Research project SEDOS

The importance of sector integration within the energy transition in Germany – Modeling with a national open source reference energy system

Credit:

BMWK

The terms sector integration or sector coupling have become crucial in the recent discussions on energy and climate policy. Sector integration shall make a decisive contribution to achieving ambitious climate protection goals. This includes new challenges for the system-analytical energy planning that cannot solely rely on single subsystems but take a holistic view on the energy system in order to live up to new requirements and potential solutions. The objective of the research project SEDOS is to depict the sector integration within energy system models in detail and facilitate greater comparability of the models through open data. In addition to the conformity with Open Science, the project aims at a joint elaboration on a reference data set for the sector integration in energy system models for Germany as well as a harmonised model resp. system structure for three OS-models (oemof, TIMES, FINE).

Research project SEDOS

 

Duration

January 2022 to December 2024

Funded by

Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action

Project participants

  • University of Stuttgart - Institute of Energy Economics and Rational Use of Energy
  • Institute of Networked Energy Systems
  • Reiner Lemoine Institut Berlin
  • Technical University of Munich
  • Research Center Jülich-Institute of Energy and Climate Research / Techno-Economic System Analysis
  • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology-Institute for Industrial Production

The purpose of the project SEDOS coordinated by the University of Stuttgart (IER) is to develop an open reference data set and a reference model for the energy system in Germany that shall equally meet the criteria transparency and sustainability, itemisation and simplification as well as a balance between subsystems and solubility of the models.

In this manner, robustness, transparency and quality of quantitative analyses shall be enhanced substantially. The elaborated reference data set for the energy system modeling for Germany is expected to meet a high acceptance within the model scene. Furthermore, the development of an open source model structure shall enable an easier access to the energy system modeling both for modeller and user. Moreover, an exemplary application of the new model resp. system structure is planned focusing on sector integration in order to demonstrate the potential resulting from the new development.

In the subproject, DLR addresses the analysis of the transport sector from the energy-economical point of view. In this context, it will be referred to the expertise of the Institute of Networked Energy Systems regarding the coupling of energy and transport system.

The major objective of the subproject is to develop a model structure with a technological, spatial and temporal partitioning and generate input data for the reference energy system and integrate it into the complete model. In this context, DLR focuses on the development of energy demands of different road-bound vehicles. By means of the enhancement and use of the internally developed open source model VencoPy („Vehicle Energy Consumption in Python”), new and complete types of data sets fitted with metadata on network connections, charging and versatility profiles of different vehicle types will be generated and made openly available on OEP („Open-Energy-Platform”).

Departments, research groups and challenges related to the SEDOS project:

Department

Energy Systems Analysis

The Energy Systems Analysis department generates system-analytical knowledge, which we provide across sectors up to the global level and based in part on methods and modelling tools developed in-house.

Research Group

Energy System Modelling

The Energy System Modelling research group is developing methods and solutions for the planning and operation of future energy infrastructures. The primary focus lies in examining how various technologies can contribute to creating energy systems that are sustainable, reliable, and cost-effective.

Challenge

Strategies for sustainable energy systems

Energy transition is a dynamic process that must be continuously adapted to new influences such as technical innovations or socially negotiated framework conditions.