European grid development modeling and analysis: established frameworks, research trends, and future opportunities

Abstract This paper presents a comprehensive survey of recent literature on European energy system modeling and analysis with special focus on grid development. Spanning the years from 2013 to 2023, we analyze 59 selected articles, organizing them by geographical scope, grid expansion strategies, research focus, and methodology. Additionally, we provide an overview of established and recurring frameworks, including ELMOD, EMPIRE, AnyMOD, LIMES, TIMES, FlexPlan, PyPSA, REMix, and Balmorel. Further, we elaborate on the recent trends in research and modeling. Based on our observations, we propose avenues for future research. For instance, considering recent changes in the geopolitical environment, we suggest shifting the geographical research focus from the North Sea region to the Central and Eastern European regions. Other suggestions include investigating grid development under imperfect market competition, merging the study of grid development with sector coupling, and increasing the focus on blue hydrogen, which appear to not receive much focus, as opposed to green hydrogen. Overall, this work may serve as a useful resource for newcomers to grid-related research and a practical guide for seasoned researchers in the field.