On the role of energy infrastructure in the energy transition. Case study of an energy independent and CO2 neutral energy system for Switzerland

The transition towards renewable energy is leading to an important strain on the energy grids. The question of designing and deploying renewable energy technologies in symbiosis with existing grids and infrastructure is arising. While current energy system models mainly focus on the energy transformation system or only investigate the effect on one energy vector grid, we present a methodology to characterize different energy vector grids and storage, integrated into the multi-energy and multi-sector modeling framework EnergyScope. The characterization of energy grids is achieved through a traditional energy technology and grid modeling approach, integrating economic and technical parameters. The methodology has been applied to the case study of a country with a high existing transmission infrastructure density, e.g., Switzerland, switching from a fossil fuel-based system to a high share of renewable energy deployment. The results show that the economic optimum with high shares of renewable energy requires the electric distribution grid reinforcement with 2.439 GW (+61%) Low Voltage (LV) and 4.626 GW (+82%) Medium Voltage (MV), with no reinforcement required at transmission level [High Voltage (HV) and Extra High Voltage (EHV)]. The reinforcement is due to high shares of LV-Photovoltaic (PV) (15.4 GW) and MV-wind (20 GW) deployment. Without reinforcement, additional biomass is required for methane production, which is stored in 4.8–5.95 TWh methane storage tanks to compensate for seasonal intermittency using the existing gas infrastructure. In contrast, hydro storage capacity is used at a maximum of 8.9 TWh. Furthermore, the choice of less efficient technologies to avoid reinforcement results in a 8.5%–9.3% cost penalty compared to the cost of the reinforced system. This study considers a geographically averaged and aggregated model, assuming all production and consumption are made in one single spot, not considering the role of future decentralization of the energy system, leading to a possible overestimation of grid reinforcement needs

Coordinated ground-based validation of ENVISAT atmospheric chemistry with NDSC network data : Commissioning phase report

International audienceIn the framework of the coordinated project called CINAMON, a list of ground-based stations associated with the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC) contribute to the quasi-global validation of ENVISAT atmospheric chemistry data. This paper reports on such activities performed during the Commissioning Phase (CP) of the satellite. After a description of the correlative database generated during this period, preliminary ground-based studies relying on this database give a first picture of the quality of SCIAMACHY ozone and nitrogen dioxide columns, and GOMOS and MIPAS ozone profiles. Illustration of the global mapping of MIPAS ozone profile data is also presented. The paper concludes with perspectives for the Main Validation Phase of ENVISAT

Coordinated ground-based validation of ENVISAT atmospheric chemistry with NDSC network data : Commissioning phase report

International audienceIn the framework of the coordinated project called CINAMON, a list of ground-based stations associated with the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC) contribute to the quasi-global validation of ENVISAT atmospheric chemistry data. This paper reports on such activities performed during the Commissioning Phase (CP) of the satellite. After a description of the correlative database generated during this period, preliminary ground-based studies relying on this database give a first picture of the quality of SCIAMACHY ozone and nitrogen dioxide columns, and GOMOS and MIPAS ozone profiles. Illustration of the global mapping of MIPAS ozone profile data is also presented. The paper concludes with perspectives for the Main Validation Phase of ENVISAT