Non-traditional business models for city-scale energy storage: evidence from UK case studies

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Economia e Politica Industriale. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40812-017-0083-8.This paper investigates emerging non-traditional business models for decentralised energy systems with a focus on the role of city-scale storage technologies. We discuss the key characteristics of the different business models which have been identified in the literature and we discuss case studies across the United Kingdom in order to illustrate the key factors which influence their adoption and implementation. On the basis of evidence from recent UK case studies we investigate the market and regulatory barriers, contractual and transactional issues which may prevent key actors from exploiting the full market potential of their assets. We find that emerging business models rely on a range of different revenue sources with some limitations due to complex contractual relations, regulatory barriers and limited access to markets for ancillary services. The evidence we provide can be used by companies and organisations intending to operate in this fast developing market and inform policymakers aiming to promote the expansion and improvement of emerging business models

Life cycle based dynamic assessment coupled with multiple criteria decision analysis:A case study of determining an optimal building insulation level

This work looks at coupling Life cycle assessment (LCA) with a dynamic inventory and multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to improve the validity and reliability of single score results for complex systems. This is done using the case study of a representative Danish single family home over the service life of the building. This case study uses both the established and the coupled MCDA assessment methods to quantify and assess the balance of impacts between the production of mineral wool insulation versus the production of space heat. The use of TOPSIS method for calculating single scores is proposed as an alternative to the ReCiPe single score impact assessment method. Based on the single score impact values obtained from both of these methods, various insulation levels are ranked to determine an ideal insulation level and gauge the effectiveness of environmental impact reduction measures in current Danish building regulations. Using a comparison of the results from the two methods, a preferred choice of impact assessment method is determined. The findings show that if the midpoint impacts for a particular scenario are strongly correlated with a climate change impact indicator, it does not matter which impact assessment is applied. However, for the scenarios where other impact categories vary inversely or independently from the climate change impact indicator, such as with renewable energy production, there is need for a more unconventional method, such as the TOPSIS method, for calculating single score impacts. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Meta-analysis of European heat pump field trial efficiencies

A meta-analysis of seasonal performance for ground to water and air to water heat pumps based on eight European trials for over 600 installations from five countries provides thirteen different descriptors of performance. Seven of these trials have previously been publish but no overview of their results has been attempted in terms of system boundary analysis. Trial boundaries are rationalised to four values of seasonal performance providing the opportunity to reassess the UK EST heat pump trial results and identify two boundary conditions directly relevant to the interpretation of the Renewable Energy Sources Directive. What is apparent is the wide range in performance at all boundaries and in all trials indicating that heat pumps are sensitive to design and installation practice. The overarching theme of the paper is the need for a unified framework for reporting heat pump performance and its applicability to the re-analysis of existing data. The task of building such a framework has proved beyond the present author, but the work presented here represents an attempt to scope the potential value and combination of analytical and practical difficulties that would need to be faced by those undertaking such a task