Course syllabus

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Course syllabus 

MEN115 Energy systems modelling and planning lp1 HT2024 (7.5 hp) 

Course is offered by the department of Space, Earth and Environment 

Contact details 

Examiner/head teacher: 

Maria Taljegård (MT), Energy Technology, Chalmers 

phone: +46 31 772 14 53 

mail: maria.taljegard@chalmers.se 

Teachers & TAs: 

Niclas Mattsson (NM), Energy Technology, Chalmers 

Georgia Savvidou (GS), Energy Technology, Chalmers 

Simon Ingvarsson (SI), Energy Technology, Chalmers 

Hyunkyo Yu (HY), Energy Technology, Chalmers 

Aaron Qiyu Liu (QL), Energy Technology, Chalmers 

Yuki Kobayashi (YK), Energy Technology, Chalmers 

Course purpose 

The aim of the course is to provide the student with basic insights on the complexity of energy systems; and to introduce the students to practical tools and approaches to solve analytical energy system problems. The course is based on real problems combining technical, environmental and economic parameters. It is focused on local, regional and national energy systems with special emphasis on electricity systems and interconnections between sectors and importance of geographical, as well as, temporal scope in analysis. 

General information   

The course is part of the master programme Sustainable Energy Systems at Chalmers. The course is taught in English. 

Prerequisites 

Students should have basic knowledge of engineering thermodynamics, energy conversion, energy technology, numerical methods, energy economy, and energy systems analysis. In addition, students should have taken at least one of the following Chalmers courses: Sustainable Energy Futures; Heat and Power Systems Engineering; Variation management in the electricity system; Industrial Energy Systems; or corresponding courses at another university. 

Schedule 

Time slots can be seen in TimeEdit. The published pdf-schedule outline the organization of all lectures, assignments and exercises. 

Course literature 

There is no single course book. The course literature consists of a variety of chapters (from e-books available via Chalmers library web pages inside Chalmers network), texts published at Canvas and a number of articles, some of these are scientific articles. Some of the online articles will be posted on Canvas, while others will not due to copyright restrictions. Instead a list of recommended reading will be available at Canvas, and the articles/texts mentioned there are available at the Chalmers digital library. The recommended readings give literature essential for the course (important for the examination) and suggestions for further studies.  Lecture notes (presentations) will be available at Canvas. 

These reading instructions below are divided into recommended reading and extra reading, where the first should be seen as the material that reflect the course content, i.e., this material is the actual course literature needed to reach the targets and aim of the course. Further reading gives a hint on where to find additional material for anyone that is interested to know more. The list may be changed and/or updated so please visit Canvas for the latest version. 

Basic concepts 

  • Concepts and Terminology (Pdf-file on canvas)  

Reference energy system 

  • The reference energy system: a snapshot of the energy system by Claes Otto Wene. (Pdf-file on canvas)  

Energy systems modelling 

  • Ringkjøb, Hans-Kristian, Peter M. Haugan, and Ida Marie Solbrekke. "A review of modelling tools for energy and electricity systems with large shares of variable renewables." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 96 (2018): 440-459. Gives a fantastic overview of energy systems modelling tools and how to chose the “right” model for your purpose.   
  • Energy systems modelling by Unger (Pdf-file on canvas) 

Linear programming 

Energy market and energy economy  

  • An introduction to energy economics. Sections 1 to 4. (Pdf-file on canvas) 
  • Stoft, Steven (2002). “Power system economics: designing markets for electricity”. Chapter 1-6 and Chapter 2-2. E-book available through Chalmers library and posted in Canvas files. (Pdf-file on canvas) 

Modeling storage and generation technologies 

  • Walter, V., Göransson, L. (2020). Impacts of variation management on cost-optimal investments in wind power and solar photovoltaics. Renewable Energy Focus, 32: 10-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ref.2019.10.003 (Pdf-file on canvas) 

Integrated assessment models (IAM) 

  • See previous mention literature on Energy systems models (Ringkjøb, Hans-Kristian, Peter M. Haugan, and Ida Marie Solbrekke. "A review of modelling tools for energy and electricity systems with large shares of variable renewables." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 96 (2018): 440-459).  

Agent-based modelling (ABM) (week 7)  

  • Antelmi, A., Cordasco, G., D’Ambrosio, G., De Vinco, D., & Spagnuolo, C. (2022). Experimenting with agent-based model simulation tools. Applied Sciences, 13(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13010013. This article provides a comprehensive overview of open-source ABM tools and evaluates their usability and efficiency in developing and running energy system models. The comparison of different ABM tools helps the reader choose the right tool based on their needs and skills. The focus is on practical applications, demonstrating how ABMs can effectively analyze real-world complex systems by modeling interactions at the individual level to understand phenomena at the system level . 

Some general literature resource 

EXTRA on heating technologies 

Heating technologies (for those of you not familiar with CHP, heat pumps and district heating) 

  • Combined Heat and Power, book chapter from Handbook of Clean Energy Systems written by Eva Thorin, Jan Sandberg, Jinyue Yan, 2015 (11 pages). Pdf-file on canvas). Here you can find the basics of the technology for CHP plants with a steam turbine or gas turbine, defines alpha value etc. and gives a picture of the presence of CHP technology in different parts of the world. 
  • The Future of Heat Pumps - World Energy Outlook Special Report av IEA, 2022 (Chapter 1, 28 pages). This report gives an introduction to COP and overview of heat pumps and the heating sector in the world.  
  • District Heating (excerpt from Ingvarsson 2018), description of district heating (5 pages) 

EXTRA (in-depth literature) 

  • Projected cost of generating electricity. 2020 ed. IEA report – Executive summary. Available at: 

https://www.iea.org/reports/projected-costs-of-generating-electricity-2020  

  • Nordpool Day ahead market regulations. Available at: 

https://www.nordpoolgroup.com/en/the-power-market/Day-ahead-market/  

https://www.nordpoolgroup.com/en/maps/#/nordic 

Course design 

The course includes basic energy systems elements such as: 

  • System analysis tools (energy systems modelling and optimization tools) 
    • Background and terminology 
    • Reference Energy System (RES) 
    • Linear programming 
    • Integrated assessment models 
    • Agent-based models  
  • Energy economics 
  • Energy markets 
    • Electricity 
    • District heating 
  • Electricity system dynamics 
    • Interaction between power generation units 
    • Sector coupling 
  • Policy instruments 
  • System boundaries 
    • Geographical 
      • Local and regional energy systems 
      • The Nordic energy system 
      • European outlook 
    • Temporal 
      • Time scales in analysis 
      • Large scale implementation of renewable energy sources 
      • Present and future systems 
    • Sectoral 
      • Building sector 
      • Transport sector 
      • Industry sector 
  • Intermittent power generation 
  • Energy and the environment 

Organisation 

The course includes lectures as well as an assignment project of which two out of three parts are computer-based modelling exercises. The assignment requires a written report to be handed in (guide for structure will be distributed). Presence at the finalizing workshop is compulsory (see schedule for compulsory occasions). All material and information can be found in the course page in Canvas. 

Assignments 

Three compulsory assignment parts should be carried out during the course; in groups of preferably three students (groups assigned by course assistants as presented by the course-homepage): 

  • Assignment Part I: Reference Energy System (RES) 
  • Assignment Part II: Setting up a linear-programming model over the electricity generation system in south of Sweden. 
  • Assignment Part III: Analysing a topical issue for the development of the south Swedish electricity system with the aid of the model created in Part II. 

Presence is mandatory at the workshop arranged after the completion of all three parts. The mandatory presence is marked by bold in the course schedule. 

Each group should deliver their written assignment report, no later than the date indicated for each assignment part, in the Canvas hand in system. Note that the hand in via Canvas closes at stated times and that late submissions are not possible. 

Exercises 

Exercises in classroom will be held at a few occasions to exemplify the type of problems relevant for the examination. In addition, these scheduled exercises will include supervision time where students can get assistance in their own calculations. A booklet of exercises can be found on Canvas intended for practice outside the scheduled exercises. The exercises enable practice before the exam and students are recommended to solve all exercises prior to the examination. 

Changes made since the last occasion 

Two new lectures have been added with the titles “Model orientation and application” and “Agent-based models & Integrated assessment models”. These new lectures will increase the knowledge also of other types of Energy system models than linear programming models. Some other lectures have been merged with each other to give space for these two new lectures. We have also added two modeling exercises session. Furthermore, the literature list has been updated with newer literature on the topics teach in this course. The new literature should also reflect the content of the course better. 

Learning objectives and syllabus 

Learning objectives: 

  • Apply energy systems modelling tools 
    • Learn the basics of different types of energy system modelling tools 
    • Select and/or recommend relevant type of methodology/tool for given energy system problems   
    • Distinguish between simulation and optimisation tools 
  • Be able to construct a (simplified) linear programming model of a regional electricity system  
    • Learn how to implement different types of electricity generation and storage technologies and different type of demands in energy system models. 
  • Predict the interaction between different parts of the energy system 
    • Construct and apply the Reference Energy System (RES) concept  
    • Examine system changes for any given change in the RES and linear programming model 
  • Reflect and theorize around choices made in analysis 
    • Reflect on the influence of energy system boundaries in analysis 
    • Assess and explain effects of simplifications made  
    • Conclude generalizable results 
    • Discuss robustness of model results (for example through sensitivity analysis) 
  • Discuss marginal effects 
    • Explain the concept of marginal values 
    • Distinguish between marginal and average perspectives on changes in a system 
  • Differentiate and discuss energy balance vs. capacity balance 
    • Construct and apply load duration curves based on chronological load data 
    • Explain and motivate the use of base-load and peak-load power plants (or production units) 
    • Understand the cost structure of power plants and how it impacts the investment and operation of the electricity system 
  • Describe different electricity market structures 
    • Reflect on how market design affects the system composition and to fulfil given goals 
  • List energy policy instruments common/plausible to achieve sustainable energy systems 
    • Analyse effects of different policy instruments on the system composition 
    • Be able to select and implement a policy measure for certain goal fulfillment in energy systems models 

Link to the syllabus on Studieportalen. 

Study plan (Links to an external site.) 

Examination form 

The examination is based on a written exam and approved assignment reports. Presence at the assignment workshop is a compulsory part of the course (marked BOLD in schedule). The requirement for passing the exam is set to 50% approval of the points in the exam. Approved assignments are valid for three years. 

Course summary:

Date Details Due