The Future European Energy System: Renewable Energy, Flexibility Options and Technological Progress

This open access book analyzes the transition toward a low-carbon energy system in Europe under the aspects of flexibility and technological progress. By covering the main energy sectors – including the industry, residential, tertiary and transport sector as well as the heating and electricity sector – the analysis assesses flexibility requirements in a cross-sectoral energy system with high shares of renewable energies. The contributing authors – all European energy experts – apply models and tools from various research fields, including techno-economic learning, fundamental energy system modeling, and environmental and social life cycle as well as health impact assessment, to develop an innovative and comprehensive energy models system (EMS). Moreover, the contributions examine renewable penetrations and their contributions to climate change mitigation, and the impacts of available technologies on the energy system. Given its scope, the book appeals to researchers studying energy systems and markets, professionals and policymakers of the energy industry and readers interested in the transformation to a low-carbon energy system in Europe.

Prof. Dr. Dominik Möst is full professor of energy economics at the Technische Universität Dresden. Before being in Dresden, he was heading the Young Investigator Group (YIG) „New methods for energy market modelling“ and the research group „Energy system analysis and environment“at the Institute for Industrial Production at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). He holds a Dr. rer. pol. from the Universität Karlsruhe (TH). His dissertation “On the competitiveness of hydropower in liberalized electricity markets” was awarded the Sparkassen-Preis for distinguished research at the Universität Karlsruhe. Dominik co-authored more than 100 articles, books and reports. He has ongoing and successfully completed scientific research and consulting projects with the European Union, government ministries, and different German and international companies. His research covers a broad range of topics from energy system and market modelling, energy market design, long range developments of energy markets and integration of renewable energies. Dominik has been awarded as Feodor-Lynen-Fellow of the Humboldt foundation at the University of Edinburgh. He is a member and chairman of the international business council renewables at Innogy SE as well as a member of scientific advisory boards (e.g. 50Hertz Transmission, German Aerospace Center Institute of Networked Energy Systems, etc.).

Steffi Schreiber is a Researcher at the Chair of Energy Economics at the Technische Universität (TU) Dresden in Germany. She is one of the coordinators of the REFLEX project funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, on which the analysis and results of this book are based. Her research focus is on energy system modeling and analysis of possible decarbonization pathways for the European electricity system, in particular flexibility options and sector coupling, and the system integration of renewable energy sources.

Dr. Andrea Herbst is a Researcher at the Competence Center Energy Technologies and Energy Systems, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) in Karlsruhe, Germany. Her main focus is on the transformation of the industrial sector (deep decarbonization) and future scenarios regarding energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Dr. Martin Jakob, Dipl. Phys. Ing. ETH, is a Co-founder of and Managing Partner at TEP Energy since 2008. Before that he was a Research Associate and Project Manager at the engineering offices of Paul Widmer, at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), and at the Center for Energy Policy and Economics (CEPE) of the ETH Zurich, Switzerland. He holds a doctorate from ETH Zurich in the economics of energy efficiency. His main interest is to integrate technological, economic and policy aspects in empirical, modeling, and implementation projects.

Angelo Martino is a Senior Expert in transport policy analysis and modeling. His cross-disciplinary experience covers various key topics in European transport policy, ranging from energy efficiency to air quality issues, from sustainable transport measures to technology options and from the urban scale to the regional and national. He has previously served at the Polytechnic of Milan: as an Adjunct Professor of Transport Economics and Planning (2007–2010) and of Transport and Traffic Modeling (2002–2009).

Dr. Witold-Roger Poganietz is Head of the research unit “Energy” at the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. Since 2015, he has also been Deputy Head of the Focus Area “Energy Systems Analysis” at the KIT Centre Energy. His main research interests are in socio-technological energy scenarios, and in the sustainability assessment of technologies and energy systems.