Integrated Grid Planning

Issue at hand

The city of Hamburg has set itself a goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Hence, the aim is to restructure the energy grids such that the household, transportation and industry sectors can be supplied with exclusively renewable energy. Currently, grid planning of the power, gas and district heating grids is separated. However, sector coupling requirements demand a departure from today's separated approach towards an integrated one. For industrial metropolises, no such integrated models or applicable planning processes currently exist. The latter would enable coordinated as well as integrated grid planning -- including PtX integration -- as a transformation roadmap for the three energy grids, in turn allowing for the decarbonization of all sectors.

iNeP-Karte

Aim

Integrated grid planning processes are tasked with constructing a coordinated roadmap for the required transformation of the Hamburg energy grid until 2045. This roadmap has to balance concerns of costs, resilience and public acceptance. For this, a planning method, a planning model as well as a (AI-supported) planning tool are to be developed. The project aim is to engineer a comprehensive, functioning and validated as well as innovative concept for grid calculations spanning multiple sectors. Additionally, a novel method for computer-aided grid expansion planning, usable as a blueprint for other industrial metropolises, is to be developed.

Approach

In a first step, current consumer final energy demands as well as future projections and detailed data of the current grid infrastructure are gathered. Different transformation paths for the household, transportation and industry sectors will be designed. A methodology allowing, based on simulation results, to compare (using different parameters) multiple grid expansion alternatives will be developed. For different scenarios, a classification into zones of comparable demand structures is to be created. A novel, aggregated model, taking into account all physical boundary conditions, will form the basis for the planning of integrated grid. The combined result of applying both the method and model will allow for the derivation of grid expansion recommendations. Towards this, a computer-aided process, including AI support, will be developed. The resulting method as well as planning processes and tools will be usable as a template for other industrial metropolises. iNeP-Plan

Tasks

Selection of sector coupling technologies to be regarded
Sector-spanning grid computations
Analysis of grid computation methods of separate energy grids
Identification of sector-spanning planning goals
Development of a grid planning method for integrated grids under consideration of possible goals
Software implementation of the method and integration with existing software
Knowledge exchange with other working groups within the Northern German Living Lab

Relation to the Northern German Living Lab parent project

Other than primary coupling stations, sector coupling also requires suitable transmission and distribution infrastructure in the form of energy grids. Without these, a connection of energy producers, consumers and coupling stations is not economically feasible. The grids need to fit demand, as this is the only way grid congestion, leading to decreased quality of supply for grid users, is avoidable. Grid expansion has to take place in a sector-coupled and integrated way, enabling comprehensive and efficient operation of sector-coupling technologies as well as forming economic incentives for the development of new value chains, like a regional hydrogen economy. The developed roadmap will be able to highlight options for grid and sector coupling expansions and thus contribute towards the decarbonization goal of reducing CO₂ emissions by 75 percent until 2035. The implementation and translation of the roadmap into operative planning leads to a transformation of the energy grids.

Used Tools

Python with popular data analysis (pandas, geopandas, ...) as well as grid computation (pandapipes, pandapower, ...) libraries
Modelica with its TransiEnt-Library

Contacts

Jonathan Vieth, M.Sc.
Alex Povel, M.Sc.

Run time

1st of April 2021 to 31st of March 2026

Partner

Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics