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Hydrogen is often suggested as a universal fuel that can replace fossil fuels. This paper analyses the feasibility of direct hydrogen utilisation in all energy sectors in a 100% renewable energy system for Europe in 2050 using hour-by-hour energy system analysis. Our results show that using hydrogen for heating purposes has high costs and low energy efficiency. Hydrogen for electricity production is beneficial only in limited quantities to restrict biomass consumption, but increases the system costs due to losses. The transport sector results show that hydrogen is an expensive alternative to liquid e-fuels and electrified transport due to high infrastructure costs and respectively low energy efficiency. The industry sector may benefit from hydrogen to reduce biomass at a lower cost than in the other energy sectors, but electrification and e-methane may be more feasible. Seen from a systems perspective, hydrogen will play a key role in future renewable energy systems, but primarily as e-fuel feedstock rather than direct end-fuel in the hard-to-abate sectors.

This study develops scenarios aiming to transition the Chilean energy system in 2050 to 100% renewable energy; taking into account local resource potentials, demands, cross-sectoral integration of the electricity, heating, transport, and industrial sectors, and synergies in their related infrastructures. The energy system model EnergyPLAN is used to simulate the hourly operation of the energy system. The relationship between potential CO2 emissions reductions and relative costs is estimated using marginal abatement cost curves with the EPLANoptMAC tool to assess the optimal sequence of capacity expansion and carbon abatement alternatives. The analysis demonstrates that it is possible to carry out this transition from a technical perspective more efficiently than what is proposed with current national scenarios while still aligning with climate neutrality targets; and that, in different phases of the Chilean energy transition, specific options could be prioritized based on an improved balance between carbon abatement and costs.

In order to support European-wide transition of heating systems, it is useful to categorise the types of transitions that are necessary. Coherent actions are needed at (supra-)national level to support transition aligned with the energy efficiency first principle and long-term development of a smart energy system. Owing to the decentralised nature of heating, transition must also reflect particular local circumstances. This article uses commonalities between countries to create a representative typology, which can suggest appropriate policies for transition. Following the energy efficiency first principle, transition should include supply-side and demand-side efficiency to ensure coherency and efficient use of resources. Their comparative analysis supports implementing the energy efficiency first principle locally, and a more coherent European strategy for the heating sector. Methodologically, 14 national heating strategies are considered which include current and future energy system developments, demand- and supply side energy efficiency, hectare-level thermal mapping and energy system analysis. Four heat sector types are proposed and discussed. These are (1) extant heat planning traditions, aiming for more efficiency and integration; (2) extant heating infrastructure, aiming to refurbish and upgrade both building stock and existing heating infrastructure; (3) existing gas infrastructure, requiring radical transition; (4) and those without strong historic heat planning traditions.

Large-scale heating infrastructures in the form of district heating have significant potentials to increase energy efficiency and integrate renewables in line with the Paris Agreement and EU targets. Such infrastructures face challenges due to high investment costs, monopoly situations, regulation, and ownership and are often not supported by status-quo market regimes. This paper investigates how Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands achieved high market shares in their heat supply using large-scale infrastructures between 1950 and 1980. The analysis investigates the drivers, actors, organizations, ownership models, financing, policy, and regulation that was involved in implementing these large-scale infrastructures. The findings illustrate how global events such as the oil crisis in 1973 promoted the need for concerted action. The infrastructures were realized through significant government intervention, coordinated work including repurposing existing infrastructure and actors, deploying new regulations, subsidies, and business models. The conclusions reflect on contemporary heat transitions towards renewable energy supply and how historical lessons are relevant for socio-technical transitions today. New heating infrastructures in the form of district heating should be built according to the specific local conditions, through a combination of government support, new regulatory tools, appropriate business models for recirculating funds into new investments, and by engaging existing actors into developing the new supply systems. Achieving high market shares of large-scale heating infrastructures is not business as usual, but requires significant adjustments in all aspects of energy systems. Large-scale heating infrastructures in the form of district heating have significant potentials to increase energy efficiency and integrate renewables in line with the Paris Agreement and EU targets. Such infrastructures face challenges due to high investment costs, monopoly situations, regulation, and ownership and are often not supported by status-quo market regimes. This paper investigates how Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands achieved high market shares in their heat supply using large-scale infrastructures between 1950 and 1980. The analysis investigates the drivers, actors, organizations, ownership models, financing, policy, and regulation that was involved in implementing these large-scale infrastructures. The findings illustrate how global events such as the oil crisis in 1973 promoted the need for concerted action. The infrastructures were realized through significant government intervention, coordinated work including repurposing existing infrastructure and actors, deploying new regulations, subsidies, and business models. The conclusions reflect on contemporary heat transitions towards renewable energy supply and how historical lessons are relevant for socio-technical transitions today. New heating infrastructures in the form of district heating should be built according to the specific local conditions, through a combination of government support, new regulatory tools, appropriate business models for recirculating funds into new investments, and by engaging existing actors into developing the new supply systems. Achieving high market shares of large-scale heating infrastructures is not business as usual, but requires significant adjustments in all aspects of energy systems.

In many countries around the world district heating can play an important role in decarbonisation since it provides an efficient way of displacing fossil fuels and integrating renewable energy. Simultaneously, in some countries heating is based on the burning of biomass in individual stoves, which can be considered renewable but results in both inefficient heating and high contamination. In such countries, air pollution or decontamination is a more urgent problem. This paper presents the application of a methodology to analyse how district heating could be used as an important technology for coordinated decontamination and decarbonisation purposes looking towards 2050, based on an energy system analysis using hourly simulations, and using data based on spatial analysis to be able to explicitly include a Chile-specific cost for district heating. The results show that district heating also has the potential to be an important infrastructure to reduce air pollution from biomass combustion for heating, in addition to its better understood role of enabling decarbonisation and energy efficiency.

Smart energy systems are a concept to support the design of coherent and sustainable energy supply strategies. A smart energy system is a combination of the currently isolated energy sectors, such as electricity, heating and transport, and it includes three smart energy grid infrastructures, namely the electricity, thermal and gas grids. These grids connect the energy resources with the demands, energy production, energy storage and interconnection points. When these grids and sectors are analysed in detail and assessed as one coherent energy system, a number of synergies can be identified across the sectors, which an approach that considers only one or two sectors could not have done. The two studies ‘IDA's Energy Vision 2050’ and ‘Smart Energy Europe’ are used as case studies to demonstrate and discuss the potential of the smart energy approach. In these studies, different storage options are considered and analysed, and generally it is found that hydroelectric storage, batteries in electric vehicles, thermal storage in district heating systems and storage of renewable electrofuels are important and provide a cost-efficient flexibility to the overall energy system. However, large-scale batteries on the grid level and stationary batteries in buildings are not found feasible in an energy system perspective.

This research project aimed to understand in what manner heat pumps could optimally be used in European cities as an alternative to gas boilers in the urban setting. A comparison was made between scenarios where gas boilers are optimised, heat pumps are applied at the individual building level, and where large-scale heat pumps are used with district heating.