Power-to-X (P2X) needs to scale up rapidly to provide the fuels required in the hard-to-decarbonize industrial and heavy transport sector. Only recently, the European Commission proposed requirements for \textit{renewable} fuels. P2X energy hubs enable efficient synergies between energy infrastructures, production facilities, and storage options. In this study, we explore the optimal operation of an energy hub by leveraging the flexibility of P2X including hydrogen, methanol, and ammonia synthesizers, and analyze potential revenue streams such as the day-ahead and ancillary service markets. We propose EnerHub2X, a mixed-integer linear program that maximizes the hub's profit based on current market prices, considering technical constraints of P2X such as unit commitment and non-linear efficiencies. We model a representative Danish energy hub and find that without price incentives, it mainly produces liquid hydrogen and sells renewable electricity. Only by adding a price premium of about 50\% (0.16 \euro{}/kg) to the conventional fuel prices, sufficient amounts of renewable ammonia and methanol are produced. To utilize production efficiently, on-site renewable capacity and P2X must be carefully aligned. We show that renewable power purchase agreements can provide flexibility while complying with the rules set by the European Commission.
Abatement options for the hard-to-electrify parts of the transport sector are needed to achieve ambitious emissions targets. Biofuels based on biomass, electrofuels based on renewable hydrogen and a carbon source, as well as fossil fuels compensated by carbon dioxide removal (CDR) are the main options. Currently, biofuels are the only renewable fuels available at scale and are stimulated by blending mandates. Here, we estimate the system cost of enforcing such mandates in addition to an overall emissions cap for all energy sectors. We model overnight scenarios for 2040 and 2060 with the sector…
In the process of decarbonization, the global energy mix is shifting from fossil fuels to renewables. To study decarbonization pathways, large-scale energy system models are utilized. These models require accurate data on renewable generation to develop their full potential. Using different data can lead to conflicting results and policy advice. In this work, we compare several datasets that are commonly used to study the transition towards highly renewable European power system. We find significant differences between these datasets and cost-difference of about 10% result in the different ene…
Electricity-based fuels from renewable energies are regarded as a key instrument for climate protection. These Power-to-X (PtX) products are to replace fossil fuels in sectors where direct use of electricity from renewable energies is not possible. We investigate the production potential of PtX fuels from onshore wind energy and ground-mounted photovoltaic energy for all countries outside the European Economic Area along 14 PtX production pathways. These include hydrogen, several hydrocarbons and ammonia. The technical and economic potential assessment is based on data with hourly temporal and…
Averting the impending harms of climate change requires to replace fossil fuels with renewables as a primary source of energy. Non-electric renewable potential being limited, this implies extending the use of electricity generated from wind and solar beyond the power sector, either by direct electrification or synthetic fuels. Modeling the transformation towards such an energy system is challenging, because it imposes to consider fluctuations of wind and solar and the manifold ways the demand side could adjust to these fluctuations. This paper introduces a graph-based method to formulate energ…
The generation of synthetic natural gas from renewable electricity enables long-term energy storage and provides clean fuels for transportation. In this article, we analyze fully renewable Power-to-Methane systems using a high-resolution energy system optimization model applied to two regions within Europe. The optimum system layout and operation depend on the availability of natural resources, which vary between locations and years. We find that much more wind than solar power is used, while the use of an intermediate battery electric storage system has little effects. The resulting levelized…
The current governance process to plan the German energy system omits two options to substitute grid expansion: First, placing renewables closer to demand instead of where site conditions are best. Second, utilizing storage instead of additional transmission infrastructure to prevent grid congestion. In the paper, we apply a comprehensive capacity expansion model based on the AnyMOD modelling framework to compare the status quo to alternative planning approaches for a fully renewable energy system. To represent spatiality and fluctuations of renewables, the German electricity sector is modelle…
The high dependence on imported fuels and the potential for both climate change mitigation and economic diversification make Barbados' energy system particularly interesting for detailed transformation analysis. An open source energy system model is presented here for the analysis of a future Barbadian energy system. The model was applied in a scenario analysis, using a greenfield approach, to investigate cost-optimal and 100% renewable energy system configurations. Within the scenarios, the electrification of private passenger vehicles and cruise ships through shore-to-ship power supply was m…
A Renewable Energy and Materials Economy (REME) is proposed as the solution to the climate change threat. REME mimics nature to produce carbon neutral liquid fuels and chemicals as well as carbon negative materials by using water, CO$_2$ from the atmosphere and renewable energy as inputs. By being in harmony with nature REME has a positive feedback between economic development and climate change protection. In REME the feedback driven accelerated rate of economic growth enables the climate change threat to be addressed in a timely manner. It is also cost-effective protection because it sequest…
Rigorous model-based analysis can help inform state-level energy and climate policy. In this study, we utilize an open-source energy system optimization model and publicly available datasets to examine future electricity generation, CO2 emissions, and CO2 abatement costs for the North Carolina electric power sector through 2050. Model scenarios include uncertainty in future fuel prices, a hypothetical CO2 cap, and an extended renewable portfolio standard. Across the modeled scenarios, solar photovoltaics represent the most cost-effective low-carbon technology, while trade-offs among carbon con…
Ambitious targets for renewable energy and CO2 taxation both represent political instruments for decarbonisation of the energy system. We model a high number of coupled electricity and heating systems, where the primary sources of CO2 neutral energy are from variable renewable energy sources (VRES), i.e., wind and solar generators. The model includes hourly dispatch of all technologies for a full year for every country in Europe. In each model run, the amount of renewable energy and the level of CO2 tax are fixed exogenously, while the cost-optimal composition of energy generation, conversion,…
Renewable electricity sources such as wind and solar have shown a remarkable development in terms of efficiency, costs and availability, but system integration still remains a challenge. Realizing a fully renewable electricity supply will require large scale storage technologies and flexible users to overcome long periods of low power generation. At the same time, other sectors such as mobility and industry must be electrified to replace fossil fuels. Power-to-Methane is a promising technology as it enables large-scale energy storage and sector coupling using existing infrastructures. In this …
Swift and deep decarbonisation of electricity generation is central to enabling a timely transition to net-zero emission energy systems. While future power systems will likely be dominated by variable renewables (VRE), studies have identified a need for low-carbon dispatchable power such as nuclear. We use a cost-optimising power system model to examine the technoeconomic case for investment in new nuclear capacity in the UK's net-zero emissions energy system and consider four sensitivity dimensions: the capital cost of new nuclear, the availability of competing technologies, the expansion of …
This paper describes Switch 2.0, an open-source modeling platform for planning transitions to low-emission electric power grids, designed to satisfy 21st century grid planning requirements. Switch is capable of long-, medium- and short-term planning of investments and operations with conventional or smart grids, integrating large shares of renewable power, storage and/or demand response. Applications include integrated resource planning, investment planning, economic and policy analyses as well as basic research. Potential users include researchers, educators, industry and regulators. Switch f…
Import and export of fossil energy carriers are cornerstones of energy systems world-wide. If energy systems are to become climate neutral and sustainable, fossil carriers need to be substituted with carbon neutral alternatives or electrified if possible. We investigate synthetic chemical energy carriers, H2, CH4, MeOH, NH3 and Fischer-Tropsch fuels (FTF), produced using electricity from RES as fossil substitutes. [...] We model the sourcing of feedstock chemicals, synthesis and transport along nine different Energy Supply Chains to Germany (DE) and compare import options for seven locations a…
This research details outcomes from a global model which estimates future hydrogen penetration into a carbon constrained energy system to the year 2050. Focusing on minimum and maximum penetration scenarios, an investigation of global fuel cell vehicle (FCV) deployment is undertaken, cognizant of optimal economic deployment at the global level and stakeholder preferences in a case study of Japan. The model is mathematically formulated as a very large-scale linear optimization problem, aiming to minimize system costs, including generation type, fuel costs, conversion costs, and carbon reduction…
The central question we seek to address in this paper is: How rapidly do the operating cost benefits of grid-scale energy storage decline as installed storage capacity increases? We use a 240-bus model based on the US Western Interconnection, first optimally locating storage in the network and then dispatching it in a unit commitment model with DC load flow. The model uses storage to provide frequency regulation, load following, and arbitrage for each hour of a study year, and we investigate a range of scenarios for fuel price and renewables penetration. We find that value from long-term energ…
Solar photovoltaics which converts renewable solar energy into electricity have become prominent as a measure to decarbonize electricity generation. The operational carbon footprint of this technology is significantly lower compared to electricity generation using conventional non-renewable fuels. The operationalization of photovoltaic electricity generation however results in significant emissions which are loaded upfront into the atmosphere. An analysis of the embodied energy in Si solar panels manufacturing and installation, and associated CO2 emissions clearly show their global warming pot…
