Challenges and opportunities of power systems from smart homes to super-grids

Philipp Kuhn, Matthias Huber, Johannes Dorfner, Thomas Hamacher

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

The world’s power systems are facing a structural change including liberalization of markets and integration of renewable energy sources. This paper describes the challenges that lie ahead in this process and points out avenues for overcoming different problems at different scopes, ranging from individual homes to international super-grids. We apply energy system models at those different scopes and find a trade-off between technical and social complexity. Small-scale systems would require technological breakthroughs, especially for storage, but individual agents can and do already start to build and operate such systems. In contrast, large-scale systems could potentially be more efficient from a techno-economic point of view. However, new political frameworks are required that enable long-term cooperation among sovereign entities through mutual trust. Which scope first achieves its breakthrough is not clear yet.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)50-62
Number of pages13
JournalAmbio
Volume45
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2016

Keywords

  • Renewable energy
  • Scaling
  • Socio-technical complexity
  • Sustainability
  • Transformation of energy systems

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