Sector Coupling report is published
FEN is happy to announce that Sector Coupling project funded by Swiss Association for Energy and Network Research (SGEN) is completed and the report is published.
This study aimed at making a step in quantitatively analysing the future energy system as a whole, i.e. considering all demand sectors and all potential energy carriers. Objective of the performed analysis has been to identify the potential individual role of each of the various energy carriers, as well as the way that they might complement each other towards an economic and efficient CO2-free energy system.
The performed analysis concluded with the following findings:
1. Huge investments in electricity generation technologies are needed in order to maintain energy adequacy (measured annually) if a pathway is followed where fossil fuels are eliminated from the heating and transportation sectors.
2. Even with extremely high wind and solar penetration levels, reliably satisfying the final demand requires the presence of very high levels of installed peak power generation capacity and/or very aggressive demand-side flexibility schemes
3. Energy storage has a high value in the future energy system, at all time scales (from diurnal to seasonal). Hydrogen storage, in specific, is a great enabler for higher utilization of wind and solar.
4. It is questionable whether satisfaction of the end demand by means of hydrogen (instead of electrifying) brings value from the overall energy system perspective.
5. Switzerland just relying on the rest of Europe acting as a buffer (via electricity imports and exports) entails risks, because the moments when Switzerland will have an energy supply deficit (due to no solar availability) highly correlate with when the rest of Europe faces the same challenge.