European Swiss TIMES Electricity Model

EUSTEM in a nutshell....

EUSTEM identifies least-cost combination of power plants and electricity generation mixes to meet EU electricity demands. It has a high temporal resolution, which combined capacity expansion and ad-hoc dispatch in a single framework.

Model description

The European Swiss TIMES Electricity Model (EUSTEM) is a multiregional electricity model of Europe. The model was developed by the Energy Economics Group at PSI using the TIMES modelling framework – a least cost optimization framework, i.e. EUSTEM identifies least-cost combination of power plants and electricity generation mixes to satisfy exogenously given electricity demands. The model has long model horizon (2010-2070) with high intra-annual detail at seasonal and weekly levels to account for variations in electricity supply and demand at an hourly time resolutions. This high temporal resolution combines capacity expansion and ad-hoc dispatch in a single framework.

EUSTEM has 11 regions encompassing 20 of the 28 EU member states (plus Switzerland and Norway) (see Figure). It covers 90% of the total installed capacity and 95% of the total electricity generation of EU-28. Each of the regions are connected though an aggregated interconnectors, which enable electricity trade between regions based on long run marginal cost of electricity suppl. The model is calibrated to the 2010 electricity statistics by including all existing power plants aggregated by plant type and fuel mix; and a wide range of new and emerging electricity generation technologies. For each of the region, renewable energy resource potential and carbon capture and storage (CCS) potentials are implemented. All input data and assumptions are well documented (Pattupara, 2016).

Regions in EUSTEM model

The model can be used for a long term electricity supply scenarios analysis. The figure below shows electricity supply for Europe and electricity dispatch pattern for Germany on a Summer and winter week day in 2050.

European electricity supply in 2050 and dispatch in Germany

Normark, B., A. Faure-Schuyer, A. Shivakumar, C. Taliotis, P. Deane, J. Gottschling, R. Pattupara, R. Kannan, D. Jakšić, K. Stupin and R. V. Hemert (2017). Storage Solutions and Their Value IF{ "'Europe's Energy Transition - Insights for Policy Making'=''" else=", _Europe's Energy Transition - Insights for Policy Making_" then="" }: Syntax error in ''Europe's Energy Transition - Insights for Policy Making'=''' at ''' , Vol. ELSEVIER, ISBN 978-0-128098-06-6 link, pp. 173-187

Shivakumar, A., C. Taliotis, P. Deane, J. Gottschling, R. Pattupara, R. Kannan, D. Jakšić, K. Stupin, R. V. Hemert, B. Normark and A. Faure-Schuyer (2017). Need for Flexibility and Potential Solutions IF{ "'Europe's Energy Transition - Insights for Policy Making'=''" else=", _Europe's Energy Transition - Insights for Policy Making_" then="" }: Syntax error in ''Europe's Energy Transition - Insights for Policy Making'=''' at ''' , Vol. ELSEVIER, ISBN 978-0-128098-06-6 link, pp. 149-172

Shivakumar, A., Faure, A., Normark, B., Gupta, S., Kober, T., Bauer, Ch., Xiaojin, Z. (2016). Electricity storage in a redesigned market, INSIGHT_E Rapid Response Energy Brief 10, link

Pattupara, R. and Kannan, R. (2016). Alternative low-carbon electricity pathways in Switzerland and it’s neighbouring countries under a nuclear phase-out scenario, Applied Energy, Vol. 172, pp. 152-168, DOI:10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.03.084

S. Maire, R. Pattupara, R. Kannan, M. Vielle, F. Vöhringer (2015). Electricity markets and trade in Switzerland and its neighbouring countries (ELECTRA); Building a coupled techno-economic modeling framework - Schlussbericht, Final Report to Swiss Federal Office of Energy, Bern, External Link, Download

Pattupara, R. (2016). Long Term Evolution of the Swiss Electricity System under a European Electricity Market, Ph.D. Thesis, Nr. 23234, ETH Zürich, DOI:10.3929/ethz-a-010635090

Anisie, R. (2015). Long term evolution of the Swiss electricity system in a decarbonized Europe – Development and application of the EUSTEM model, Master Thesis, EPFL.