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The feasibility of energy autonomy for municipalities: local energy system optimisation and upscaling with cluster and regression analyses

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  • Jann Michael Weinand

    (Karlsruhe Institute for Technology)

  • Russell McKenna

    (University of Aberdeen)

  • Wolf Fichtner

    (Karlsruhe Institute for Technology)

Abstract

The sheer number of alternative technologies and measures make the optimal planning of energy system transformations highly complex, requiring decision support from mathematical optimisation models. Due to the high computational expenses of these models, only individual case studies are usually examined. In this article, the approach from the author’s PhD thesis to transfer the optimisation results from individual case studies to many other energy systems is summarised. In the first step, a typology of the energy systems to be investigated was created. Based on this typology, representative energy systems were selected and analysed in an energy system optimisation model. In the third step, the results of the representative case studies were transferred to all other energy systems. This approach was applied to a case study for determining the minimum costs of energy system transformation for all 11,131 German municipalities from 2015 to 2035 in the completely energy autonomous case. While a technical potential to achieve energy autonomy is present in 56% of the German municipalities, energy autonomy shows only low economic potential under current energy-political conditions. However, energy system costs in the autonomous case can be greatly reduced by the installation and operation of base-load technologies like deep-geothermal plants combined with district heating networks. The developed approach can be applied to any type of energy system and should help decision makers, policy makers and researchers to estimate optimal results for a variety of energy systems using practical computational expenses.

Suggested Citation

  • Jann Michael Weinand & Russell McKenna & Wolf Fichtner, 2021. "The feasibility of energy autonomy for municipalities: local energy system optimisation and upscaling with cluster and regression analyses," Sustainability Nexus Forum, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 153-159, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:sumafo:v:29:y:2021:i:2:d:10.1007_s00550-021-00514-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s00550-021-00514-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bertsch, Valentin & Hall, Margeret & Weinhardt, Christof & Fichtner, Wolf, 2016. "Public acceptance and preferences related to renewable energy and grid expansion policy: Empirical insights for Germany," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 465-477.
    2. Weinand, Jann & Scheller, Fabian Johannes & McKenna, Russell, 2020. "Reviewing energy system modelling of decentralized energy autonomy," Working Paper Series in Production and Energy 41, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Industrial Production (IIP).
    3. Engelken, Maximilian & Römer, Benedikt & Drescher, Marcus & Welpe, Isabell, 2016. "Transforming the energy system: Why municipalities strive for energy self-sufficiency," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 365-377.
    4. Jann Michael Weinand & Fabian Scheller & Russell McKenna, 2020. "Reviewing energy system modelling of decentralized energy autonomy," Papers 2011.05915, arXiv.org.
    5. Weinand, Jann Michael & Scheller, Fabian & McKenna, Russell, 2020. "Reviewing energy system modelling of decentralized energy autonomy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    6. Mathiesen, B.V. & Lund, H. & Connolly, D. & Wenzel, H. & Østergaard, P.A. & Möller, B. & Nielsen, S. & Ridjan, I. & Karnøe, P. & Sperling, K. & Hvelplund, F.K., 2015. "Smart Energy Systems for coherent 100% renewable energy and transport solutions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 139-154.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mario Schmidt, 2021. "Klimaschutz, Ressourcenschonung und Circular Economy als Einheit denken [Thinking of climate protection, resources conservation and the circular economy as a unit]," Sustainability Nexus Forum, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 57-64, June.
    2. Schmitt, Carlo & Schumann, Klemens & Kollenda, Katharina & Blank, Andreas & Rebenaque, Olivier & Dronne, Théo & Martin, Arnault & Vassilopoulos, Philippe & Roques, Fabien & Moser, Albert, 2022. "How will local energy markets influence the pan-European day-ahead market and transmission systems? A case study for local markets in France and Germany," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 325(C).
    3. Jann Michael Weinand & Maximilian Hoffmann & Jan Gopfert & Tom Terlouw & Julian Schonau & Patrick Kuckertz & Russell McKenna & Leander Kotzur & Jochen Lin{ss}en & Detlef Stolten, 2022. "Global LCOEs of decentralized off-grid renewable energy systems," Papers 2212.12742, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2023.

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