Incentives and Algorithms for Efficient, Reliable, Sustainable and Socially Acceptable Energy System Integration (ERSAS)
This project studies how to develop efficient, reliable, sustainable and socially acceptable (decentralised) energy system integration (ESI) in a novel, interdisciplinary and integrated way. There are two key approaches for ESI that are closely intertwined as follows.
First, examining how to synergise and couple infrastructure for gas and electricity and take into account heat demand, via e.g., Combined Heat Power (CHP) systems, hybrid heat pumps, “Power-to-Gas” and “Gas-to-Power (fuel cells)” facilities, and develop control algorithms that enhance the efficiency, stability and sustainability of such integrated energy systems. It is important to study these systems first on a local level, and then go further and look to the embedding in the overall (distribution) grid, going from e.g., micro-CHP’s (household level) to mini-CHP’s (greenhouses, hospitals, etc.), to gas fired power plants. Next, the study of the optimal control embedding of such systems in the coupled gas and electricity grids in a distributed fashion is crucial.
Second, examining which financial and social end-user incentives are acceptable and effective to match energy demand to the local fluctuating supply of various renewable energy sources to efficiently use the local capacity of the grid. Extending previous studies, it is not important to only study the effects of financial and social incentives on behaviour as such, but also (1) the conditions under which different incentives are most effective, (2) the combined effects of incentives, (3) the underlying processes explaining why different incentives are (not) effective, and (4) individual differences in effects of incentives. This will advance theory on the processes through which incentives affect behaviour, which has hardly been examined in previous studies (see Abrahamse & Steg, 2013). Importantly, in ERSAS, the goal is not only to study how incentives can be designed and combined to enhance effects, but also how effective incentives can be integrated in the algorithms aimed to control ESI as to realise stable, efficient and sustainable ESI, which depends on users’ willingness to accept and use the proposed integrated system functionalities. In this project, the macro perspectives (grid management) and micro perspectives (user behaviour and incentives; user acceptability) will be integrated and technological
and social innovations in an integrated way will be studied, thereby considering their dependencies, which is highly novel to the field yet key to develop innovative sustainable and acceptable ESI.
In this regard, a multi-method approach, including questionnaire and experimental studies, and robust distributed control methods will be emplyed. The proposed research will have important scientific and practical implications. The collaboration with private parties (notably Alliander, Enexis, and TNO) plays a key role in developing and implementing ESI, to ensure that the research meets important questions faced in practice, and to ensure timely dissemination and use of the knowledge gained in this project.
| Last modified: | 12 September 2018 3.19 p.m. |