Distributed Energy systems, Market integration, Optimisation (DEMO)

The increasing electricity generation from renewable energy sources (RES) as a result of the German “Energiewende” (energy transition based in particular on increased use of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency) leads to the expansion of distributed generation capacities (wind power, photovoltaics, biomass, combined heat and power,…). By 2050, the share of RES in the German electricity generation mix is expected to reach up to 80 %. Simultaneously, the last nuclear power plant in Germany will be phased out by 2022. Therefore, the trend towards a more and more distributed organisation of the electricity system is expected to continue. This development will cause major challenges for the traditional electricity system, which was designed for few, central production units with a low fluctuation of supply.

Current approaches on energy system analysis often concentrate on a centralised market structure with large generation assets contributing to the electricity supply system. However, the wide-spread penetration with distributed generation and storage units as well as their interconnection with consumers in the future will create potentials to organise energy management in a decentralised way. As far as possible, decentralised electricity systems should resolve and also prevent operational problems in distribution and transportation grids.

The research project contributes to the development and evaluation of new concepts for the design of decentralised markets using model-based analyses.

Research focus

• Modelling and analysis of decentralised energy systems using multi-agent simulation
• Evaluation of alternative designs for decentralised energy systems (decentralised market design, modes of operation, business models)
• Model-based integration of a variety of distributed systems into the existing system particularly considering the interaction between distributed sub-systems and the central system