The energy transition as a socio-economic challenge
The transition of the energy system is ongoing, a process that appears to be more successful in some EU countries than in others. Stringent targets are close, both on the EU and national level. The heat sector needs to overcome its use of fossil fuels by energy efficiency measures and the installation of technologies such as heat pumps. The transportation sector needs to increase its share of electric vehicles in order to decrease emissions. Rising shares of renewable energy generation, meaning more volatile energy provision and a more and more decentralised structure require new approaches to match consumption with generation. Innovative energy market designs could generate price signals which incentivise flexibility for instance through storage and/or demand response. In addition, power grids need to be reinforced and expanded in ways that are accepted by the affected population.
The success of such approaches is strongly dependent not only on finding technical solutions and economic approaches for markets, but also on the diffusion of required technical innovations, the design and implementation of appropriate policies, integrating stakeholder perspectives and the public acceptance of new ways of energy usage. Therefore, socio-economic aspects of the energy transition are crucial for its success.
Agent-based modelling is a promising way to represent the heterogeneity of the involved actors and their interaction, to capture spatial aspects of energy transition and to investigate processes of individual decision making in various ways. Agent-based simulations enable the exploration of these fundamental processes and emergent system-level phenomena in an empirically grounded, explicit way. Finally, ABM is capable to offer science-based instruments and approaches to govern and steer the energy transition process successfully.
Track chairs
- Dr. Sascha Holzhauer Department Integrated Energy Systems, University of Kassel
- Dr. Friedrich Krebs Department Integrated Energy Systems, University of Kassel
- Dr.ir. Emile Chappin Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology
List of presentations
| Authors | Title | Type of Submission | Presentation Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Ahanchian, Ali Tash and Ulrich Fahl | Improving actors’ rational mobility behaviour and investment towards engagement in German energy transition | Full paper | 30 min |
| Emile Chappin, Ivo Bouwmans and Emma Deijkers | EMLab-Consumer – Simulating Energy Efficiency Adoption Decisions of European Households | Full paper | 30 min |
| Sebastian Hoffmann and Fabian Adelt | Feedback and interventions for changing end-user behavior in smart grids. An application of the model of frame selection | Full paper | 30 min |
| Ashreeta Prasanna, Sascha Holzhauer and Friedrich Krebs | A survey on the use of machine learning in agent-based models of energy markets | Full paper | 30 min |
| Giulia Chersoni, Nives Della Valle and Magda Fontana | An agent-based model of innovation diffusion: a behavioral economic approach | Extended abstract | 15 min |
| Ulrich J. Frey, Christoph Schimeczek, Marc Deissenroth, Benjamin Fuchs and Kristina Nienhaus | Enhancing reproducibility through a common framework for ABMS | Extended abstract | 15 min |
| Jens Maiwald and Tino Schuette | Decentralised Electricity Markets And Proactive Costumer Behaviour | Extended abstract | 15 min |
| Tristan de Wildt and Emile Chappin | The unbalances in well-being caused by the energy transition: ABM and scenario discovery | Extended abstract | 15 min |
| Marius Schwarz, Quentin Auzepy and Christof Knoeri | An agent-based model of California’s transition towards a carbon-free grid – The role of battery storage, electric vehicles and time-varying elctricity pricing | Extended abstract | 15 min |