Assessing Local Power Generation Potentials of Photovoltaics, Engine Cogeneration, and Heat Pumps: The Case of a Major Swiss City

Martina Crimmann and Reinhard Madlener
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Martina Crimmann: RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 55, 52056 Aachen, Germany

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 17, 1-26

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the potentials of distributed generation (DG) in a medium-sized Swiss city. We show the role of private households in the sustainable energy transition process induced by Swiss energy policy. For the analysis, we define six scenarios that enable us to study the potentials and impacts of different combinations of DG technologies in terms of costs, CO 2 emissions, and amounts and shares of DG provided by non-industrial end-users (essentially private households and the services sector). Three variants are investigated, one with real electricity costs and CO 2 emissions, one with increased electricity costs (e.g., construction of new power plants), and one with increased CO 2 emissions (e.g., due to the planned nuclear phase-out in Switzerland). We find that non-industrial entities can play an important role as prosumers. They mitigate the need for centralized generation. Within a scenario where the non-industrial energy end-users install water-water heat pumps and photovoltaics, a total reduction of the gas procurement from the grid is possible whereas the electricity demand from the grid increases by 24%. This scenario reveals higher DG electricity costs in comparison to conventional electricity supply, but the total costs of energy supply decrease due to the elimination of gas supply, and the CO 2 emissions can be reduced by 68%.

Keywords: distributed generation; solar; PV; engine CHP; cogeneration; heat pumps; Switzerland (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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