Perspectives on purpose-driven coupling of energy system models

Miguel Chang, Henrik Lund, Jakob Zinck Thellufsen and Poul Alberg Østergaard

Energy, 2023, vol. 265, issue C

Abstract: Energy system models (ESMs) are essential for planning the energy transition and understanding its impacts. However, this transition is inherently complex and cannot always be understood by using just one model. Consequently, efforts linking different model classes are common practice to get insights into the energy system and the different dimensions around it. While existing literature has focused on proposing how such multi-model analyses could be structured, presenting applied cases, or looking into how specific aspects of other knowledge domains are included in energy modelling, a high-level overview of the practice of model coupling with ESMs is lacking. This article puts this practice into perspective by providing an outlook on two aspects: coupling ESM paradigms and model coupling with other knowledge dimensions. Coupling ESMs paradigms have often been used to expand modelling resolution, yet further emphasis should be placed on illustrating contrasting near-optimal system designs and expanding the solution space beyond optimality criteria. Model coupling across knowledge domains is desirable when providing meaningful insights about specific themes, yet, increased complexity of data, multi-model frameworks, and coordination across practices would make an all-encompassing model impractical and calls for purpose-driven model coupling to answer specific questions about the energy transition.

Keywords: Energy system models; Model coupling; Model linking; Soft-linking; Multi-model frameworks; Energy systems analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544222032212
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:265:y:2023:i:c:s0360544222032212

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2022.126335

Access Statistics for this article

Energy is currently edited by Henrik Lund and Mark J. Kaiser

More articles in Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().