sustainability Science. 4. Chaiyapa, W., del Barrio Álvarez, D. (2024) Shedding light on climate change as a threat to multi-dimensional security: case study of Thailand. Political Science and Public Administration Journal, 15 (Suppl. 1), 29–54. 5. Palanca-Tan, R., del Barrio Álvarez, D., Palanca, R.S., Tan, N.M.P., Castillo, G.B., Saplala, D.C.A., Wang, N. (2024). Households’ preferences for alternative renewable energy technologies: An attribute-based choice experiment survey in Metro Manila, Philippines. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 1-10. 6. Jotaworn, J., Nitivattananon, V., Teparakul, O., Wongboontham, T., Sugiyama, M., Numata, M., del Barrio Álvarez, D. (2023) Households’ Willingness to Pay for Renewable Energy Alternatives in Thailand. Social Sciences 12, no. 11: 634. 7. Palanca-Tan, R., Castillo, G. B., del Barrio Álvarez, D., Sugiyama, M. (2023) Households’ Willingness to Pay for Increased Renewable Energy Share in Electricity Supply as a Climate Change Mitigation Measure: A CVM Study in Metro Manila. Sustainability Science. 8. Guo, J., del Barrio Álvarez, D., Yuan, J., & Kato, H. (2023) Determinants of the formation process in public-private partnership projects in developing countries: evidence from China, Local Government Studies. 9. del Barrio Álvarez, D., Sasakawa, A., Yamaguchi, K., Wang, Y. (2022) Strategic priorities for regional power connectivity in Asia in the overlapping of subregional initiatives and China’s Global Energy Interconnection. Asia Pacific Business Review. 10. Numata, M., Sugiyama, M., Swe, W., & del Barrio Álvarez, D. (2021). Willingness to Pay for Renewable Energy in Myanmar: Energy Source Preference. Energies, 14(5), 1505. 11. Chaiyapa, W., Hartley, K., del Barrio Álvarez, D. (2021) From end-users to policy designers: breaking open the black box of energy technocracy in Thailand. Energy Research & Social Science. 12. del Barrio Álvarez, D., Sugiyama, M. (2020) "A SWOT Analysis of Utility-Scale Solar in Myanmar," Energies, vol. 13(4), pages 1-17, February. Academic conferences (last five years): 1. Del Barrio Álvarez, D. (2025) Cross-border energy planning for just transition in Southeast Asia. 20th Conference of the Spanish Association for Energy Economics (AEEE), 2-5 June 2025. Bilbao (Spain). (Accepted). 2. Del Barrio Álvarez, D., Huda, M. (2025) Just transition perspectives for cross-border energy planning in Southeast Asia. 7th International Conference on Public Policy (ICPP), Chiang Mai (Thailand). (Accepted). 3. Del Barrio Álvarez, D., Atienza-Márquez, A., McLellan, B., del Rio, P. (2025). Hydrogen for a just transition? Experts' perspectives on the future of hydrogen in Japan and Spain. 7th International Conference on Public Policy (ICPP), Chiang Mai (Thailand). (Accepted). 4. Ochsner, M., Greenham, S., del Barrio Álvarez, D., Kato, H., (2025) On track to climate resilience? Insights from Japanese railways. Short paper submitted for presentation at International Conference on Advanced Systems in Public Transport and Transit Data 2025. July 1-4, 2025, Kyoto, Japan (Accepted). 5. Del Barrio Álvarez, D., Wang, N., Thuy, T. D., Kato, H. (2025) Sustainability on Two Wheels: A choice experiment of electric motorcycles in Vietnam. NERPS Conference 2025, 5-7 March 2025, De La Salle University, Manila (Philippines). 6. Thongnak, N., del Barrio Álvarez, D., Kato, H. (2025) Effects of Urban Rail Transit on the Local Economy and Land Use in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. TRB Annual Meeting, January 2025, Washington D.C. (USA). 7. Del Barrio Álvarez, D., (2024) An exploratory analysis of energy connectivity interlinkages with SDGs. 29th SEEPS Annual Conference 2024, Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Kansai University 14-15 September, Osaka (Japan). 8. Del Barrio Álvarez, D., (2024) Sustainability of Cross-Border Electricity Interconnection and Integration: An Analysis of ASEAN Power Grid 2.0. NERPS Conference 2024. 6 – 9 March 2024, Hiroshima University (Japan). 9. Romano, G. C., del Barrio Álvarez, D., (2024) Two Models of ‘Developmental States’ Exporting Smart Cities: The Cases of China and Japan in South-East Asia. NERPS Conference 2024. 6 – 9 March 2024, Hiroshima University (Japan). 10. Nagasaki, H., del Barrio Álvarez, D., Kato, H. (2023) Economic Impacts of Cross-border Electricity Trading in the Greater Mekong Subregion. 18th GMSARN International Conference 2023 on “Smart Energy, Environment, and Sustainable Development in GMS”, 16-17 November 2023 Hanoi, Vietnam. 11. del Barrio Álvarez, D., Sasakawa, A. (2023) Just transition in developing countries. The rise, or not, of electric mobility and offshore wind in Vietnam. International Sustainability Transitions conference (IST) 2023. August 30th to September 1st, 2023. Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University. Utrecht (Netherlands). 12. del Barrio Álvarez, D. (2023) Shifting paradigms on power connectivity in the Greater Mekong Subregion? Analysis of existing perspectives on the future of electricity trade between Thailand and Laos. International Conference on Public Policy (ICPP) 6. 27-29 June, 2023. Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto (Canada). 13. del Barrio Álvarez, D., Williamson, M. (2023) A green recovery: reality, hope of myth. An analysis of the SDG-7 in the economic recovery plans in Asia. Hiroshima International Conference on Peace and Sustainability in the Context of Global Change (NERPS Conference) 2023. Feb 28 – Mar 3, 2023. Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok (Thailand). 14. del Barrio Álvarez, D. (2022) Power connectivity in the energy transition, a sustainable re-configuration path?. 5th ISETS Energy Transition Forum. 14 October 2022, Tokai University, Tokyo (Japan). 15. del Barrio-Alvarez, D., Wang, N., Numata, M., Sugiyama, M. (2022) A comparative analysis of public preferences towards renewables across Southeast Asia countries. 43rd IAEE International Conference. 31 July – 4 August 2022, Tokyo (Japan). 16. Chaiyapa, W., Beermann, H., del Barrio-Alvarez, D., (2022) A Threat to Whom/What? Investigating perceptions towards Climate and Security in Thailand and the Implications on Climate Governance. 7th Asia-Pacific Public Policy Network Conference. March 17-18, 2022. 17. Komatsuzaki, S., del Barrio Alvarez, D. (2022) Multi-stakeholder involvement for sustainable local energy system: Lessons from cases in Japan. Energy and Climate Transformations: 3rd International Conference on Energy Research & Social Science. 20-23 June 2022. University of Manchester, United Kingdom. 18. del Barrio-Alvarez, D., Morikawa, So., Komikado, H., Komatsuzaki, S., (2021) Transnational city-to-city policy transfer for the energy transition in Japan. II International Conference on Policy Diffusion and Development Cooperation. 3 March 2021 (online). 19. Umeda, M., Wong-Villanueva, J., Wang, G., del Barrio Álvarez, D. (2021) Students’ View on Sustainable Internationalization in the Post-Pandemic Era: The Case of the University of Tokyo. 2021 Virtual Conference on Sustainable and Inclusive Internationalization. York University, Toronto, Canada. 20-22 January 2021. 20. Umeda, M., del Barrio Álvarez, D., Komatsuzaki, S. (2020) “Key factors for urban vulnerable people to develop voluntary payment behavior on electricity. A case study of electricity formalization process in Bogotá, Colombia”. 25th SEEPS Annual Conference, September 26-27, 2020. 21. del Barrio Álvarez, D (2020) “How regional power connectivity became sustainable development: An analysis of the Greater Mekong Sub-region”. 2020 Asia-Pacific Public Policy Network Conference. University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia, Feb 13-14, 2020.