News & Scientific Highlights
Our group and lab at the PSI Tag der Offenen Tür 2022: Discovering energy systems modelling and energy sustainability
On Sunday, 23rd of October, the Paul Scherrer Institute opened its doors and invited the public to explore and experience the manyfold topics which are researched at PSI. The Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis was present at two stations. In LEA, we simulate and model how and at which cost the energy demand of the Swiss population can be covered today and in future – aiming for low greenhouse gas emissions and trying to avoid other negative impacts on environment and society. With three exhibits, we showcased for the audience which conflicting goals can arise from these goals when considering the electricity sector, heat sector, mobility, energy storage, and energy exchange with other countries for private, industrial and commercial energy supply.
Preparing for energy shortages and blackouts
Peter Burgherr is a risk researcher at PSI. In this interview he talks about possible power shortages in the coming winter and how to prepare for them.
Evaluation of European electricity supply resilience
The increasing risk of extended electricity supply disruptions and severe electricity price fluctuations strongly motivate an evaluation of electricity supply resilience. In this direction, this research proposes a multicriteria decision support framework to assess resilience at a country level, based on three major dimensions: Resist, Restabilize and Recover. In total, 35 European countries are ranked according to their performance on 17 indicators, through a synergy of MCDA methods, techniques and communication protocols. The assessment framework has been extended to incorporate the Choquet Integral method, in order to accommodate potentially interacting pairs of criteria and negate their arbitrary effects on the final evaluation results. The analysis incorporates country data from credible international databases, as well as the preference information of a European energy expert. The results are envisaged to support energy policymakers in Europe and provide guidelines and areas for improvement at a country level.
E-fuels and electrification as complementary approaches to achieve climate target
Sustainable, synthetic fuels, so-called e-fuels, can help reduce CO₂ emissions. For their production, electricity from renewable sources is required in order to allow for a close to CO₂-neutral balance. The availability of electricity from renewable sources, which ensures the climate benefits of e-fuels, is currently still limited. “Especially in order to produce on a larger scale, a lot of renewable electricity is needed,” explains Christian Bauer, researcher at the Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis (LEA) at PSI.
Blue hydrogen can help protect the climate
The key is to eliminate methane leaks.
Challenge at the Energy Data Hackdays 2021
Chris Mutel, a scientist at PSI's Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis who specialises in life cycle and sustainability analyses, prepared a challenge for the Energy Data Hackdays happening on the 24th and 25th of September 2021 in Brugg
Where will the electricity come from in 2050?
Net-zero goal for CO2 emissions is technically achievable.
Effectively removing CO2 from the atmosphere
With careful planning, effective CO2 capture is technically possible.
Christian Bauer interviewed on Electric Cars at the program Einstein by SRF
Christian Bauer, a scientist at PSI's Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis who specialises in life cycle and sustainability analyses, interviewed at the program Einstein by SRF on Electric Cars