Search

The widely recognised Energiewende, ("energy transition") in Germany has lost its original momentum. We therefore address the question of how the transition process to a new energy system can be reignited. To do so, we developed the "5Ds approach", which lays the groundwork for a process analysis and the identification of important catalysts and barriers. Focusing on the five major fields required for the energy transition, we analyse the effects of: (1) Decarbonisation: How can efficiency and renewable energies be expanded successfully? (2) Digitalisation: Which digital solutions facilitate this conversion and would be suitable as sustainable business models? (3) Decentralisation: How can potential decentralised energy and efficiency opportunities be developed? (4) Democratisation: How can participation be strengthened in order to foster acceptance (and prevent "yellow vest" protests, etc.)? (5) Diversification of service: Which services can make significant contributions in the context of flexible power generation, demand-side management, storage and grids? Our paper comes to the conclusion that German policy efforts in the "5D" fields have been implemented very differently. Particularly with regard to democratisation, the opportunities for genuine participation among the different social actors must be further strengthened to get the Energiewende back on track. New market models are needed to meet the challenges of the energy transition and to increase the performance of "5D" through economic incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging energy transition is particularly described as a move towards a cleaner, lower-carbon system. In the context of the global shift towards sustainable energy sources, this paper reviews the potential and roadmap for hydrogen energy as a crucial component of the clean energy landscape. The primary objective is to present a comprehensive literature overview, illuminating key themes, trends, and research gaps in the scientific discourse concerning hydrogen production and energy policy. This review focuses particularly on specified geographic contexts, with an emphasis on understanding the unique energy policies related to renewable energy in Brazil, Austria, and Germany. Given their distinct social systems and developmental stages, this paper aims to delineate the nuanced approaches these countries adopt in their pursuit of renewable energy and the integration of hydrogen within their energy frameworks. Brazil exhibits vast renewable energy potential, particularly in wind and solar energy sectors, positioning itself for substantial growth in the coming years. Germany showcases a regulatory framework that promotes innovation and technological expansion, reflecting its highly developed social system and commitment to transitioning away from fossil fuels. Austria demonstrates dedication to decarbonization, particularly through the exploration of biomethane for residential heating and cooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Germany, there are over 32,000 schools, representing great potential for climate protection. On the one hand, this applies to educational work, as understanding the effects of climate change and measures to reduce GHG emissions is an important step to empower students with knowledge and skills. On the other hand, school buildings are often in bad condition, energy is wasted, and the possibilities for using renewable energies are hardly used. In our "Schools4Future" project, we enabled students and teachers to draw up their own CO2 balances, identify weaknesses in the building, detect wasted electricity, and determine the potential for using renewable energies. Emissions from the school cafeteria, school trips, and paper consumption could also be identified. The fact that the data can be collected by the students themselves provides increased awareness of the contribution made to the climate balance by the various school areas. The most climate-friendly school emits 297 kg whilst the school with the highest emissions emits over one ton CO2 per student and year. Our approach is suitable to qualify students in the sense of citizen science, carry out a scientific investigation, experience self-efficacy through one's own actions, and engage politically regarding their concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemporary times, the utilization of liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) has gained prominence due to their high volumetric storage density and material properties closely resembling conventional fuels. Numerous countries are incorporating LOHCs in hydrogen demonstration initiatives, encompassing applications such as hydrogen refueling stations, hydrogen-powered ships, and trains. This paper conducts a comprehensive review of seventeen LOHC projects, spanning Germany, Europe, and other nations, presenting detailed project specifications. This review includes information on project consortiums, funding sources, covered supply chains, transport modalities, and employed technologies. Through a global evaluation of LOHC projects, this review underscores the promising and competitive nature of LOHCs as a viable option for the large-scale and long-distance storage and transportation of hydrogen. The future development of this field is discussed at in the last section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several northern European countries have announced ambitious plans to become carbon neutral already before the year 2050. Recent research has, however, highlighted how potential bottlenecks in raw material and resource availability could significantly delay or hinder wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) expansion and continued biomass usage in parts of Europe. To address this issue, this paper assesses how exposed the national energy and climate plans (NECPs) of Finland, Estonia, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark are to resource limitations and techno-economic risks by reviewing and analysing 2030 NECP targets compared to statistical energy use data in these countries. The results indicate that the NECPs of Denmark and Germany are particularly exposed to risks related to global raw material availability, as Denmark plans to rapidly grow the share of wind and solar PV in electricity generation to 81% and 13% by 2030, respectively, followed by Germany, which outlines a 39% and 16% share of wind and solar PV in its national climate strategy. The NECPs of Finland and Germany are also shown to be vulnerable to limitations in biomass availability, as there is a significant disparity between the projected biomass usage and legally binding European Union (EU) targets for land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF) sector emissions in 2030 in these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy sector faces a pressing need for significant transformation to curb CO2 emissions. For instance, Czechia and Germany have taken steps to phase out fossil thermal power plants by 2038, opting instead for a greater reliance on variable renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. Nonetheless, thermal power plants will still have roles, too. While the conventional multistage axial turbine design has been predominant in large-scale power plants for the past century, it is unsuitable for small-scale decentralized projects due to complexity and cost. To address this, the study investigates less common turbine types, which were discarded as they demonstrated lower efficiency. One design is the Elektra turbine, characterized by its velocity compounded radial re-entry configuration. The Elektra turbine combines the advantages of volumetric expanders (the low rotational speed requirement) with the advantages of a turbine (no rubbing seals, no lubrication in the working fluid, wear is almost completely avoided). Thus, the research goal of the authors is the implementation of a 10 kW-class ORC turbine driving a cost-effective off-the-shelf 3000 rpm generator. The paper introduces the concept of the Elektra turbine in comparison to other turbines and proposes this approach for an ORC working fluid. In the second part, the 1D design and 3D–CFD optimization of the 7 kW Elektra turbine working with Hexamethyldisiloxane (MM) is performed. Finally, CFD efficiency characteristics of various versions of the Elektra are presented and critically discussed regarding the originally defined design approach. The unsteady CFD calculation of the final Elektra version showed 46% total-to-static isentropic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the current and prospective greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of e-fuels produced via electrolysis and Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) for the years 2021, 2030, and 2050 for use in Germany. The GHG emissions are determined by a scenario approach as a combination of a literature-based top-down and bottom-up approach. Considered process steps are the provision of feedstocks, electrolysis (via solid oxide co-electrolysis; SOEC), synthesis (via Fischer–Tropsch synthesis; FTS), e-crude refining, eventual transport to, and use in Germany. The results indicate that the current GHG emissions for e-fuel production in the exemplary export countries Saudi Arabia and Chile are above those of conventional fuels. Scenarios for the production in Germany lead to current GHG emissions of 2.78–3.47 kgCO2-eq/L e-fuel in 2021 as the reference year and 0.064–0.082 kgCO2-eq/L e-fuel in 2050. With a share of 58–96%, according to the respective scenario, the electrolysis is the main determinant of the GHG emissions in the production process. The use of additional renewable energy during the production process in combination with direct air capture (DAC) are the main leverages to reduce GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing the heat demand of existing buildings is an essential prerequisite for achieving a greenhouse gas-neutral energy supply. Numerous studies and open-source tools deal with heat demand mapping. It is not uncommon that estimated heat demands deviate from real heat consumption, so existing approaches should be improved by including in-depth building information. Some tools have recognised this problem and offer built-in functions for factoring various parameters into their assessments. Nevertheless, the necessary information is usually missing and should be obtained first. In this paper, we analyse the impact of thermal refurbishment and climate on building heat demand; hence, generate public datasets with corresponding key figures for each building type in different efficiency states and years. Accounting for already performed refurbishments in methodologies for assessing the actual state heat demand for cities will result in a reduction of at least 8% up to more than 21%, depending on whether conventional or passive house components were installed. As a result of climatic differences within Germany, a building's heat demand can be up to 39% higher or up to 21% lower than the heat demand of an identical building in the reference climate of Germany. By further developing the approaches of the tools Hotmaps and Heat Cadastre Hamburg, we could improve the estimated heat demand of Hamburg to a value approximating the real consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shift toward electric mobility in Germany is a major component of the German climate protection program. In this context, public charging is growing in importance, especially in high-density urban areas, which causes an additional load on the distribution grid. In order to evaluate this impact and prevent possible overloads, realistic models are required. Methods for implementing such models and their application in the context of grid load are research topics that are only minorly addressed in the literature. This paper aims to demonstrate the entire process chain from the selection of a modelling method to the implementation and application of the model within a case study. Applying a stochastic approach, charging points are modelled via probabilities to determine the start of charging, plug-in duration, and charged energy. Subsequently, load profiles are calculated, integrated into an energy system model and applied in order to analyze the effects of a high density of public charging points on the urban distribution grid. The case study highlights a possible application of the implemented probabilistic load profile model, but also reveals its limitations. The primary results of this paper are the identification and evaluation of relevant criteria for modelling the load profiles of public charging points as well as the demonstration of the model and its comparison to real charging processes. By publishing the determined probabilities and the model for calculating the charging load profiles, a comprehensive tool is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the crucial steps for a successful integration of electric bus fleets into the existing electric power systems is the active and intelligent usage of their flexibility. This is important not only for reducing the eventual negative effects on the power grid but also for reducing energy and infrastructure costs. The first step in the optimal usage of flexibility is its quantification, which allows the maximum provision of flexibility without any negative effects for the fleet operation. This paper explores the available flexibility of large-scale electric bus fleets with a concept of centralized and unidirectional depot charging. An assessment of available positive and negative flexibility was conducted based on the data from two real bus depots in the city of Hamburg, Germany. The analysis shows the biggest flexibility potential was in the period from 16:00 h to 24:00 h, and the smallest one was in the periods from 08:00 h to 16:00 h, as well as from 02:00 h to 08:00 h. The paper also gives an overview of the possible markets for flexibility commercialization in Germany, which can provide an additional economic benefit for the fleet operators. A further analysis of the impact of parameters such as the timeline (working day or weekend), charging concept, ambient temperature, and electrical preconditioning provides an additional understanding of available flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formulating energy policies at national, European, and global levels is extremely challenging. The move away from fossil fuels is associated with a variety of technological, economic, and social implications, each of which is subject to dynamic changes and societal scrutiny and can hardly be predicted with certainty. Therefore, a fact-based assessment for the path to a sustainable green energy future is sought out in this paper, using the road-based mobility sector of the Federal Republic of Germany as an example. The analysis performed in this paper is built on publicly accessible, reputable sources like DESTATIS and EUROSTAT. In addition, some very simple calculations were made, e.g., on the potential for wind and photovoltaic energy within Germany. Such an analysis needs to start with the overall energy consumption of any one country. A basic assumption of the paper is that the energy system of the future will be based to a large extent on electricity and its storage in chemical energy. It is assumed that, in addition to hydrogen, liquid energy sources will play a significant role due to the simplicity of their logistics and the subsequent implications on cost. Examples of green, electricity-based fuels with great potential are methanol, methane, and ammonia. Additionally, biomass plays an important role, either for direct use as a fuel or as a source of non-fossil carbon. Today, biofuels, i.e., biodiesel and bioethanol, deliver the largest contribution to climate protection in the EU transport sector. The main goal—the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions—often collides with geopolitical circumstances or national political necessities. This includes, for example, the current world market situation and its national impacts caused by the Russian attack on Ukraine. The prospect for a green, sustainable, and defossilized energy supply are discussed in this context. The paper concludes that a defossilized world energy supply and trade based on renewable electricity and its derivatives, eHydrogen and refuels, and on biomass, is feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose dynamic, short-term, financial risk management strategies for small electricity producers and buyers that trade in the wholesale electricity markets. Since electricity is mostly nonstorable, financial risk coming from extremely volatile electricity prices cannot be reduced by using standard finance-based approaches. Instead, a short-term operational planing and a proper trade diversification might be used. In this paper, we analyze the price risk in terms of the Markowitz mean–variance portfolio theory. Hence, it is crucial to forecast properly the variance of electricity prices. To this end, we jointly model day-ahead and intraday or balancing prices from Germany and Poland using ARX-GARCH type models. We show that using heteroscedastic volatility significantly improves probabilistic price forecasts according to the pinball score, especially if variance stabilizing transformation is applied prior to a model estimation. The price forecasts are then used for construction of dynamic diversification strategies that are based on volatility-type risk measures. We consider different objectives as well as a buyer's and a seller's perspective. The proposed strategies are applied for the diversification of trade among different markets in Germany and Poland. We show that the objective of the strategy can be achieved using the proposed approach, but the risk minimization is usually related to lower profits. We find that risk minimization is especially important for a seller in both markets, while for a buyer a profit maximization objective leads to a more optimal risk–return trade-off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the background of climate protection and the rising costs of a fossil-fuel-based energy supply, the interest in the energy performance and indoor climate of buildings in real operation is rising. This paper, therefore, deals with the indoor climate investigation of two medium-sized office buildings in Germany by taking measurements over a whole year. These relate to one new building and one refurbished building. Sensors of various types were installed and operated in a large number of office rooms, so that in total results are available for over 100 rooms, typically occupied by one or two persons. The analysis focuses on the indoor temperature in summer and the air quality in winter based on the CO2 concentration. The comfort classes according to DIN EN 16798 including the adaptive comfort approach are used as a basis to cluster the results. Both buildings have movable sun protection and openable windows but no facilities for active cooling. They, thus, represent a large number of existing 'low tech' office buildings in Germany and central Europe. The results reflect the respective building concepts but also show a wide range between the rooms due to the user preferences and behaviour. The refurbished building shows better results, especially in terms of air quality but also in terms of summer room temperatures. This underlines the benefit of the targeted measures as a result of an analysis of the deficits in the existing building before the refurbishment. The additional measures for decentralised mechanical ventilation and passive cooling are having positive effects. As part of the projects, further measures to improve the indoor climate were investigated in both buildings. In one case, this involved CO2 traffic lights to stimulate personal window ventilation in winter, and in the other, the use of newly developed individual ceiling fans supports convective heat dissipation on the human body during hot spells in summer. The positive effect could be demonstrated for both measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slowing down replacement cycles to reduce resource depletion and prevent waste generation is a promising path toward a circular economy (CE). However, an obligation to longevity only sometimes makes sense. It could sometimes even backfire if one focuses exclusively on material resource efficiency measures of the production phase and neglects implications on the use phase. The (environmental) lifespan of circular products should, therefore, be optimized, not maximized, considering all life cycle phases. In this paper, a generic method for determining the optimal environmental lifespan (OEL) of energy-using products (EuPs) in a CE is developed, allowing the simultaneous inclusion of various replacement options and lifetime extension processes, like re-manufacturing, in the assessment. A dynamic programming approach is used to minimize the cumulative environmental impact or costs over a specific time horizon, which allows considering an unordered sequence of replacement decisions with various sets of products. The method further accounts for technology improvement as well as efficiency degradation due to usage and a dynamic energy supply over the use phase. To illustrate the application, the OEL of gas heating appliances in Germany is calculated considering newly evolved products and re-manufactured products as replacement options. The case-study results show that with an average heat demand of a dwelling in Germany, the OEL is just 7 years for climate change impacts and 11 years for the aggregated environmental indicator, R e C i P e e n d p o i n t (t o t a l) . If efficiency degradation during use is considered, the OEL for both environmental impact assessment methods even lowers to 1 year. Products are frequently replaced with re-manufactured products to completely restore efficiency at low investment cost, resulting in higher savings potential. This not only implies that an early replacement before the product breaks down is recommended but also that it is essential to maintain the system and, thus, to prevent potential efficiency degradation. The results for cost optimization, as well as currently observed lifespans, vary considerably from this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising energy costs have led to increased discussion about the social impact of the energy transition in Germany in recent years. In 2021, a gradually increasing CO2 tax was introduced. This paper analyzes the question of whether a CO2 tax can be socially just. Using data analysis and desk research, correlations between income and energy consumption in Germany are shown. In a short analysis, it is investigated which additional burdens different types of private households have to expect in the coming years due to the introduction of CO2 pricing on energy. In particular, the introduction of a per capita flat rate fed by CO2 tax revenues could be a suitable way to reduce the burden on low-income households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban simulations play an important role on the way to a climate neutral society. To enable early assessment of different energy concepts for urban developments, energy profiles for different building types are needed. This work describes the development and use of a new engineering tool GenSim to quickly and reliably generate energy profiles for urban simulations and early building energy predictions. While GenSim is a standalone tool to create energy profiles for early design assessment, it was developed in the context of urban simulations to primarily support energy efficient urban developments within Germany. Energy engineers quickly embraced the tool due to its simplicity and comprehensible results. The development of the tool was recently switched to open source to enable its usage to a broader audience. In order to foster its development and use, a detailed testing framework has been established to ensure the quality of the results of the tool. The paper includes a detailed validation section to demonstrate the validity of the results compared to a detailed building energy simulation model and actual measured performance data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewables are the greener substitute for the conventional polluting sources of generating energy. For their successful integration into the power grid, accurate forecasts are required. In this paper, we report the lessons acquired from our previous works on generating time-series ARIMA-based forecasting models for renewables. To this end, we considered a consistent dataset spanning the last four years. Assuming four different performance metrics for each of the best ARIMA-based models of our previous works, we derived a new optimal model for each month of the year, as well as for the two different methodologies suggested in those works. We then evaluated the performance of those models, by comparing the two methodologies: in doing so, we proposed a hybrid methodology that took the best models out of those two methodologies. We show that our proposed hybrid methodology has improved yearly accuracy of about 89.5% averaged over 12 months of the year. Also, we illustrate in detail for the four years under study and each month of the year the observed percentage of renewables and its corresponding accuracy compared to the generated forecasts. Finally, we give the implementation details of our open-source REN4KAST software platform, which provides several services related to renewables in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy crisis in Europe in 2022 and its consequences have brought changes to approaches towards the issue of energy security, energy policy, and the ability to react to crisis phenomena in the energy market in a short period of time. European countries that are dependent on Russian fossil fuels have faced numerous dilemmas and challenges in 2022. This paper aims to analyse the instruments and energy policies introduced as the reactions of European countries, specifically with the examples of Poland and Germany, to the ongoing fossil fuel crisis in the context of a short period. Due to the specificity of the energy market, the countries' energy policies mainly concern long- and medium-term goals. In 2022, there was an unprecedented situation in which many European countries had to make significant changes to their fossil fuel imports quickly. We analyse and evaluate how two European countries that are heavily reliant on imported energy resources responded in a short time to the necessity of modifying their patterns of fossil fuel supply and demand. The results of our research are models that illustrate both countries' reactions to the disturbances in the energy market during the initial months of the energy crisis. As part of the research, we conducted an analysis of the energy mix of Poland and Germany, their import energy dependency, and self-sufficiency. We then compared them with the short-term energy policies of both countries. As a result, we elaborate on a comparative analysis of the models of Poland's and Germany's responses to the crisis. The research also assesses the similarities and differences in the response models in Poland's and Germany's short-term energy security policies. The results of our research may help, in the future, to choose the available short-term instruments in the energy policy of countries in the face of a sudden need resulting from disruptions in supply chains. The article contributes to the future discussion on renewed national and regional energy security, as well as efficiency concepts. Our research findings could be valuable in selecting appropriate short-term energy policy tools for countries during supply chain disruptions. This article provides significant input for future deliberations on enhancing national and regional energy security, and also efficiency strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporally and spatially resolved data on wind power generation are very useful for studying the technical and economic aspects of this variable renewable energy at local and regional levels. Due to the lack of disaggregated electricity data from onshore and offshore turbines in Germany, it is necessary to use numerical simulations to calculate the power generation for a given geographic area and time period. This study shows how such a simulation model, which uses freely available plant and weather data as input variables, can be developed with the help of basic atmospheric laws and specific power curves of wind turbines. The wind power model is then applied to ensembles of nearly 28,000 onshore and 1500 offshore turbines to simulate the wind power generation in Germany for the years 2019 and 2020. For both periods, the obtained and spatially aggregated time series are in good agreement with the measured feed-in patterns for the whole of Germany. Such disaggregated simulation results can be used to analyze the power generation at any spatial scale, as each turbine is simulated separately with its location and technical parameters. This paper also presents the daily resolved wind power generation and associated indicators at the federal state level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric vehicles are becoming dominant in the global automobile market due to their better environmental friendliness compared to internal combustion vehicles. An adequate network of public charging stations is required to fulfil the fast charging demands of EV users. Knowing the shape and amplitude of their power curves is essential for power purchase planning and grid capacity sizing. Based on a large-scale empirical and representative dataset, this paper creates standard load profiles for various power levels, station sizes, and operating environments. It is found that the average power per charge point increases with rated station power, particularly for a rated power above 100 kW, and decreases with the number of charge points per station for AC chargers. For AC chargers, it is revealed how the shape of the power curve largely depends on the environment of a station, with urban settings experiencing the highest average power of 0.71 kW on average leading to an annual energy sale of 6.2 MWh. These findings show that the rated grid capacity can be well below the sum of the rated power of each charge point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of renewable energies, and of geothermal energy in particular, is increasingly being applied in Germany and Europe for the development of new residential districts. The use of geothermal borehole heat exchangers (BHE), in combination with ground-source heat pumps (GSHP), represents an important part of shallow geothermal systems, which are used, among other systems, in urban areas due to their small space requirements. Over the course of planning BHE systems, performance must be determined via the parameters of thermal conductivity, thermal capacity, undisturbed ground temperature, and borehole thermal resistance. These can be identified by the experimental approach known as thermal response testing (TRT). The thermal parameters change due to the influences of the seasonal temperature fluctuations that take place in the ground. In this paper, a pilot double-U BHE heat exchanger field with a depth of 120 m was investigated from this perspective. TRT was carried out using monthly measurements taken over the period of one year using an electrically powered mobile TRT device. The evaluation of the individual tests was carried out using the line-source, moving-line-source, and cylinder-source theories. Our results show that the season in which TRT was implemented had an influence on the determined thermal parameters, with better thermal conditions being obtained in winter months. This is especially visible for thermal conductivity, with monthly deviations of 0.1 W/(m∙K), independent of the evaluation approaches used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asse II salt mine, in Germany, contains low and intermediate-level radioactive waste that must be retrieved in the upcoming years. Potentially contaminated salts and brines will require treatment, with 137Cs being the main contaminant. Cs+ is problematic to selectively recover due to its chemical similarity with Na+ and K+ which are present in high quantities in a salt mine. This paper offers a novel solution for Cs+ separation from concentrated chloride salt media by solvent extraction with calixarene-crown-ether extractants in an alcoholic diluent. The proposed solvent extracts Cs+ at elevated chloride concentrations (3–4 M) while back-extraction is achieved by contacting the solvent with dilute (0.01 M) hydrochloric acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing share of fluctuating renewable electricity production within the German energy system causes the increasing necessity for flexible consumers, producers, and storage technologies to balance supply and demand. District heating networks with combined heat and power units, Power-to-Heat applications, and thermal energy storage capacities can serve as one of these flexible options. In this context, a simulation model of the district heating network of the rural community Dollnstein, Germany, was built. With the residual load of different regional areas (Germany, Bavaria, Eichstätt, Dollnstein) it is investigated, how the heat generators can operate in an electricity market beneficial way. Two different control algorithms were evaluated: Due to a correlation between the residual loads and the CO2 emissions of the electricity mix, the CO2 savings achieved by this control algorithm are determined. Another way to operate electricity market beneficial is to consider the current CO2 emissions of each region. The main outcomes of this paper are, that there is a high potential for sector coupling by shifting the operation times of a CHP and a heat pump according to the residual load. The electricity demand of the heat pump can be met in terms of low CO2 emissions of the electricity mix, while the CHP can replace electricity with high CO2 emissions. These results can be improved, by considering not the residual load but the current CO2 emissions in the control algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legislative efforts for renewables-based energy decarbonisation hinge upon the support and commitment from different stakeholders holding often conflicting positions regarding disruptive processes of socio-technical transformation. However, the evolving acceptance of market actors on the policy-driven promotion of renewables over time remains under-scrutinised. Simultaneously, despite growing attention to power and politics in sustainability transitions, limited efforts remain invested for elucidating the political-economic nature of the market-based selection environments they are operationalised through, highlighting the need for a more systematic comprehension of the "politics of selection". To address these shortcomings, this paper provides a more refined understanding of the role of policy-driven markets and its participating agents in facilitating/hindering innovation diffusion and broader (system-wide) sustainability transitions. To do so, it showcases a longitudinal case study of the politics underlying Germany's evolving feed-in policy support framework for orchestrating a market-mediated diffusion of renewables (1980s–2020). Based on policy analysis and semi-structured interviews, the study traces the changing acceptance and ensuing strategic (re)actions of market actors to the emergence and evolution of Germany's market for electricity from renewable energy sources. Results show how different market participants effectively shape the selection environments they operate in by proactively contesting/deluding the design features of the support policies organising their economised relations (e.g., market entry conditions, exchange rules, remuneration levels, pricing schemes, etc.). Such efforts are undertaken through legal means and market framing strategies targeting the affordability of policy support costs, coupled with the strategic use of policy instrumentation as a vehicle to further expand/retain their market shares to the detriment of competing actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present the results of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model of solar radiation for moderate climatic zones. This analysis covered the area of northeastern Germany. Due to very unfavorable solar energy conditions in this region for at least 1/3 of the year, we decided to select the dates with the most representative conditions: passing warm fronts, cold fronts, and occluded fronts (two cases each). As the reference, two cloudless conditions during high-pressure situations were chosen. Two different shortwave radiation schemes—Rapid Radiative Transfer Model for general circulation model (RRTMG) and Dudhia—were tested. The obtained results were compared with in situ data measured at Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) stations and then with European Medium-Range Weather Forecast reanalysis (ERA5) data. The results showed that for high-pressure situations, the mean correlations with measured data were above 90%. The Dudhia scheme, in addition to the expected good results for the high-pressure situation, showed better results than RRTMG for the warm and cold fronts as well. The forecast using the RRTMG scheme gave the best results for the occluded front, which were also better than those of the ERA5 model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This concept study extends the power-to-gas approach to small combined heat and power devices in buildings that alternately operate fuel cells and electrolysis. While the heat is used to replace existing fossil heaters on-site, the power is either fed into the grid or consumed via heat-coupled electrolysis to balance the grid power at the nearest grid node. In detail, the power demand of Germany is simulated as a snapshot for 2030 with 100% renewable sourcing. The standard load profile is supplemented with additional loads from 100% electric heat pumps, 100% electric cars, and a fully electrified industry. The renewable power is then scaled up to match this demand with historic hourly yield data from 2018/2019. An optimal mix of photovoltaics, wind, biomass and hydropower is calculated in respect to estimated costs in 2030. Hydrogen has recently entered a large number of national energy roadmaps worldwide. However, most of them address the demands of heavy industry and heavy transport, which are more difficult to electrify. Hydrogen is understood to be a substitute for fossil fuels, which would be continuously imported from non-industrialized countries. This paper focuses on hydrogen as a storage technology in an all-electric system. The target is to model the most cost-effective end-to-end use of local renewable energies, including excess hydrogen for the industry. The on-site heat coupling will be the principal argument for decentralisation. Essentially, it flattens the future peak from massive usage of electric heat pumps during cold periods. However, transition speed will either push the industry or the prosumer approach in front. Batteries are tried out as supplementary components for short-term storage, due to their higher round trip efficiencies. Switching the gas net to hydrogen is considered as an alternative to overcome the slow power grid expansions. Further decentral measures are examined in respect to system costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy system integration enables raising operational synergies by coupling the energy infrastructures for electricity, methane, and hydrogen. However, this coupling reinforces the infrastructure interdependencies, increasing the need for integrated modeling of these infrastructures. To analyze the cost-efficient, sustainable, and secure dispatch of applied, large-scale energy infrastructures, an extensive and non-linear optimization problem needs to be solved. This paper introduces a nested decomposition approach with three stages. The method enables an integrated and full-year consideration of large-scale multi-energy systems in hourly resolution, taking into account physical laws of power flows in electricity and gas transmission systems as boundary conditions. For this purpose, a zooming technique successively reduces the temporal scope while first increasing the spatial and last the technical resolution. A use case proves the applicability of the presented approach to large-scale energy systems. To this end, the model is applied to an integrated European energy system model with a detailed focus on Germany in a challenging transport situation. The use case demonstrates the temporal, regional, and cross-sectoral interdependencies in the dispatch of integrated energy infrastructures and thus the benefits of the introduced approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools play an important role in achieving climate protection goals, because they lay the foundation of knowledge for a responsible next generation. Therefore, schools as institutions have a special role model function. Enabling schools to become aware of their own carbon footprint (CF) is an important prerequisite for being able to tap the substantial CO2 reduction potential. Aiming at the direct involvement of students in the assessment process, a new assessment tool was developed within the Schools4Future project that gives students the opportunity to determine their own school's CF. With this instrument the CO2 emissions caused by mobility, heating and electricity consumption as well as for food in the school canteen and for consumables (paper) can be recorded. It also takes into account existing renewable energy sources. Through the development of the tool, not only a monitoring instrument was established but also a concrete starting point from which students could take actions to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. This paper presents the tool and its methods used to calculate the CF and compares it with existing approaches. A comparative case study of four pilot schools in Germany demonstrates the practicability of the tool and reveals fundamental differences between the GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is home to one of the most important industrial regions in Europe, and is the first German state to have adopted its own Climate Protection Law (CPL). This paper describes the long-term (up to 2050) mitigation scenarios for NRW's main energy-intensive industrial sub-sectors which served to support the implementation of the CPL. It also describes the process of scenario development, as these scenarios were developed through stakeholder participation. The scenarios considered three different pathways (best-available technologies, break-through technologies, and CO2 capture and storage). All pathways had optimistic assumptions on the rate of industrial growth and availability of low-carbon electricity. We find that a policy of "re-industrialisation" for NRW based on the current industrial structures (assumed here to represent an average growth of NRWs industrial gross value added (GVA) of 1.6% per year until 2030 and 0.6% per year from 2030 to 2050), would pose a significant challenge for the achievement of overall energy demand and German greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets, in particular as remaining efficiency potentials in NRW are limited. In the best-available technology (BAT) scenario CO2 emission reductions of only 16% are achieved, whereas the low carbon (LC) and the carbon capture and storage (CCS) scenario achieve 50% and 79% reduction respectively. Our results indicate the importance of successful development and implementation of a decarbonised electricity supply and breakthrough technologies in industry-such as electrification, hydrogen-based processes for steel, alternative cements or CCS-if significant growth is to be achieved in combination with climate mitigation. They, however, also show that technological solutions alone, together with unmitigated growth in consumption of material goods, could be insufficient to meet GHG reduction targets in industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy-economic simulation models with high levels of detail, high time resolutions, or large populations (e.g., distribution networks, households, electric vehicles, energy communities) are often limited due to their computational complexity. This paper introduces a novel methodology, combining cluster-based time series aggregation and sampling methods, to efficiently emulate simulation models using machine learning and significantly reduce both simulation and training time. Machine learning-based emulation models require sufficient and high-quality data to generalize the dataset. Since simulations are computationally complex, their maximum number is limited. Sampling methods come into play when selecting the best parameters for a limited number of simulations ex ante. This paper introduces and compares multiple sampling methods on three energy-economic datasets and shows their advantage over a simple random sampling for small sample-sizes. The results show that a k-means cluster sampling approach (based on unsupervised learning) and adaptive sampling (based on supervised learning) achieve the best results especially for small sample sizes. While a k-means cluster sampling is simple to implement, it is challenging to increase the sample sizes if the emulation model does not achieve sufficient accuracy. The iterative adaptive sampling is more complex during implementation, but can be re-applied until a certain accuracy threshold is met. Emulation is then applied on a case study, emulating an energy-economic simulation framework for peer-to-peer pricing models in Germany. The evaluated pricing models are the "supply and demand ratio" (SDR) and "mid-market rate pricing" (MMR). A time series aggregation can reduce time series data of municipalities by 99.4% with less than 5% error for 98.2% (load) and 95.5% (generation) of all municipalities and hence decrease the simulation time needed to create sufficient training data. This paper combines time series aggregation and emulation in a novel approach and shows significant acceleration by up to 88.9% of the model's initial runtime for the simulation of the entire population of around 12,000 municipalities. The time for re-calculating the population (e.g., for different scenarios or sensitivity analysis) can be increased by a factor of 1100 while still retaining high accuracy. The analysis of the simulation time shows that time series aggregation and emulation, considered individually, only bring minor improvements in the runtime but can, however, be combined effectively. This can significantly speed up both the simulation itself and the training of the emulation model and allows for flexible use, depending on the capabilities of the models and the practitioners. The results of the peer-to-peer pricing for approximately 12,000 German municipalities show great potential for energy communities. The mechanisms offer good incentives for the addition of necessary flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Special Issue of the Energies Journal on Deep Borehole Disposal of Nuclear Waste has delivered a timely update on the science and technology of borehole disposal and the types of radioactive wastes it could potentially accommodate. The Special Issue papers discuss (i) circumstances under which a national waste management programme might wish to consider deep borehole disposal; (ii) a status report of deep borehole disposal options in Germany; (iii) the analysis of corrosion performance of engineered barrier systems; (iv) a review of the potential cementing systems suitable for deep borehole disposal; (v) the thermal evolution around heat-generating waste for a wide range of material properties and disposal configurations; (vi) a geochemical analysis of deep brines focussed on fluid-rock interactions; (vii) post-closure performance assessment calculations for deep borehole disposal of Cs/Sr capsules and an example safety case for (viii) horizontal and (ix) vertical deep borehole disposal of nuclear wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies socioeconomic factors that are supposed to impact the investment decision of private households in Germany regarding small-scale solar PV (photovoltaic) systems. In 2022, the last nuclear power plant will phase out and the end of coal-fired power plants is fixed for 2038. Thus, the legislator is mandated to foster the addition of renewable energy capacities to close the gap fossil fuels and nuclear power leaves. Some share of the renewable energies could be from private households that mainly invest in small-scale solar PV systems. To stimulate investments, it is necessary to identify factors that are important for the investment decisions of private households. Within this paper, secondary socioeconomic data for the period from 2009–2018 was compiled. In order to identify the latent variables, a factor analysis was conducted. The results state five factors that are supposed to impact the investment decisions of the prosumer in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industry 4.0, a term invented by Wolfgang Wahlster in Germany, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2021. Still, the digitalization of the production environment is one of the hottest topics in the computer science departments at universities and companies. Optimization of production processes or redefinition of the production concepts is meaningful in light of the current industrial and research agendas. Both the mentioned optimization and redefinition are considered in numerous subtopics and technologies. One of the most significant topics in these areas is the newest findings and applications of artificial intelligence (AI)—machine learning (ML) and deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs). The authors invented a method and device that supports the wiring assembly in the control cabinet production process, namely, the Wire Label Reader (WLR) industrial system. The implementation of this device was a big technical challenge. It required very advanced IT technologies, ML, image recognition, and DCNN as well. This paper focuses on an in-depth description of the underlying methodology of this device, its construction, and foremostly, the assembly industrial processes, through which this device is implemented. It was significant for the authors to validate the usability of the device within mentioned production processes and to express both advantages and challenges connected to such assembly process development. The authors noted that in-depth studies connected to the effects of AI applications in the presented area are sparse. Further, the idea of the WLR device is presented while also including results of DCNN training (with recognition results of 99.7% although challenging conditions), the device implementation in the wire assembly production process, and its users' opinions. The authors have analyzed how the WLR affects assembly process time and energy consumption, and accordingly, the advantages and challenges of the device. Among the most impressive results of the WLR implementation in the assembly process one can be mentioned—the device ensures significant process time reduction regardless of the number of characters printed on a wire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excess heat can make an important contribution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the heating and cooling sector. Due to the local character of heat, the local excess heat potential is decisive for using excess heat. However, the spatially distributed potential and the subdivision of the potential into different subsectors have not been sufficiently investigated in Germany. Here we analyse the excess heat potential in Germany according to different subsectors and spatially distributed to the municipal level. We use data of more than 115,000 records on exhaust gas and fuel input from over 11,000 industrial sites. We calculate the site-specific excess heat potential and check its plausibility using the fuel input of the respective industrial sites. Finally, we compare the excess heat potential with the residential heat demand at the municipal level. Our results show that the excess heat potential in Germany is about 36.6 TWh/a, and that in 148 municipalities, the annual excess heat potential is greater than 50% of the annual heat demand. In conclusion, there is a large potential for excess heat utilisation in Germany. In some regions, more excess heat is available throughout the year than is needed to provide space heat and hot water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

German electricity giants have recently taken high-level decisions to remove selected fossil fuel operations from their company portfolio. This new corporate strategy could be seen as a direct response to the growing global influence of the fossil fuel divestment campaign. In this paper we ask whether the divestment movement currently exerts significant influence on decision-making at the top four German energy giants--E.On, RWE, Vattenfall and EnBW. We find that this is not yet the case. After describing the trajectory of the global fossil fuel divestment campaign, we outline four alternative influences on corporate strategy that, currently, are having a greater impact than the divestment movement on Germany's power sector. In time, however, clear political decisions and strong civil support may increase the significance of climate change concerns in the strategic management of the German electricity giants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the German Energiewende, the current government intends to install six million heat pumps by 2030. Replacing gas heating by power has significant implications on the infrastructure. One of the biggest advantages of using gas is the existing storage portfolio. It has not been clarified yet how power demand should be structured on an annual level—especially since power storage is already a problem and solar power is widely promoted to fuel heat pumps, despite having an inverse profile. In this article, three different solutions, namely, hydrogen, batteries, and carbon capture and storage, are discussed with respect to resources, energy, and financial demand. It shows that relying solely on batteries or hydrogen is not solving the structuring problem. A combination of all existing technologies (including fossil fuels) is required to structure the newly generated electricity demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meeting Germany's climate targets urgently demands substantial investment in renewable energies such as hydrogen, as well as tackling industrial CO2 emissions with a strong CO2 transport infrastructure. This is particularly crucial for CO2-heavy industries such as steel, cement, lime production, power plants, and chemical plants, given Germany's ban on onshore storage. The CO2 transport network is essential for maintaining a circular economy by capturing, transporting, and either storing or utilizing CO2. This study fills gaps in CO2 pipeline transport research, examining pipeline diameters, costs, and pressure drop, and providing sensitivity analysis. Key findings show that the levelized cost of CO2 transport (LCO2T) ranges from 0.25 €/t to 55.82 €/t based on varying transport masses (1000 t/day to 25,000 t/day) and distances (25 km to 500 km), with compression costs pushing LCO2T to 33.21 €/t to 92.82 €/t. Analyzing eight pipeline diameters (150 mm to 500 mm) and the impact of CO2 flow temperature on pressure loss highlights the importance of selecting optimal pipeline sizes. Precise booster station placement is also crucial, as it significantly affects the total LCO2T. Exploring these areas can offer a more thorough understanding of the best strategies for developing cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable transport infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germany is undergoing an energy transition. By 2045, fossil fuels will be gradually replaced by clean energy. An alternative option is to use geothermal, solar and wind energy to generate heat or electricity. Currently, an economic model that considers these three energy sources and incorporates the design and installation of the energy system as well as operational costing focusing on the local market is lacking. In this study, we present a concept for a hybrid energy system combining solar, wind and geothermal energy for small, detached houses. We also develop a simplified economic model for the German market and local energy subsidy policies. The model was applied to two different cities in northern Germany, calculating the installation and long-term operating costs of different energy systems and combinations over a period of 100 years, including the consideration of the lifespan of variable equipment. The calculations show that for this small hybrid energy system the initial installation costs can vary from EUR 20,344 to EUR 70,186 depending on different portfolios. Long-term operating costs come mainly from electricity purchased from the grid to compensate for periods of low solar or wind production. In addition, the study included a calculation of the payback period for retrofitting a natural gas heating system. Results show that combining a photovoltaic system with a ground source heat pump, especially in the form of a near-surface heat exchanger, yields a shorter payback period (5 to 10 years). However, the incorporation of on-roof wind turbines into the hybrid energy system may significantly prolong the payback period and is therefore not recommended for use in low wind speed areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduction in PV prices and interest in energy independence accelerate the adoption of residential battery storage. This storage can support various functions of an energy system undergoing decarbonization. In this work, operative benefits of storage from the system perspective, namely, generation cost reduction and congestion mitigation, are investigated. Germany is chosen as a case study due to its strong reliance on variable renewable energy. For the analysis, an economic dispatch model with a high spatial resolution is coupled with a pan-European transmission grid model. It is shown that the system's generation costs are highest when the assets are used only to maximize PV self-consumption, and the costs are lowest when the storage also reacts to the market dynamics. This amounts to a 6% cost reduction. Both operation strategies result in an equal level of grid congestion and infrastructure loading. This is improved with a strategy that accounts for regional peak reduction as a secondary objective. The high congestion level emphasizes that grid expansion needs to keep pace with the generation and electrification expansion necessary to decarbonize other sectors. Lastly, policymakers should enable multipurpose utilization, e.g., via the introduction of market-oriented retail electricity prices with intervention options for grid operators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last ten years have witnessed an increase in publications focusing on bioeconomy as a proposal to confront the global challenges of climate change, depletion of non-renewable resources and ecosystem degradation. This paper investigates the scientific literature on issues related agricultural bioeconomy by applying a bibliometric network analysis. Bibliometric analysis is applied to the publications of the Scopus database during the period 2010–2020 in order to provide an overview of the main aspects that characterize agricultural bioeconomy. The results showed that out of a total of 1100 scientific papers, only 2.45% were published in 2010, while the corresponding share in 2020 was 20.81%. In the five years of 2016–2020, cumulatively, 70.63% of the publications were made, showing the dynamic evolution of bioeconomy. In addition, out of 85 countries in total, Germany and Italy are the two countries with most publications, while the fragmentation of research is evident with the creation of two main nodes, the European and the American. Moreover, keyword analysis showed that biomass and sustainability are two main recurring concepts, confirming that, currently, bioeconomy operates at three different levels: energy demand, land demand, and governance. It is apparent that to boost the development of agricultural bioeconomy, the following aspects should be assessed: the effective use of resources, an understanding of the key drivers of agricultural bioeconomy, and a clear perception of their associations. There is still no consensus as to which are the key factors that will accelerate its sustainable development. Our pursuit is to use the tools of bibliometric analysis to reach more critical conclusions regarding the agricultural bioeconomy, rather than approach it in a static way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing use of sensitive loads in frequency converters and in relays in distribution networks, voltage sag has become a major power quality issue that urgently needs to be solved. For the purpose of improving the understanding of voltage sag severity in distribution networks, a comprehensive weight-based severity evaluation method of voltage sag is presented in this paper. First, a multi-side index system that takes into account the combined influence of the source, network, and the load is established. A comprehensive weight method, which combines the improved analytic hierarchy process (IAHP) and the entropy method, is then adopted to determine the index weight. The weight of each index and the degree of superiority are linearly weighted to obtain the severity of voltage sag at different observation points. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified using a distribution network model established in DIgSILENT PowerFactory (15.1.7, Gomaringen, Germany). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The campus of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) contains several waste heat streams. In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by optimizing thermal power consumption on the campus, researchers at the KIT are proposing a 'DeepStor' project, which will sequester waste heat from these streams in an underground reservoir during the summer months, when the heat is not required. The stored heat will then be reproduced in the winter, when the campus's thermal power demand is much higher. This paper contains a preliminary geochemical risk assessment for the operation of this subsurface, seasonal geothermal energy storage system. We used equilibrium thermodynamics to determine the potential phases and extent of mineral scale formation in the plant's surface infrastructure, and to identify possible precipitation, dissolution, and ion exchange reactions that may lead to formation damage in the reservoir. The reservoir in question is the Meletta Beds of the Upper Rhein Graben's Froidefontaine Formation. We modeled scale- and formation damage-causing reactions during six months of injecting 140 °C fluid into the reservoir during the summer thermal storage season and six months of injecting 80 °C fluid during the winter thermal consumption season. Overall, we ran the models for 5 years. Anhydrite and calcite are expected mineral scales during the thermal storage season (summer). Quartz is the predicted scale-forming mineral during the thermal consumption period (winter). Within ~20 m of the wellbores, magnesium and iron are leached from biotite; calcium and magnesium are leached from dolomite; and sodium, aluminum, and silica are leached from albite. These reactions lead to a net increase in both porosity and permeability in the wellbore adjacent region. At a distance of ~20–75 m from the wellbores, the leached ions recombine with the reservoir rocks to form a variety of clays, i.e., saponite, minnesotaite, and daphnite. These alteration products lead to a net loss in porosity and permeability in this zone. After each thermal storage and production cycle, the reservoir shows a net retention of heat, suggesting that the operation of the proposed DeepStor project could successfully store heat, if the geochemical risks described in this paper can managed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensive electrification of the automotive sector means that the energy system must be able to adapt to the current market situation. The increase in energy demand is a major factor associated with electric vehicles. The study analyzed the operation of a grid-connected facility operating a vehicle fleet providing transport services in the region Halle/Saale, Germany. Measurement data were used in the analysis, including global positioning system data of the vehicles and technical data, including average fuel consumption on a given route section, daily load demand of the industrial facility, and energy generation from photovoltaics. This paper shows the impact of using a battery electric vehicles (BEVs) fleet in the load distribution for the industrial facility considered. The NEDC energy consumption profile for the Nissan e-NV200 were used in this study. Furthermore, the paper presented simulation results allowing one to determine the usage potential, energy demand, and consumption of EVs using real data, reliably representing the processes related to EV daily use. The measurement data were captured using available specialized equipment: Dako-Key (GPS data), PV power generation (Siemens 7KM PAC4200), and load (Janitza UMG 604-Pro) in September, 2018. On this basis, it is possible to identify the effects and variations in load on the power grid during the replacement of combustion vehicle fleets used currently by EVs for the provision of transport services. Three models were presented, making it possible to calculate changes in energy demand for each scenario. In the first model, EVs were charged exclusively from the distribution network. In the second, the energy generation from a renewable source was considered and the possibility of compensating the energy demand of the vehicles from this source was demonstrated. In the third model, the daily load profile and the period of maximum load in the electricity grid were considered. The results are presented in graphical and tabular form. Finally, the potential of using an EV fleet to increase the functionality of a modern industry object was determined and discussed. Based on data for the adopted scenarios, electrification of transport can increase demand for energy by 40.9% for individual enterprises. The electrification of the automotive sector will increase the instantaneous energy demand of businesses, forcing the integration of renewable energy sources during designing new invests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy (RE) is one of the most popular public policy orientations worldwide. Compared to some other countries and continents, Europe has gained an early awareness of energy and environmental problems in general. At the theoretical level, free-market environmentalism indicates that based on the principle of private property rights, with fewer state interventionist and regulation policies, entrepreneurs, as the driving force of the market economy, can provide better services to meet the necessity of offering RE to protect the environment more effectively. Previous studies have revealed that Germany, Denmark, and the United Kingdom have made some progress in using the market to develop RE. However, this research did not analyze the three countries' RE conditions from the perspective of free-market environmentalism. Based on our review of the principles of free-market environmentalism, this paper originally provides an empirical study of how Germany, Denmark, and the United Kingdom have partly conducted free-market-oriented policies to successfully achieve their policy goal of RE since the 1990s on a practical level. In particular, compared with Germany and Denmark, the UK has maintained a relatively low energy tax rate and opted for more pro-market measures since the Hayekian-Thatcherism free-market reform of 1979. The paper also discovers that Fredrich A. Hayek's theories have strongly impacted its energy liberalization reform agenda since then. Low taxes on the energy industry and electricity have alleviated the burden on the electricity enterprises and consumers in the UK. Moreover, the empirical results above show that the energy enterprises play essential roles in providing better and more affordable RE for household and industrial users in the three sampled countries. Based on the above results, the paper also warns that state intervention policies such as taxation, state subsidies, and industrial access restrictions can impede these three countries' RE targets. Additionally, our research provides reform agendas and policy suggestions to policymakers on the importance of implementing free-market environmentalism to provide more efficient RE in the post-COVID-19 era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term transition pathways to a low-carbon energy system are analysed by applying the energy system model REMod. All in all, the paper contributes to the current research through an innovative scenario approach, using assumptions for societal trends and quantitative results for scenarios, analysing the paths towards climate neutrality and defossilization in 2050. In the case study of Germany, these trends and drivers influence the results and the technology composition in each consumption sector (buildings, transport, and industry). Across all scenarios, it can be observed that the electrification of all sectors is important for the defossilization of the energy system, as the direct use of electricity from renewable energy is more efficient than the consumption of carbon-neutral synthetic energy carriers. However, different consumer behavior (e.g., non-acceptance or resistance against specific technologies) influences not only the efficient use of (green) electricity, it also changes the optimal pathways of the transition to paths with greater efforts. One potential societal trend—sufficiency—could be an important cornerstone for reaching the targets, as the required expansion and exchange of technologies are lower and thus facilitate the transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future transport systems will rely on new electrified drives utilizing batteries and hydrogen-powered fuel cells or combustion engines with sustainable fuels. These systems must complement each other and should not be viewed as competing. Properties such as efficiency, range, as well as transport and storage properties will determine their use cases. This article looks at the usability of liquid electro-fuels in freight transport and analyzes the production capacities that will be necessary through 2050 in Germany. Different scenarios with varying market shares of electro-fuels are considered. A scenario with a focus on fuel cells foresees a quantity of 220 PJ of electro-fuels, i.e., 5.1 million tons, which reduces 80% of carbon dioxide emissions in LDV and HDV transport. A further scenario achieves carbon-neutrality and leads to a demand for nearly 17 million tons of e-fuel, corresponding to 640 PJ. Considering a final production rate of 5.1 million tons of electro-fuels per year leads to maximum investment costs of around EUR 350 million/year in 2036 during the ramp-up phase. The total investment costs for synthesis plants amount to EUR 4.02 billion. A carbon-neutrality scenario requires more than a factor 3 for investment for the production facilities of electro-fuels alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy production is one of the most important strategies to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. However, wind and solar energy especially depend on time-varying properties of the environment, such as weather. Hence, for the control and stabilization of electricity grids, the accurate forecasting of energy production from renewable energy sources is essential. This study provides an empirical comparison of the forecasting accuracy of electricity generation from renewable energy sources by different deep learning methods, including five different Transformer-based forecasting models based on weather data. The models are compared with the long short-term memory (LSTM) and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models as a baseline. The accuracy of these models is evaluated across diverse forecast periods, and the impact of utilizing selected weather data versus all available data on predictive performance is investigated. Distinct performance patterns emerge among the Transformer-based models, with Autoformer and FEDformer exhibiting suboptimal results for this task, especially when utilizing a comprehensive set of weather parameters. In contrast, the Informer model demonstrates superior predictive capabilities for onshore wind power and photovoltaic (PV) power production. The Informer model consistently performs well in predicting both onshore wind and PV energy. Notably, the LSTM model outperforms all other models across various categories. This research emphasizes the significance of selectively using weather parameters for improved performance compared to employing all parameters and a time reference. We show that the suitability and performance of a prediction model can vary significantly, depending on the specific forecasting task and the data that are provided to the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decentralized feed-ins from distributed energy resources (DER) represent a significant change in the manner in which the power grid is used. If this leads to high loads on electrical equipment, its aging can be accelerated. This applies in particular with regard to the thermal aging of older generations of power cables, namely paper insulated lead covered (PILC) cables. This type of power cable can still be found frequently in medium voltage (MV) networks. If aging of these cables is significantly accelerated in the presence of DER, distribution system operators (DSO) could face unplanned premature cable failures and a high replacement demand and costs. Therefore, this paper investigates the thermal aging of PILC cables in a MV distribution network benchmark for different load scenarios, using standardized load profiles and representative expansion scenarios for wind power and photovoltaics plants in particularly affected network areas in Germany. A main objective of this paper is to present a methodology for estimating the thermal degradation of PILC cables. An approach is used to draw simplified conclusions from the loading of cables to their conductor or insulation temperature. For this purpose, mainly Joule losses are considered. In addition, thermal time constants are used for the heating and cooling processes. Based on the insulation temperature, thermal aging is determined using the Arrhenius law or the Montsinger rule. However, it is important to note that there is an urgent need for research on reference data in this area. For this reason, the results of the lifetime estimation presented in this paper should only be considered as an approximation if the selected reference data from the literature for the aging model are actually applicable. The lifetime assessment is performed for a highly utilized line segment of the network benchmark. Accordingly, extreme values are examined. Different operational control strategies of DSO to limit cable utilization are investigated. The results show that the expansion of DER can lead to a short but high cable utilization, although the average utilization does not increase or increases only slightly. This can lead to significantly lower cable lifetimes. The possible influence of these temporarily high loads is shown by comparing the resulting cable lifetime with previous situations without DER. It is also shown that DSO could already reduce excessive aging of PILC cables by preventing overloads in a few hours of a year. In addition to these specific results, general findings on the network load due to the influence of DER are obtained, which are of interest for congestion management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing penetration of renewable resources into the low-voltage distribution grid, the demand for alternatives to grid reinforcement measures has risen. One possible solution is the use of battery systems to balance the power flow at crucial locations in the grid. Hereby, the optimal location and size of the system have to be determined in regard to investment and its effect on grid stability. In this paper, the optimal placement and sizing of battery storage systems for grid stabilization in a small low-voltage distribution grid in southern Germany with high PV penetration are investigated and compared to a grid heuristic reinforcement strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hygrothermal assessment is essential to the production of healthy and energy efficient buildings. This has given rise to the demand for the development of a hygrothermal laboratory, as input data to hygrothermal modeling tools can only be sourced and validated through appropriate empirical measurements in a laboratory. These data are then used to quantify a building's dynamic characteristic moisture transport vis-a-vis a much more comprehensive energy performance analysis through simulation. This paper discusses the methods used to establish Australia's first hygrothermal laboratory for testing the water vapor resistivity properties of construction materials. The approach included establishing a climatically controlled hygrothermal test room with an automatic integrated system which controls heating, cooling, humidifying, and de-humidifying as required. The data acquisition for this hygrothermal test room operates with the installation of environmental sensors connected to specific and responsive programming codes. The room was successfully controlled to deliver a relative humidity of 50% with ±1%RH deviation and at 23 °C temperature with ±1 °C fluctuation during the testing of the water vapor diffusion properties of a pliable membrane common in Australian residential construction. To validate the potential of this testing facility, an independent measurement was also conducted at the Fraunhofer Institute of Building Physics laboratory (IBP) Holzkirchen, Germany for the diffusion properties of the same pliable membrane. The inter-laboratory testing results were subjected to statistical analysis of variance, this indicates that there is no significant difference between the result obtained in both laboratories. In conclusion, this paper demonstrates that a low-cost hygrothermally controlled test room can successfully replace the more expensive climatic chamber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]