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We suggest a new methodology for designing robust energy systems. For this, we investigate so-called near-optimal solutions to energy system optimisation models; solutions whose objective values deviate only marginally from the optimum.…
Models for long-term investment planning of the power system typically return a single optimal solution per set of cost assumptions. However, typically there are many near-optimal alternatives that stand out due to other attractive…
Cost optimal scenarios derived from models of a highly renewable electricity system depend on the specific input data, cost assumptions and system constraints. Here this influence is studied using a techno-economic optimisation model for a…
To achieve ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in time, the planning of future energy systems needs to accommodate societal preferences, e.g. low levels of acceptance for transmission expansion or onshore wind turbines, and…
The transition to net-zero emissions in Europe is determined by a patchwork of country-level and EU-wide policy, creating coordination challenges in an interconnected system. We use an optimisation model to map out near-optimal energy…
The resource quality and the temporal generation pattern of variable renewable energy sources vary significantly across Europe. In this paper spatial distributions of renewable assets are explored which exploit this heterogeneity to lower…
Given the urgent need to devise credible, deep strategies for carbon neutrality, approaches for `modelling to generate alternatives' (MGA) are gaining popularity in the energy sector. Yet, MGA faces limitations when applied to…
The transformation of the energy system has raised concerns about the reliability of fully renewable energy systems. We address this question for a 2050 European energy system using an economically optimal adequacy assessment. Our results…
In power systems, large-scale optimisation problems are extensively used to plan for capacity expansion at the supra-national level. However, their cost-optimal solutions are often not exploitable by decision-makers who are preferably…
Studies have evaluated the economic feasibility of 100% renewable power systems using the optimization approach, but the mechanisms determining the results remain poorly understood. Based on a simple but essential model, this study found…
Power systems modeling and planning has long leveraged mathematical programming for its ability to provide optimality and feasibility guarantees. One feature that has been recognized in the optimization literature since the 1970s is the…
The energy transition is well underway in most European countries. It has a growing impact on electric power systems as it dramatically modifies the way electricity is produced. To ensure a safe and smooth transition towards a pan-European…
Many optimization problems admit a number of local optima, among which there is the global optimum. For these problems, various heuristic optimization methods have been proposed. Comparing the results of these solvers requires the…
The ambitious energy target to achieve climate-neutrality in the European Union (EU) energy system raises the feasibility question of using only renewables across all energy sectors. As one of the EU's leading industrialized countries,…
Social acceptance is a multifaceted consideration when planning future energy systems, yet often challenging to address endogeneously. One key aspect regards the spatial distribution of investments. Here, I evaluate the cost impact and…
Pathways that describe the optimal evolution of energy systems across multiple decades are important in energy system research and policy literature, with net-zero and similar climate policies being common drivers behind them. While there…
There is a general need of elaborating energy-effective solutions for managing our increasingly dense interconnected world. The problem should be tackled in multiple dimensions -technology, society, economics, law, regulations, and…
Industrial decision-makers often base decisions on mathematical optimization models to achieve cost-efficient design solutions in energy transitions. However, since a model can only approximate reality, the optimal solution is not…
The determination of environmentally- and economically-optimal energy system designs and operations is complex. In particular, the integration of weather-dependent renewable energy technologies into energy system optimization models…
A variety of methods are developed for characterising the free energy landscapes of continuum, Landau-type free energy models. Using morphologies of lipid vesicles and a multistable liquid crystal device as examples, I show that the methods…