Reducing the use of primary energy and greenhouse gases are key objectives of the energy transition. However, switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is not enough to achieve them. An overarching view and optimization of the different sectors of the energy system - electricity, gas, heat and transport - can significantly advance the further development of the energy system in Germany. There is potential above all at regional level.
The aim of the ESM-Regio project - short for "Multi-sector coupled energy system modeling at regional level" - is to create a high-resolution energy system model on the scale of administrative districts that takes into account the four sectors of electricity, gas, heat and transport as well as the required interface technologies. A key feature of the project is the cross-sectoral model logic. Suitable simulation methods enable a holistic analysis and optimization of system operation, taking into account the four key sectors of the energy system.
The model is being developed and tested for an exemplary region to ensure a high degree of realism. The example region is the city and parts of the surrounding district of Bayreuth. Data, expansion scenarios and realistic questions are available for this region or can be developed by the project partners. At the same time, this region has a central structure of city and surrounding countryside as well as significant proportions of trade, commerce and services (GHD) and industry. Furthermore, the region is not influenced by neighboring large cities. The component-based model structure of the project enables transferability to other regions.
Project news
This first project news provides an overview of the status of the work to date and the future objectives.
First results
The project "Multisectoral coupled energy system modeling at regional level" (ESM-Regio for short) started in summer 2021. On February 13, 2023, the interim results were presented to the project advisory board in a 2nd meeting. You too can find out more!
What is the ESM-Regio project about?
The project is a continuation of projects on system analysis in Bavaria, which were funded by several companies and the Free State of Bavaria and originated at the Energy Campus Nuremberg (EnCN), as well as the KOSiNEK project (Combined Optimization, Simulation and Network Analysis of Germany's Electrical Energy System in a European Context), which was funded as part of the German government's 6th Energy Research Programme."
The ESM-Regio project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics, will run for three years and has a volume of around 1.85 million euros. It is coordinated by the Chair of Computer Science 7 at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). FAU's scientific partners are the Chair of Energy Process Engineering (EVT), the Chair of Industrial Mathematics (EDOM) and the Junior Professorship of Energy Informatics (EINF) as well as the Institute for High Voltage Technology, Energy Systems and Plant Diagnostics at Coburg University of Applied Sciences (IHEA). Industrial partners are the Energy Agency of Northern Bavaria, Nuremberg and Kulmbach (EAN), Stadtwerke Bayreuth as a regional energy supply company (SB) and the Energy Technology Cluster of Bayern Innovativ GmbH .
For Prof. Christian Weindl, Head of the Institute for High Voltage Technology, Energy System and Plant Diagnosis at Coburg University of Applied Sciences (IHEA), the ESM-Regio project is groundbreaking: "ESM-Regio provides important basic information on cross-sector energy exchange and enables us to achieve overall energy optimization and thus resource-saving optimization of our energy requirements and the necessary grid expansion. The flexible calculation procedures and simulation methods to be developed here are one of the prerequisites for achieving the ambitious goals of the energy transition."
Dr. Rainer Seßner, Managing Director of Bayern Innovativ GmbH, welcomes the launch of the project in the city and district of Bayreuth: "We are delighted that Bayern Innovativ is able to support the ESM-Regio project. With our cross-industry networks in the specialization fields of digitalization , energy , health , materials and production as well as mobility , we can bring together all relevant players for sector coupling and accelerate innovation."
Project coordinator Prof. Reinhard German, holder of the Chair of Computer Networks and Communication Systems and second professor at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia: "The research funding enables us to create a new type of simulation model that maps the overarching control and optimization of the four most important sectors of the energy system and can thus identify significant savings potential. I am particularly pleased that, in addition to strong scientific partners such as Stadtwerke Bayreuth, Energieagentur Nordbayern and Bayern Innovativ, very relevant industrial partners are also involved, thus ensuring that the model is realistic. This is also an excellent basis for transferring the results to other regions."
Prof. Marco Pruckner, Junior Professor of Energy Informatics at the Chair of Computer Science 7 at FAU, is also pleased about the start of the project: "In the ESM-Regio project, we will develop a comprehensive tool for the evaluation of sector coupling mechanisms at regional level with a high degree of realism. The junior professorship is dedicated to the transport sector in order to drive forward the mobility transition and the associated system integration of electric vehicles in a wide range of areas."
Prof. Alexander Martin, holder of the Chair of Industrial Mathematics and Director of Fraunhofer IIS: "ESM-Regio uses a learning optimization method that derives the necessary boundary conditions from more detailed simulation models for cross-sector control. The continuous comparison with the real infrastructure and the associated data of the Bayreuth example region during the technical-algorithmic development creates a tool that can be used agilely in other regions of Germany. I am very pleased that we can make an important contribution to the development of decentralized sustainable energy systems."
Jürgen Bayer, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Bayreuth, is excited to see what results the research project will deliver: "Taking a close look at the distribution grid level is hugely important for the nationwide electricity grid. After all, major challenges await us here: E-mobility is already a megatopic today, which must not be at the expense of security of supply. And green hydrogen will soon find its place in our energy system. This makes the holistic perspective of the project all the more important: we need to think about the electricity, gas, heating and transport sectors together - this is the only way we can make the energy transition sustainable and efficient. Of course, we also want to do this in Bayreuth and we are convinced that the research project will help us significantly. But other distribution grid operators should also take note: The Bayreuth model will be transferable to numerous other grids. We assume that the benefits of ESM Regio for society as a whole will be huge."
