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Load-shifting is a demand-side management (DSM) strategy to support the efficiency of the electricity grid during hours of peak demand. Load-shifting at the appliance level is an interesting topic to review, since appliance usage is one of the main inputs of the load-profile analysis. More literature reviews on load-shifting at the appliance level are required, as this is a specific issue in the body of literature on load-profile research, though only a limited number of studies are available at this time. It is also essential to focus on appliance usage patterns to improve our understanding of the impacts and characteristics of different appliances. Existing studies on load-shifting have used commonly structured literature reviews; our work addresses the transparency of each stage and substage in the selection of the final list of studies. The findings show that efficiency has been achieved in installed-capacity reductions; costs, including those of emission reductions; and peak consumption reductions. The most frequently used method in load-shifting at the appliance level is to develop load-shifting optimization algorithms. This work contributes by providing a transparent process of drawing up a systematicity literature review as a source of knowledge and grounded theory. It also contributes to specific research on load-shifting at the appliance level by highlighting and discussing the key findings for the reader. In particular, it contributes to improving energy efficiency by describing load-shifting methods at the appliance level and identifying both controllable and uncontrollable appliances. This detailed literature review at the appliance level can make valuable contributions in support of decision- and policymaking by illuminating new dynamic systems specifically in load-shifting and in demand-side management in general for energy efficiency purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Det forventes, at brint bliver en vigtig brik i den grønne omstilling af det fremtidige energisystem. Brint kan især bidrage til omstilling af industrien samt til at producere brændstoffer til international transport. Denne artikel bygger på en analyse med energisystemmodellen, Balmorel. Der ses på minimering af omkostninger ved at opfylde Europas fremtidige brintbehov enten ved lokal produktion af brint via elektrolyse eller fra naturgas med CCS eller ved at importere brint fra andre steder. Resultaterne viser, at Danmark vil kunne dække den fremtidige nationale brintefterspørgsel samt have mulighed for at eksportere brint i forskellige fremtidige scenarier. Dog er det vigtigt, at vi betragter konkurrencen af brintproduktion baseret på solceller i Sydeuropa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hard-to-electrify sectors will require renewable fuels to facilitate the green transition in the future. Therefore, it is crucial to identify promising production locations while taking into account the local biomass resources, variable renewable energy sources, and the synergies between sectors. In this study, investments and dispatch operations are optimised of a large catalogue of renewable fuel production technologies in the open-source software SpineOpt, and this is soft-linked to the comprehensive energy system model Balmorel. We analyse future production pathways by comparing various levels of hydrogen infrastructure, including large-scale hydrogen storage, and assess system impacts. The results indicate that methanol may provide synergies in its multipurpose use as an early (2030–2040) shipping fuel and later as an aviation fuel through further refining if ammonia becomes more competitive (2050). We furthermore show that a hydrogen infrastructure increases the competitiveness of non-flexible, hydrogen-based fuel production technologies. Offshore electrolysis hubs decrease energy system impacts in scenarios with 105 TWh of Nordic hydrogen export. However, hydrogen export scenarios are much costlier compared to scenarios with no export unless a high hydrogen price is received. Finally, we find that emission taxes in the range of 250–265 €/tCO 2 will be necessary for renewable fuels to become competitive. [Display omitted] • Renewable fuel production is modelled by soft-linking Balmorel and SpineOpt. • Decarbonising Nordic international transport requires emission taxes around 260 €/tCO 2. • Hydrogen infrastructure benefits inflexible, hydrogen-based fuel production. • Methanol, ammonia and Fischer–Tropsch fuels all play a role as future transport fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This short communication is based on a workshop on hydrogen network modeling in macro-energy system models discussing the whole hydrogen value chain: production, transmission, storage, and use, as well as the related issues of demand flexibility, alternative fuels of biological origin, and the integration with district heating. It was organized by the Danish research network ENERforsk with leading modelers from academia, industry, and transmission system operators. The workshop collected (1) lessons learned, (2) best practices, and (3) potential next steps. We conclude that no-regret pathways need to consider evolving hydrogen regulation while balancing social aspects with interests driven by green industrial policy. Important and uncertain issues include the repurposing of natural gas networks, considering hydrogen pipeline standards and existing contracts, or the disposal of brine water. As more demand sectors and carbonaceous fuels are included in the models, carbon management, sustainable biomass, and carbon networks become more important. Collecting and incorporating lessons learned, best practices, and potential next steps will help the modeling community and policymakers to develop sound policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel modelling framework allow spatiotemporal optimisation of energy systems. • Co-simulating regional power market model and local biomass and district heat model. • New detailed spatial optimisation of renewable gas and fuel production. • PtX shows promising economic-viability in the future. • Excess heat from biorefineries is efficiently used for district heating. This study conducts an integrated energy system assessment to evaluate pathways for using locally distributed sustainable biomass resources in the conversion to renewable gas and liquid biofuels in future integrated energy systems. A modelling framework with a detailed spatiotemporal representation is used, optimising the usage and transportation of local biomass resources for producing renewable gas and renewable liquid fuels through the OptiFlow model, along with the comprehensive power and district heating model Balmorel, integrating short-term dynamics in the long-term planning horizon. Results for a fossil-independent Danish energy system by 2050 show that production of bio-jet fuel in Denmark would impose high pressure on national biomass resources. Electrofuels, such as biomethanol, have economic viability and promising potentials. The results regarding renewable gas production show that anaerobic co-digestion of a mixed feedstock to produce biogas, which is further upgraded to biomethane using water scrubbing for CO 2 removal, would be the preferred option. Biorefineries are located near larger cities to benefit from economy of scale and access to large district heating networks, as excess heat from biorefineries could supply up to 21% of the national district heating demand. On the contrary, biogas plants would be located in the countryside, as the costs of transporting manure are a determining factor. Therefore, our study provides a novel modelling approach, which enables optimisation of geographical distributed resources for renewable gas and liquid fuel production, while taking synergies across energy vectors in account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A radical adjustment to current energy systems will be imperative in achieving the Paris Agreement. This paper analyses the holistic 2050 Danish energy system and particularly its future transport sector, which aims to be fossil fuel independent. Using a linear optimisation tool (Balmorel-OptiFlow), the role of electrofuels is analysed at a high temporal and geographic resolution for the Nordic + German region. Electrofuel technologies have been investigated and incorporated into the energy model creating a comprehensive catalogue of alternative fuel pathways. Results reveal an energy system with a high reliance on variable energy sources. Electrofuels that utilise biomass have been found to be more economically attractive compared to electrofuels using carbon capture. Biomass costs, fuel demands, and electricity prices drive the competition between the evaluated alternative fuel pathways. Carbon capture technologies are found to not play a role in the production of transport fuels unless future biomass resources are more limited or costly than expected. Additionally, it has been found that temporal resolution can greatly affect results when modelling alternative fuel pathways. The study concludes that electrofuels - particularly those using biomass - can play a prominent role in future transport sectors. • Electrofuels have high use potential in future transport systems. • Fuels using hydrogen can be more economically attractive compared to biofuels. • Modelling of electrofuels in holistic energy systems enables sector coupling. • Novel modelling of electrofuels with high temporal and spatial resolution. • Linkage of power market model and detailed spatiotemporal network model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, pit thermal energy storage (PTES) systems have been used as a large-scale heat storage solution in district heating systems due to their low specific investment cost and high storage efficiency. Despite the existing knowledge on thermal energy storage (TES) technologies, their economic and environmental impacts have not been quantified in the literature, and very few studies have studied PTES as part of the energy system. For this reason, the energy system model Balmorel was used to quantify the impact of TES on the energy system, particularly PTES, and compare it to the tank thermal energy storage (TTES) alternative. The investigation was focused on Denmark and its neighboring countries. It was found that it was only the energy systems using TES that could achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The main reason was the added flexibility due to the energy storage that allowed the system to have a 35% higher PV capacity, 10% higher wind capacity, and lower levels of curtailment. Additionally, systems with TES had 2.4 €/MWh lower average heat price (with 24% lower peak price). When comparing PTES with TTES, it was found that PTES systems were more advantageous, achieving a 1.5 €/MWh lower average price of heat. • Integration of thermal energy storage in energy systems using the Balmorel model. • Sector coupling was included by modeling the power, heat, gas, and transport sectors. • Thermal storage enabled 10% lower average heat price and 24% lower peak price. • Thermal storage allowed high renewable utilization, limiting dispatchable production. • The impact of pit storages on the energy system was quantified and compared to tanks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent European and German climate targets call for a faster power system transition towards variable renewable energy sources. With the increasing importance of Open Science, several Open Source models have been developed in recent years. However, only a few studies exist that compare their performance against each other. Therefore, this study performs a comprehensive model comparison of five mature Open Source power sector models. For this purpose, we apply eight fully harmonized and simplified one-year scenarios for the German power sector, to analyze deviations in model results. First, an in-depth analysis of two base scenarios for 2016 and 2030 reveals that linear programming-based models differ substantially from models with pre-implemented dispatch orders. Other deviations occur across all models and are mainly caused by the indifferent use of flexibility options such as storage and transmission. Second, variations of parameters and characteristics with a political significance are individually applied to the 2030 base scenario to identify their impact on model results. This includes CO 2 emission budgets, increased demands by sector coupling, coal exit strategies, and renewable generation shares. The results prove that some models are far more sensitive to these parameters than others, and renewable generation shares alone are not sufficient to reach desired effects in emission reductions. Finally, a comprehensive scenario for 2030 combines all measures to evaluate general trends that result from the most recent updates in German energy policy. Model results indicate that the new targets require substantially increased investments into renewable generation capacities, storage, and transmission. • Comprehensive scenario-based model comparison with five mature Open Source power system models. • Evaluation of eight scenarios that model the transition of the German power sector until 2030. • Linear programming-based models differ substantially from models with an implemented dispatch structure. • Sensitivity towards policy-relevant modeling parameters is more or less pronounced, depending on the used model. • Updated political targets call for substantially increased investments into renewable and flexible technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy system modeling is a commonly used method to provide policy recommendations and insight to transformation pathways of energy systems. However, the low open-source availability of the frameworks in practice often leads to low interpretability and transparency of energy modeling system configurations. The configuration of an energy model entails how its system components, such as power plants, storage systems and grids operate, and which parameters are used to define them. In order to understand the impact of different model configurations and working principles on the model output, a thorough comparison between various modeling frameworks is necessary. This work thereby consists of a comparison of five open-source energy system modeling frameworks (OS-ESMFs) oemof , GENeSYS-MOD , Balmorel , urbs and GENESYS-2 on the mathematical level and spotlights selected methodological differences in renewable energy system modeling. The comparison shows diversity in the complexity of selected system components and helps to define the best use-cases and scales of application for each framework. Impacts of modeled features on the results were demonstrated by implementing two harmonized scenarios depicting the German electricity system using each framework. While similar model results were obtained for both scenarios, some differences were present, especially in the long-term expansion planning model. Some of those differences could be traced back to the identified modeling differences. • Selected mathematical features of five open energy modeling frameworks are compared. • A common terminology to facilitate direct mathematical comparison is developed. • Key feature differences are presented to increase transparency of modeling activities. • Influences of the modeling differences on the model results is demonstrated. • The frameworks show various differences, but remain flexible in specific application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]