Renewable Energy - Projects

Pushing a least cost integration of green electricity into the European grid

Objectives and problems to be solved:

The core objective of the project GreenNet is to enhance the proportion of electricity from renewable energy sources (RES-E) in the EU by applying a least-cost approach. Moreover, the costs – and interactions – of all important supply-side and demand-side options will be considered.

These options are:

• the technical constraints and the necessity of an update and/or extension of the grid for RES-E grid access and integration,
• the technical constraints and the opportunities of advanced storage technology integration and
• the technical constraints and the opportunities of load reduction and energy conservation by means of demand side management

The major product:

The major product of this project will be the simulation software GreenNet - available via the internet - containing the following major features:

• A comprehensive database describing potentials and costs of:
• different RES-E technologies in different EU countries,
• the grid to accept RES-E integration (as well as potential and costs of an upgrade/ extension of the grid),
• storage technology integration to support intermittent RES-E generation,
• DSM (demand side management) measures for load reduction and energy conservation.
• Definition of different policy instruments for supply and demand for the EU as a whole as well as for single countries for all or single technologies.
• Simulation of any kind of scenarios for supply-side and demand-side options in a dynamic approach, i.e. allowing also changes of strategies and scenarios over time.
• Depending on the features and policy instruments chosen derivation of a least-cost priority list for the deployment of RES-E by technology and country to meet the certain quota.

Finally, based on the results of the simulation software GreenNet comprehensive models for financial burden sharing of cost caused between different players in the electricity market will be derived.

Publications

Integrating wind power in EU electricity systems
Werven, M.J.N. van; Beurskens, L.W.M.; Pierik, J.T.G.

Guiding a least cost grid integration of res-electricity in an extended Europe. Case studies on conditions and costs for RES-E grid integration. Deliverable D9
Swider, Derk J.; Voß, Alfred; Doruk Ozdemir, E; Eltrop, Ludger; Barth, Rüdiger ; Weber, C.; Beurskens, L.W.M.; Jansen, J.C.; Davidson, Sarah; Mariyappan, Jason; Twidell, John; Pyrko, Jurek; Abaravicius, Juozas ; Auer, Hans; Obensteiner, Carlo; Weissensteiner, Lukas; Prüggler, Wolfgang; Skema, Romualdas; Markevicius, Antanas; Nemac, Franko; Vertin, Katarina; Lambergar, Natasa; Likovic, Aleks; Grmek, Matjaz

Guiding a least cost grid integration of res-electricity in an extended Europe. Synthesis of results on least-cost RES-E grid integration
Nielsen, L.H.; Auer, Hans; Obensteiner, Carlo; Weissensteiner, Lukas; Prüggler, Wolfgang; Swider, Derk J.; Doruk Ozdemir, E; Beurskens, L.W.M.; Jansen, J.C.; Norheim, Ian; Orasch, Wolfgang; Taus, Hans; Orths, Antje; Eriksen, Peter Borre; Hjerrild, Jesper

See for more information the project site http://www.greennet.at/ or contact Luuk Beurkens