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arXiv:1801.05290physics.soc-ph

Synergies of sector coupling and transmission reinforcement in a cost-optimised, highly renewable European energy system

T. Brown, D. Schlachtberger, A. Kies, S. Schramm, M. Greiner

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Abstract

There are two competing concepts in the literature for the integration of high shares of renewable energy: the coupling of electricity to other energy sectors, such as transport and heating, and the reinforcement of continent-wide transmission networks. In this paper both cross-sector and cross-border integration are considered in the model PyPSA-Eur-Sec-30, the first open, spatially-resolved, temporally-resolved and sector-coupled energy model of Europe. Using a simplified network with one node per country, the cost-optimal system is calculated for a 95% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to 1990, incorporating electricity, transport and heat demand. Flexibility from battery electric vehicles (BEV), power-to-gas units (P2G) and long-term thermal energy storage (LTES) make a significant contribution to the smoothing of variability from wind and solar and to the reduction of total system costs. The cost-minimising integration of BEV pairs well with the daily variations of solar power, while P2G and LTES balance the synoptic and seasonal variations of demand and renewables. In all scenarios, an expansion of cross-border transmission reduces system costs, but the more tightly the energy sectors are coupled, the weaker the benefit of transmission reinforcement becomes.

arXiv comments
24 pages, 13 figures; accepted to Energy
Journal reference
Energy, 2018
DOI
doi:10.1016/j.energy.2018.06.222
Subjects
physics.soc-phPhysics and Society

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Discussed in comments4 threads

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    • Power2Gas has been a major topic. And the idea that this will become highly relevant in about a decade is behind the idea to allow Gas infrastructure investment as Green in Europe. This means Hydrogen but also synthetic natural gas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power-to-gas…

      CerthasView on HNParent context

    • Please show a single publication that does what you claim it does. A single one. I don't think they exist, or if they do they will not be the prominent highly cited ones. Yes, storage and methanation and electrolysis are expensive. These expenses are explicitly modeled in the…

      CerthasView on HNParent context

  2. ITER: World's largest nuclear fusion project begins assembly 1 comment

    • Storing methane is cheaper, and you can use it for heating, it brings down costs when used in addition to hydrogen storage: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1801.05290.pdf " 4.7. Methanation scenario - In the Methanation scenario the conversion of hydrogen to methane is allowed, which can…

      CerthasView on HNParent context

  3. Scientists’ warnings about climate change have intensified 1 comment

    • > That's not true and unfair. I believe you are genuine, but also the information you present is miles from the reality in Germany and Europe, and the state of research in the field in general. > Believe it or not, I want to be proven wrong. I want somebody to walk me through…

      CerthasView on HNParent context

  4. Wendelstein 7-X achieves world record 2 comments

    • Could you please point me to reputable studies that back up your claim that storage will be needed before very high penetration? Even for extremely high carbon reductions (95% on 1990) the best models I've seen consider transmission lines and sector coupling considerably…

      CerthasView on HNParent context

    • Additional investment in transmission lines and sector coupling is politically more viable and cheaper, and already that is stalled. So I'd rather push for that. (Plus we avoid a massive scale waste problem). Let existing ones run as long as possible, and if China or other…

      CerthasView on HNParent context

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