An agent-based simulation platform as support tool for the analysis of the interactions of renewable electricity generation with the electricity and CO2 market

This paper presents the agent-based simulation platform POWERACE as support tool for the analysis of the impact of renewable electricity generation on the electricity market and the CO2 market. The price effects of renewable electricity generation on these markets are discussed in an analytical way. As an important background for a more comprehensive analysis of theses effects the impact of renewable electricity generation on the CO2 emissions of the German electricity sector is analyzed with the help of the developed simulation platform

The Merit-order effect: A detailed analyis of the price effect of renewable electricity generation on spot market prices in Germany

The German feed-in support of electricity generation from renewable energy sources has led to high growth rates of the supported technologies. Critics state that the costs for consumers are too high. An important aspect to be considered in the discussion is the price effect created by renewable electricity generation. This paper seeks to analyse the impact of privileged renewable electricity generation on the electricity market in Germany. The central aspect to be analysed is the impact of renewable electricity generation on spot market prices. The results generated by an agent-based simulation platform indicate that the financial volume of the price reduction is considerable. In the short run, this gives rise to a distributional effect which creates savings for the demand side by reducing generator profits. In the case of year 2006, the volume of the merit-order effect exceeds the volume of the net support payments for renewable electricity generation which have to be paid by consumers

Agent-based simulation of electricity markets - a literature review

Liberalisation, climate policy and promotion of renewable energy are challenges to players of the electricity sector in many countries. Policy makers have to consider issues like market power, bounded rationality of players and the appearance of fluctuating energy sources in order to provide adequate legislation. Furthermore the interactions between markets and environmental policy instruments become an issue of increasing importance. A promising approach for the scientific analysis of these developments is the field of agent-based simulation. The goal of this article is to provide an overview of the current work applying this methodology to the analysis of electricity markets

The green effect

The need to diversify away from fossil fuel generation due to concerns over energy security, fuel price volatility, and the climate challenge is driving the deployment of nonconventional renewable (wind, small hydro, solar, tidal, geothermal, and in some cases waste) or green energy worldwide (in this article, these will all be termed renewable energy). Developed countries have seen renewable energy as a key tool for emission reduction as well as for energy independency, eventually reducing reliance on oil, gas, and coal imports. In developing countries, renewable sources have been largely limited to conventional hydro plants. Over the past decade, the primary objective of increasing the populations access to electricity has combined with budget constraints to prevent these countries from making renewable energy a priority. This situation is, however, changing; renewable energy has begun the new decade with a fast penetration in these countries, due to increasing awareness about the crucial role of clean energy supply and pressure to go along with to worldwide efforts in this direction

Increasing the efficiency of polymer solar cells by silicon nanowires

Silicon nanowires have been introduced into P3HT:[60]PCBM solar cells, resulting in hybrid organic/inorganic solar cells. A cell efficiency of 4.2% has been achieved, which is a relative improvement of 10% compared to a reference cell produced without nanowires. This increase in cell performance is possibly due to an enhancement of the electron transport properties imposed by the silicon nanowires. In this paper, we present a novel approach for introducing the nanowires by mixing them into the polymer blend and subsequently coating the polymer/nanowire blend onto a substrate. This new onset may represent a viable pathway to producing nanowire-enhanced polymer solar cells in a reel to reel process

Energy transition pathways to a low-carbon Europe in 2050: the degree of cooperation and the level of decentralization

In the framework of the Paris Agreement, the European Union (EU) will have to firmly set decarbonization targets to 2050. However, the viability on these targets is an ongoing discussion. The European Commission has made several propositions for energy and climate "roadmaps". In this regard, this paper contributes by analyzing alternative pathways derived in a unique modelling process. As part of the SET-Nav project, we defined four pathways to a clean, secure and efficient energy system - taking different routes. Two key uncertainties shape the SET-Nav pathways: the level of cooperation (i.e. cooperation versus entrenchment) and the level of decentralization (i.e. decentralization versus path dependency). All four pathways achieve an 85-95% emissions reduction by 2050. We include a broad portfolio of options under distinct framework conditions by comprehensively analyzing all energy-consuming and energy-providing sectors as well as the general economic conditions. We do this by applying a unique suite of linked models developed in the SET-Nav project. By linking more than ten models, we overcome the traditional limitation of models that cover one single sector while at the same time having access to detail sectoral data and expertise. In this paper, we focus on the implications for the energy demand sectors (buildings, transport, and industry) and the electricity supply mix in Europe and compare our insights of the electricity sector to the scenarios of the recent European Commission (2018a) report "A clean Planet for all"