Prosumer behaviour in emerging electricity systems

This dissertation investigates the interface between technology and society in the emerging electricity systems and in particular the role of the energy prosumer in the energy transition. It contributes to the understanding of the role of consumers in emerging electricity systems within the current EU energy policy context where consumer active participation is regarded as "a prerequisite for managing the energy transition successfully and in a cost-effective way". Emerging energy systems are characterized by a high level of complexity, especially for what concerns the behaviour of social actors. Social actors interact through physical and social networks by sharing information and learning from one another through social interactions. These interactions determine self-organization and emergent behaviours in energy consumption patterns and practices. I argue that the best suited tool to study emergent behaviours in energy consumption patterns and practices, and to investigate how consumers' preferences and choices lead to macro behaviours is agent based modelling. To build a sound characterization of the energy prosumer, I review the current social psychology and behavioural theories on sustainable consumption and collect evidence from EU energy prosumers surveys, studies and demand side management pilot projects. I employ these findings to inform the development of an agent based model of the electricity prosumer, Subjective Individual Model of Prosumer – SIMP, and its extended version, SIMP-N, that includes the modelling of the social network. I apply SIMP and SIMP-N models to study the emergence in consumer systems and how values and beliefs at consumer level (as defined by social psychology and behavioural theories and informed by empirical evidence) and social dynamics lead to macro behaviours. More specifically, I explore the diffusion of smart grid technologies enabled services among a population of interacting prosumers and evaluate the impact of such diffusion on individual and societal performance indicators under different policy scenarios and contextual factors. The analysis of the simulation results provides interesting insights on how different psychological characteristics, social dynamics and technological elements can strongly influence consumers' choices and overall system performance. I conclude proposing a framework for an integrated approach to modelling emerging energy systems and markets that extend the SIMP model to also include markets, distribution system operator and the electricity network

Smart Grid Baltic: Smart grid challenges and opportunities in the Baltic Region: 14-15 November 2016

The Joint Research Centre – Directorate C (Energy, Transport and Climate) in collaboration with the Latvian Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Riga Technical University organized the workshop "Smart Baltic" with the aim to facilitate a constructive exchange about the implementation of the Smart Specialisation (S3) priorities related to Smart Grids in the Baltic region. The event addressed specific examples of how S3 regions are preparing the ground for smart grid deployment, including intraregional cooperation as a key aspect to support S3 implementation and the effective uptake of the Cohesion Policy Funds for Smart Grids. The workshop offered an opportunity for the industry, research & innovation sectors, regional authorities and other stakeholders to exchange good practices and innovative concepts supporting S3 and energy policy in the Baltic region.JRC.C.3-Energy Security, Distribution and Market

ENIQ Recommended Practice - Guidance on Expert Panels in RI-ISI

The European Framework Document for Risk-Informed In-Service Inspection [1] is intended to provide general guidelines to utilities for both developing RI-ISI approaches and for using or adapting already established approaches to the European nuclear environment taking into account utility-specific characteristics and national regulatory requirements. The Framework Document recommends the use of an expert panel to review the selection of safety-significant sites before the inspection programme is finalised. However, more detailed guidance regarding the responsibilities, composition and working procedures of an expert panel is not provided. This ENIQ recommended practice is meant to assist a user involved in a RI-ISI application on how to form, prepare and facilitate an expert panel whose final goal is making decisions concerning the inclusion or exclusion of sites from the risk-informed inspection programme. A recommended practice is a document produced by ENIQ to support the higher level Framework Document. Users are free to use at national level these recommended practices, as they see fit. The main objectives of this recommended practice are to give guidance on: Composition of the expert panel; Responsibilities of the expert panel; Planning and preparation of the expert panel; Conduction of the expert panel; Documentation of the expert panel.JRC.F.4-Nuclear design safet

SIMP - Subjective Individual Model of Prosumer

The energy consumer is at the centre of the European Union's energy policies. Consumer's active participation is considered as a prerequisite for managing the energy transition successfully and in a cost-effective way. The recent measures proposed by the European Commission with the 'Clean Energy for all Europeans' rely on smart grid technologies, solutions and concepts to accelerate, transform and consolidate the EU clean energy transition. In this context, the aim of this report is to present an agent based model of the electricity consumer (SIMP – Subjective Individual Model of Prosumer). The model can be used as a tool to better understand the impact that innovative energy services, enabled by smart grid technologies, may have on the electricity consumers and the society at large. Furthermore, the model can be used as a tool to gain insight into diffusion patterns of energy services (in this report represented by electricity contracts) and associated switching rates. As such, it contributes to the understanding of what fosters and what hinders an effective deployment of innovative energy services.JRC.C.3-Energy Security, Distribution and Market

Smart Grid Projects Outlook 2014

Smart grid projects are playing a key role in shedding light on how to move forward in this challenging transition. In 2011, therefore, the JRC launched the first comprehensive inventory of smart grid projects in Europe to collect lessons learned and assess current developments. The participation of project coordinators and the reception of the report by the smart grid community were extremely positive. It was therefore decided that the project inventory would be carried out on a regular basis so as to constantly update the picture of smart grid developments. This study is the 2013-2014 update of the inventory started out in 2011. The JRC’s 2013-14 Smart Grid database contains 459 smart grid R&D and D&D projects from all 28 European Union countries. Switzerland and Norway were studied together with the EU28 countries since they are present in a substantial number of projects with EU countries. Other 17 non EU countries are represented in the inventory by their participating organisations. The total investment of the smart grid projects amounts to €3.15 billion.JRC.F.3-Energy Security, Systems and Marke

Smart Grid Projects in Europe - Lessons Learned and Current Developments

The main goal of this study is to collect a wide inventory of Smart Grid projects in Europe and use project data to support analysis on trends and developments. The report looks into several aspects of the Smart Grids landscape to describe the state of the art of their implementation, the emerging hallmarks of the new electricity system and the foreseeable developments. A key focus of the Report is to describe how Smart Grid projects address and respond to the EU energy policy challenges and to point out the main benefits and beneficiaries. Particular attention is devoted to identifying the most important obstacles to investments and the possible solutions that could help to overcome them. e-book attached. S.N.JRC.F.3-Energy securit