How, when, and where? Assessing renewable energy self-sufficiency

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How, when, and where? Assessing renewable energy self-sufficiency at the neighborhood level David Grosspietsch, Philippe Thömmes, Bastien Girod, and Volker H. Hoffmann Environ. Sci. Technol., Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b02686 • Publication Date (Web): 05 Jan 2018 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on January 6, 2018

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How, when, and where? Assessing renewable energy self-sufficiency at the neighborhood level Authors: David Grosspietsch1,*, Philippe Thömmes1, Bastien Girod1, Volker H. Hoffmann1 1 *

D-MTEC, ETH Zürich, Weinbergstrasse 56/58, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland Corresponding author (contact: [email protected])

Abstract 1

Self-sufficient decentralized systems challenge the centralized energy paradigm. Although

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scholars have assessed specific locations and technological aspects, it remains unclear how,

3

when, and where energy self-sufficiency could become competitive. To address this gap, we

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develop a techno-economic model for energy self-sufficient neighborhoods that integrates solar

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photovoltaics (PV), conversion, and storage technologies. We assess the cost of 100% self-

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sufficiency for both electricity and heat, comparing different technical configurations for a stylized

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neighborhood in Switzerland and juxtaposing these findings with projections on market and

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technology development. We then broaden the scope and vary the neighborhood’s composition

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(residential share) and geographic position (along different latitudes). Regarding how to design

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self-sufficient neighborhoods, we find two promising technical configurations. The “PV-battery-

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hydrogen” configuration is projected to outperform a fossil-fueled and grid-connected reference

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configuration when energy prices increase by 2.5% annually and cost reductions in hydrogen-

13

related technologies by a factor of two are achieved. The “PV-battery” configuration would allow

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achieving parity with the reference configuration sooner, at 21% cost reduction. Additionally,

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more cost-efficient deployment is found in neighborhoods where the end-use is small

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commercial or mixed and in regions where seasonal fluctuations are low and thus allow for

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reducing storage requirements.

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Keywords: decentralized energy system, renewable energy, storage technologies,

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techno-economic modeling, energy self-sufficiency, energy autarky

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1 Introduction

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The energy sector has experienced a major shake-up in the last years because of the sharp

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decline in the cost of renewable generation technologies, in particular wind and solar

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photovoltaics (PV). The low variable costs and intermittent nature of renewable energy sources

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(RES) along with their deployment in decentralized settings by prosumers (i.e., agents that both

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produce and consume energy1), could pose significant challenges to the energy sector in

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general, and to the power sector in particular,2,3 potentially undermining today’s business models

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for utilities.4–6 Decentralized production by RES disables the unidirectional grid flow and lowers

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the energy amount delivered by utilities, thus rendering many of their existing assets and

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capabilities obsolete, and requiring them to change their way of producing, distributing, and

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selling energy.4,6,7

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The industry’s shake-up could escalate to another level if prosumers at various levels – from

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building to neighborhood to district/region – are disconnected from a superordinate grid and

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operate fully self-sufficient units with RES.8,9 Self-sufficiency brings a new value proposition to

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the market by satisfying the need for reliability/resilience, cleaner energy, and better economics,

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and by overcoming utility/grid frustration and regulatory changes.8 Fully decoupled from the

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prevalent infrastructure, self-sufficient units could disrupt the current business logic of utilities

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and grid operators alike.6,10,11 With partial self-sufficiency and the necessary grid connection,

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utilities retain their power to demand higher charges for grid access. With full self-sufficiency,

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however, the utilities’ claim on grid access and power supply charges would lose its functional

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which would increase the grid costs per kilowatt hour delivered, an effect that would be

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reinforced as more and more units in the system became fully self-sufficient.

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The essential technologies required for self-sufficiency in decentralized settings, i.e., RES and

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storage technologies, have experienced significant cost declines over the last decade. For

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instance, PV module prices decreased by about 70% between 2010 and 2014 and are soon

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likely to render solar PV profitable without subsidies.12–14 These massive price declines, in turn,

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induce further deployment. Technological learning, that is, technology cost decreases with

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cumulative produced or installed capacity, can be observed for solar PV and is projected for

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battery storage in a similar vein.15,16

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Few studies have investigated the conditions under which the concept of energy self-sufficiency

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could become a competitive alternative to the current paradigm of energy supply. Scholars have

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discussed the general concept of energy self-sufficiency (or energy autarky, energy

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independence, or energy autonomy) from various disciplines and perspectives.17,18 The more

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specific idea of self-sufficient systems has been studied using different spatial perspectives (e.g.,

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buildings to regions) and with varying technological or methodological scope.19,20 At the same

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time, the economic performance of self-sufficient systems remains controversial,21,22 especially

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as most studies analyze a particular site or case, i.e., a certain scale and location, or a given

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technological focus. A variety of pilot projects and initiatives for self-sufficient systems have

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already been implemented,17,18 but they are oftentimes characterized by rationales other than

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purely economic and environmental ones.18,23 However, there has not yet been a systematic

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study that examines how to equip these systems, at what point they would become economically

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feasible, and where to best apply them.

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Our article addresses this gap in the literature on a more abstract level. We first evaluate how

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self-sufficient systems can be composed in a cost-efficient way and which technologies to

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employ. Second, we assess if and when these systems could become a viable alternative to a

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grid-connected reference. Third, we investigate where their deployment could be more cost-

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efficient due to different end-use and geographic factors, such as solar irradiation.

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We evaluate a system in the context of small-size neighborhoods (i.e., residential and small

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office buildings) and undertake three types of analysis: (1) Based on a review of the literature

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and existing pilot projects, we conduct expert interviews to identify feasible technical

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configurations that are close to market introduction. We build on this to develop a techno-

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economic model to conduct a simulation for a stylized neighborhood in Switzerland. We assess

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its economic performance from an investor perspective for different technical configurations,

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including the selection of technologies and their optimal sizing. (2) We complement these

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findings by analyzing the effect of projected increases in energy prices and potential reductions

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in technology costs. In this way, we scrutinize their impact on the competitiveness of a self-

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sufficient neighborhood compared to an on-grid reference configuration. (3) In order to account

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for temperature- and irradiation-induced seasonality, we broaden the geographical scope by

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assessing the performance of the stylized neighborhood along varying latitudes. Furthermore,

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we adjust the composition of the neighborhood to cope with different forms of end-use, from

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residential to small commercial consumers.

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The remainder of this article is structured as follows: Section 2 describes our methodology. We

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then present and discuss our results in section 3.

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2 Materials and methods

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2.1

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The challenge posed by seasonal and diurnal mismatches of local energy supply by RES to its

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consumption calls for flexibility measures, such as demand-side management or storage. In

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particular, storage technologies can cope with these mismatches by bridging the temporal gap

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and shifting energy from times of generation to times of actual use.24 Moreover, the conversion

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of different energy carriers and their storage is considered promising.19 In this way, a surplus

Model design and logic

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from one energy carrier (e.g., electricity, gas) can compensate for a shortage from another by

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converting to the type of energy that is demanded at a particular time.

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To determine the economic performance of different technical configurations, we developed a

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Matlab-based, techno-economic model that simulates an energy self-sufficient neighborhood,

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including the required capital investment and future cash flows. The model extends an existing

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PV self-consumption model by Lang et al.,25,26 and can be structured into (1) input data, (2)

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simulation logic, and (3) output data, as shown in Figure 1 (see Supporting Information (SI),

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‘techno-economic model’ (A)). 1.1 Energy service demand

1

 Room temperature, warm water, usage of appliances

Model input data

1.2 Technological parameters  Building dimensions  PV system  Storage and conversion devices

2

Iterations

Model simulation logic

3 Model output data

2.1 Technology sizing

2.2 Power and heat supply

 PV, conversion, storage devices

 Supply by devices (15min)

1.3 Geographic parameters    

Irradiation Daylight hours Ambient temperature CO2 intensity

2.3 Power and heat demand  Demand per power sink  Heat demand (both on a 15min resolution)

2.5 Dispatch and balancing  Matching of power/heat supply, demand and storage

3.1 Self-Sufficiency Rate (SSR)

3.2 Direct CO2 emissions

1.4 Economic parameters  Electricity, gas, oil prices  Investment and O&M costs

2.4 Economic module  Negative cash flows (investment cost, operating cost for electricty, gas, and oil, maintenance cost)  Net present value/ cost  Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOEDES)

3.3 Economic results

3.4 Heuristic optimization  Genetic algorithms targeting a SSR of 100% at minimal LCOEDES 3.5 Final results

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 Optimal self-sufficient design (and sizing of devices) at minimum LCOEDES

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Figure 1. Structural overview of the techno-economic model. (Numbers refer to the subsections of the SI ‘technoeconomic model’ (A)).

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On the input side, regarding the demand the focus is on the neighborhood level. We consider

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mixed end-usage, i.e., a combination of residential and small commercial units, since they

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exhibit different demand patterns. Regarding technologies, we restrict our analysis to solar PV

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as RES technology because it can be easily deployed in buildings and decentralized settings

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and is considered the most cost competitive with further projected cost decreases.27 Besides

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solar PV, building-related aspects and both storage and conversion devices complete the

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technological parameters. Geographic parameters (e.g., irradiation data, temperature) and

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economic parameters (e.g., energy prices, investment cost) complement the input side of the

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model.

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Fed by all input parameters, the simulation of the model is initialized by the sizing of

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technologies (PV, conversion, storage) which then determines power and heat supply for every

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15 minutes throughout a full year. In parallel, the neighborhood’s temporal profiles for power and

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heat demand are simulated with the same timely resolution. Consequently, during the dispatch

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energy supply and demand are balanced on a 15 minute basis throughout the year, where PV

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power is used to meet demand whenever available. The residual power, remaining demand or

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PV excess, is then provided or absorbed by the storage options. Following the dispatch, the

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economic module employs the concept of Levelized Costs of Energy (LCOE)28 to compute the

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economic performance in an adapted approach of “Levelized Costs of Energy for Decentralized

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Energy Systems” (LCOEDES). LCOEDES are defined as the total discounted costs of a

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decentralized energy system divided by its discounted energy demand. The LCOEDES comprise

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initial investment costs and cash flows (e.g., operations and maintenance (O&M), replacement

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costs) for generation, storage, and conversion technologies discounted over the investment

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period.

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Based on a single full year simulation, the model derives three output indicators: Self-Sufficiency

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Rate (SSR), direct CO2 emissions, and the costs of energy provision (in LCOEDES). With the

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objective function of minimizing LCOEDES subject to a SSR of 100%, the model uses genetic

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algorithms to iteratively adapt the technology sizing, thus exploring an optimal solution. Genetic

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algorithms are applied because they qualify as a metaheuristic approach to coping with the

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complex problem of a non-linear and highly multi-modal objective function (see SI, A 3.4).29,30 ACS Paragon 6Plus Environment

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The optimal technology sizing and LCOEDES of the self-sufficient neighborhood are then

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displayed in the final results.

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2.2

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The starting point for our evaluation is the techno-economic performance of a stylized

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neighborhood at the selected location of Bern, Switzerland. We chose the Swiss context due to

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its central location in Europe. In addition, the economic and political environment seems to favor

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innovative decentralized solutions, and a variety of pilot and lighthouse projects already exist in

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Switzerland. Later in the analysis, we broaden the geographical scope to examine the influence

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of seasonal fluctuation – in solar irradiation and ambient temperature – that shapes energy

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demand and power production.

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We start our analysis by defining a stylized neighborhood that aggregates multiple buildings of

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three generic types, i.e., single-family houses (SFH), multi-family houses (MFH), and small office

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buildings (SOB).25,26 In order to define a suitable composition, that is, mix of building types and

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end-use within the neighborhood, we evaluated a set of 56 global decentralized energy systems

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and analyzed the 20 certified Swiss “2000-Watt Sites.”31 Within the typical range of our project

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observations, our neighborhood is composed of three SFHs, three MFHs, and one SOB, with

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accumulated load profiles for each building type. The annual energy demand of this

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neighborhood, located in Bern, Switzerland, sums up to 115.5 MWhel of electricity demand and

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388.9 MWhth of heat demand. Later in our analysis, we provide an additional step to begin

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widening the scope from this specific setup to explore the influence of the neighborhood’s

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composition on the economic performance more generally by varying its ratio of residential to

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small office buildings (where question), an important factor as each type is differently suited to

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match local PV production.26

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Each of the considered building types is mainly characterized by building-specific features,

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electric appliances and their usage patterns, room temperature, as well as the corresponding

Context & parametrization

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heat flows, which influence the calculation of electricity and heat demand. The model simulates

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synthetic load curves for electricity and heat for each building type on a 15 minute resolution

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throughout a full year. The temporal demand profiles are based on the simulation of the building

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demands of the so-called ‘Household Model for Intelligent Energy supply and use

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(HoMIE)’.26,32,33 Technology data incorporates all operational parameters, such as efficiency or

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cycle lifetime, that are important to characterize the considered technologies. Economic data

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includes market prices for energy as well as the investment period and the discount rate (7%).

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The development of future energy prices is based on projections by the U.S. Department of

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Energy’s Annual Energy Outlook 2015.34 Economic assumptions for the technologies

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encompass upfront investment costs and O&M costs, as well as replacement costs for specific

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technologies with a shorter lifetime than the whole system’s lifetime. Planning and installation

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expenses are excluded due to their site specificity. Table 1 provides an overview of selected

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model-related parameters and assumptions regarding building, technology, and economic

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information. The comprehensive set of assumptions is given in the SI (A 1.1-1.4).

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Table 1. Selection of model-related parameters and assumptions to provide an overview of building, technology, and economic information. (The data below is only an excerpt of the full range of information, which can be found in the SI.)

m

10 x 7 x 6

20 x 9 x 14

MFH

22 x 15 x 10

SOB

Number of stories

-

2

5

3

Total floor area

m2

150

900

1000

Window share

%

30

30

60

Roof area

Heat demand p.a.

m2

80

180

330

-

4

20

90

3.0

19.1

49.4

MWhel MWhth

Room temperature

°C

Hot water

liter

Daily lighting Fridge/freezer

19.6

92.5

Capacity Battery (Lithiumion)

1223 Wh / day

5-7 76 Wh/m2

274 / 329 Wh/day/party

274 Wh/day

1223 Wh /day

69.3 Wh/m2

ICT

Fuel Cell (PEM)

-

Value

Unit

1.15

%

20

-

0.85

a

10

kWh

10

kW

3.3

%

92

DoD

-

0.8

Lifetime

a

10

Cycle Lifetime

-

10,250

Power

23 50-70 (at 60°C/person/day)

-

79.2

PV (cryst. silicon)

Unit

Angle Correction Factor Performance Ratio Module Efficiency Lifetime

Efficiency

Therm. Effic.

%

Electr. Effic.

42

%

50

Lifetime

a

15

Cycle Lifetime

-

40,000

Market parameters

Unit

LxWxH

Power demand p.a.

Energy service demands

SFH

Economic

Parameter

Parameter

Number of people

174

Technology

Technology parameters

Characteristics

Building

EUR/kWh

Gas Price

EUR/kWh

0.07

Oil Price

EUR/kWh

0.09

Investment horizon Discount rate

PV (cryst. silicon)

Fuel Cell (PEM)

years

40

%

7.0

EUR/kW

451.57

BOS

EUR/kW

901.89

O&M Cost

%

Investm. Cost Battery (Li-ion)

0.17

Investm. Cost

1.5

EUR/kW

322.48

BOS

EUR/kW

141.76

O&M Cost

EUR/kW

20.66

Investm. Cost

EUR/kW

BOS

%

20

O&M Cost

%

10

...

M

M

..

..

..

.

.

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Electricity Price

.

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On the supply side, local solar irradiation data is sourced from NASA for every quarter of an hour

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over a full year,35 and subsequently used for the computation of available electricity yield by the

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solar PV plant. To account for a reference configuration, we include the option to source

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electricity from the local grid and to draw heating oil from a tank. As we aim to assess the

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general impact of seasonality (in the where question), we alter latitude-dependent environmental

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data, that is, irradiation,35 temperature and daylight hours.36

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In addition to a literature-based approach for the parametrization of the model, we conducted

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thirteen interviews with experts from academia and industry to i) triangulate and validate specific

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assumptions, input parameters, and preliminary results, and ii) distill interesting technical

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configurations for the analysis, i.e., addressing the how question (see SI ‘experts interviews’

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(B)). Apart from interviews, our modeling benefitted from close interaction and iterative

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development with academic experts on some of the individual technologies and their integration

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who partook in the research project.

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3 Results

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We report and discuss how (3.1), when (3.2), and where (3.3) renewable energy self-sufficiency

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at the neighborhood level can become economically feasible and what alternative pathways are

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(3.4).

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3.1

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Based on the existing literature and expert interviews, four technical configurations evolved for

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our analysis. Figure 2 displays these configurations, along with their technical devices and

How: Examining technical configurations

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energy

flows.

I «PV-battery-HP» Supply

Irradiation

Ref «Grid-oil»

Storage and Conversion Technologies

PV

Demand

Supply

Electricity

Irradiation

Storage and Conversion Technologies

Electricity

PV

Electrolyze r Battery

H2 Tank

Electrolyzer Battery

HP

H2 Tank

HP

FC

FC Energy Carrier

Demand

Heat

ICE

Energy Carrier

Heat

ICE

CHP

CHP Electricity Heat

Boiler

Grid Electricity Heat Heating Oil

Boiler HP: Heat Pump

II «PV-battery-H2-HP» Supply

Irradiation

I b «PV-battery-gas»

Storage and Conversion Technologies

PV

Demand

Supply

Electricity

Irradiation

Storage and Conversion Technologies

Electricity

PV Electrolyzer

Electrolyzer Battery

H2 Tank

Battery

HP

196

Heat

ICE

Boiler

H2 Tank

HP

FC

FC Energy Carrier

Demand

Energy Carrier

Electricity Heat Hydrogen

ICE

Boiler

FC: Fuel Cell

Heat

Electricity Heat Natural Gas ICE: Internal Combustion Engine

197 198 199

Figure 2. Overview of technical configurations (I, II, Ref, Ib), their technical devices (i.e., storage and conversion technologies), and energy flows. (Acronyms: PV = Photovoltaics, HP = Heat Pump, H2 = Hydrogen, FC = Fuel Cell, ICE = Internal Combustion Engine)

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We identify two dominant configurations for achieving a fully independent, renewable self-

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sufficient energy supply at the neighborhood level. The first configuration (“PV-battery-HP”)

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relies solely on batteries for storage technology and supplies the heat by means of a heat pump

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(HP). The second configuration (“PV-battery-H2-HP”) adds hydrogen (H2) storage to complement

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the battery storage. The latter is a promising configuration that is observed in pilot projects and

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discussed in the literature,37–41 and it splits storage requirements technically into diurnal and

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seasonal components. The PV-battery-H2-HP configuration requires further technical devices,

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such as an electrolyzer to convert power to hydrogen, hydrogen storage tanks, and a fuel cell to

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reconvert hydrogen to electricity with heat as a byproduct. We compare the self-sufficient

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configurations to a conventional, grid-connected configuration, the reference one (Ref “Grid-oil”).

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This configuration sources electricity from the grid and uses an oil-fired heating boiler, the

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predominant configuration in the existing Swiss building stock.

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An alteration to the first configuration is Ib (“PV-battery-gas”), which has been discussed in the

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literature and practice in recent years.42 It relies on a natural gas-based combined heat and

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power (CHP) solution that uses an internal combustion engine (ICE) to co-supply heat and

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electricity, and additionally benefits from a small battery to compensate for demand peaks. This

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configuration relies on the provision of natural gas, either by making use of an existing gas grid

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infrastructure, on-site production (e.g., biogas), or through its storage (e.g., tanks, caverns).

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Given its gas dependence, PV-battery-gas cannot be considered a fully autarkic configuration in

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the strict sense, which is why we report its results in this section but disregard it in the

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subsequent result sections.

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Figure 3 presents the technology sizing of each technical configuration, as well as the LCOEDES.

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It reveals that configurations I and II require both a high electricity supply by the PV plant and

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large storage capacities to cope with the typical Swiss seasonality of energy demand.

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Specifically, the large PV installation of 893kW peak power, which exceeds the available rooftop

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area, is due to fulfilling the demand peaks during winter daylight hours from the PV plant.

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However, rising module efficiencies resulting in higher yields, combined with facades that

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contribute to solar gains via building-integrated PV and higher efficiency standards to lower the

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buildings’ or neighborhood’s overall energy demand, can alleviate this situation in the future. In

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configuration I, the battery system needs to be sized extensively to bridge the seasonal gap,

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thus accounting for about one-third of the total cost. Comparing LCOEDES of the two genuinely

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self-sufficient configurations (I and II) using commercially available technologies shows that both

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are more than twice as expensive as the reference configuration but produce zero direct CO2

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emissions (compared to Ref and Ib). Moreover, the cost of PV-battery-HP is 35% lower than the

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hydrogen-based configuration. The PV power plant itself accounts for an important share of the

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total cost, with 61% (I) and 39% (II) respectively. In the hydrogen-based configuration, the

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storage and conversion technologies have higher costs than the PV plant. These costs

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components of the hydrogen system: Hydrogen tank (25%), electrolyzer (17%), and fuel cell

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(8%).

240 LCOEDES [EUR/kWh] 1.5

I

II

Ref

Ib

PV-battery-HP

PV-battery-H2-HP

Grid-oil

PV-battery-gas

Direct CO2 emissions [t CO2]

1.30 10,414

Electrolyzer

10,000 1.0 H2 Tank

0.84

4,919 5,000

0.5

Battery

Fuel Cell

Heat Pump

Battery Heat Pump

0.58 0.44 Natural Gas

Grid Electr.

2,500

PV Plant

PV Plant

Heating Oil ICE

System

Technologies

0.0

241

PV Plant [kW p] HP / Boiler / ICE [kW th] Battery [kW]/ [kWh] Electrolyzer [kW] H2 Tank [Nm3] Fuel Cell [kW] Discount rate [%] System lifetime [years] SSR [%] Mitigation cost [EUR/t CO2]b

PV Plant

Oil Boiler

0

0 893 111.5 (GS) 330 / 1100 7 40 100 216.21 a b

893 111.5 (GS) 111/ 370 170 kW 191 Nm3 27 kW 7 40 100 466.12

-

111.5 (Boiler) 7 40 0 -

0

112 111.5 (ICE) 9/ 30 7 40 100a -68.38

Still, provision of natural gas needed, thus not considered as fully autarkic mode. Cost-effectiveness in terms of money per CO2 emissions avoided compared to Ref.

242 243 244

Figure 3. LCOEDES split, direct CO2 emissions, and technology sizing for the four technical configurations: I, II, Ref, and Ib. (Acronyms: LCOEDES = Levelized Cost of Energy for Decentralized Energy Systems, PV = Photovoltaics, HP = Heat Pump, GS = Ground-Sourced, ICE = Internal Combustion Engine, H2 = Hydrogen, SSR = Self-Sufficiency Rate)

245

From an economic perspective, the discount rate is an important factor with a strong impact on

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the overall performance. For the presented results, we chose a conservatively high discount rate

247

(7%), which favors the reference configuration with its constant negative cash flows for energy

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purchase, both electricity and heating oil. A drop in the discount rate by two percentage points,

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for instance, improves the economic performance of configurations I and II compared to the

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reference configuration (33%, instead of 48%, higher costs for configuration I than the reference

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configuration, and 58%, instead of 66%, for configuration II compared to the reference

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configuration). The most sensitive technology-related parameter is the investment cost, which

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has the highest impact on the economic performance. With a weaker overall effect, the

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technology lifetime is the second most sensitive technical parameter (see SI ‘sensitivity analysis’

255

(C)).

256

Since the PV-battery-HP system exhibits lower costs than the PV-battery-H2-HP system, cost-

257

optimal sizing by the genetic algorithm results in zero component sizes for the hydrogen devices.

258

Therefore, in configuration II, we assume a PV plant size identical to configuration I, and we limit

259

the battery size to a capacity large enough to cope with diurnal fluctuations.

260

3.2

261

Energy prices and technological learning are major factors that influence the point at which self-

262

sufficient systems will become cheaper than the grid-connected reference configuration. On the

263

one hand, energy prices strongly determine the cost of the reference configuration. These costs

264

are prone to variation and could increase in the future because of rising electricity and fossil fuel

265

prices or because of policy measures, such as environmental taxes or regulations. On the other

266

hand, technological learning strongly affects the technology-intense configurations PV-battery-

267

HP and PV-battery-H2-HP, as solar PV, battery, and hydrogen technologies are the largest

268

contributors to total costs for these configurations. Costs for all these technologies are expected

269

to decline because of further technological learning (both learning by doing and learning by

270

researching).12,15,16,43–46

271

Figure 4 illustrates how costs for the three configurations under consideration (I, II, and Ref)

272

depend on these two factors. Specifically, the indifference curve for both self-sufficient

273

configurations I and II represents LCOEDES equality to the reference configuration. We find that

274

self-sufficient configurations would become competitive under a medium energy price scenario

When: Investigating technology and market development

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(both for electricity and heating oil) of the Annual Energy Outlook (AEO)34 and a decrease in

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technology costs by 21% for PV-battery-HP (see AI) and 51% for PV-battery-H2-HP (AII) from

277

2015 cost levels. AEO’s high electricity price scenario would render these two configurations

278

competitive at even lower technology cost reductions of 2% for PV-battery-HP (BI) and 39% for

279

PV-battery-H2-HP (BII), whereas the AEO’s low electricity price scenario would require

280

technology cost reductions of 26% for PV-battery-HP (CI) and 65% for PV-battery-H2-HP (CII),

281

respectively. In general, such cost reductions are possible, as we briefly illustrate for AEO’s

282

medium scenario.

283

Based on projections from the scientific literature on annual learning rates – PV cost decreases

284

of 5.5% per annum according to IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency)47 and 7% for

285

the lithium-ion battery15 – configuration I could achieve the required 21% in cost reduction (AI in

286

Figure 4) to draw level with the reference configuration within four years from start of operation.

287

As hydrogen technologies are in an earlier phase of development, these cost projections are

288

more challenging to make.48 Still, cost parity with the reference configuration (51% cost

289

reduction, see AII) could be reached if technological learning during production combined with

290

the use of the technologies translates into sufficient cost reductions. Based on estimated

291

technological learning coefficients of 20% for the alkaline electrolyzer and the proton exchange

292

membrane fuel cell, as well as 10% for the pressurized storage tanks, this would require an

293

increase in cumulative deployed capacity by two orders of magnitude. Such a development

294

seems plausible based on observations from technologies at similar maturity levels and might

295

render hydrogen-based solutions cheaper than the PV-battery-HP configuration in the long

296

run.44,48–50 In addition to energy prices and technology costs, the discount rate also influences

297

the indifference curve. As presented in Figure 4, the competitiveness of self-sufficiency systems

298

is accelerated with lower discount rates and delayed with higher discount rates.

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Electricity price increase p.a. [%] NPV equality, configuration I (PV-battery-HP) to Ref

Configurations I and II are cheaper than Ref

8

NPV equality, configuration II (PV-battery-H2-HP ) to Ref

higher discount rate

Configuration I is cheaper than Ref, Ref is cheaper than configuration II

6

High scenario (AEO 2015)

AII

AI

lower discount rate

2

BII

higher discount rate

BI

4

lower discount rate

Medium scenario (AEO 2015)

Low scenario (AEO 2015)

Ref is cheaper than configurations I and II

CI

CII

0

299

≙ statusquo/ 2015

Technology

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80 cost decrease [%]

300 301 302

Figure 4. Indifference curve of Ref to configuration I and Ref to configuration II (LCOEDES equality) with development of technology costs (aggregated over all technical components) and electricity price. The oil price increase is set to AEO's medium scenario of 2.52% per annum. The underlying discount rate is set to 7%.

303

Figure 4 allows us to estimate the impact on the competitiveness of various other scenarios for

304

increasing energy prices or decreasing technology costs. Among them, policy measures can

305

promote or hinder the development of self-sufficient systems directly (e.g., technology push or

306

demand pull measures51) or indirectly (e.g., increase in electricity price) by worsening the

307

reference configuration. It is worth mentioning that the reference configuration might also

308

enhance its own economic performance, e.g., via the sailing ship effect (efficiency gains in

309

established boiler technology), through hybrid solutions (grid-connected PV prosumers), or by

310

upgrading from fossil-based to state-of-the-art heating (heat pumps).

311

3.3

312

We examine the where question by changing (1) the neighborhood type and (2) the geographic

313

location. First, we discuss the neighborhood type with respect to composition and size. We find

314

purely commercial usage – in our case, small office-buildings – as the most suitable, as their

315

load profiles exhibit higher overlap to PV generation profiles than a purely residential

316

composition. This allows a reduction in peak capacity, and therefore lower costs for storage and

Where: Exploring end-use composition and seasonality

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conversion devices. Accordingly, mixed-use compositions exhibit lower costs than residential-

318

only compositions. Size is another element of neighborhood type that has an economic impact.

319

The larger the neighborhood size (within the scale of a low voltage, local distribution grid), the

320

lower the LCOEDES. This is due to two factors: 1) economies of scale in the procurement and

321

maintenance of technology, and 2) levelling out of demand profiles for individual users. The

322

latter is in line with previous studies that demonstrate the considerable impact demand profiles

323

have on overall performance as a result of their effect on technical configuration and sizing.52,53

324

Second, the seasonal fluctuation exhibits a strong impact on the selection and sizing of

325

technologies. We find that in locations with lower latitudes (equatorial areas) the seasonal

326

influence is not prominent, which allows the battery to close short-term power deficiencies. By

327

contrast, in regions with higher latitudes (towards the polar circles), strong seasonal fluctuations

328

render the configuration of battery complemented by hydrogen storage (II) more cost-efficient at

329

bridging the seasonal gap than the battery only configuration (I).

330

To account for both of these aspects, we calculated LCOEDES for the reference configuration

331

Grid-oil and the two self-sufficient ones, PV-battery-HP and PV-battery-H2-HP, at selected

332

compositions [residential share in %] and latitudes [Northern latitude in °]. The results shown in

333

Figure 5 point to a composition- and location-specific fit for each technical configuration, e.g.,

334

revealing small office and mixed-use as economically superior to solely residential applications

335

(Figure 5A), and rendering PV-battery-H2 economically more attractive than PV-battery at

336

latitudes with high seasonality, here 64.5° (Figure 5B). Beyond that, higher seasonality generally

337

results in higher costs for running a neighborhood self-sufficiently.

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339 340 341 342 343 344 345

Figure 5. (A) Comparison of LCOEDES for configurations I, II, and Ref at selected residential shares, by aggregating the three building types (SFH, MFH, SOB) to different combinations (100% = 7 SFHs + 4 MFHs, 65% = 3 SFHs+ 3 MFHs + 1 SOB, 29% = 3 SFHs + 1 MFH + 2 SOBs, 0% = 3 SOBs) at the location of Bern, Switzerland. (B) Comparison of LCOEDES for configurations I, II, and Ref at selected latitudes in the Northern hemisphere (64.5° = Reykjavik, Iceland, 46.5° = Bern, Switzerland, 28.5° = Doha, Qatar, 10.5° = Caracas, Venezuela) for the stylized neighborhood of 3 SFHs, 3 MFHs, and 1 SOB.

346

The geographical application of this study is limited because economic parameters are not

347

adjusted to a specific location (e.g., energy prices, regulations), which is why the relative trend of

348

the results in Figure 5 is more meaningful and indicative than the absolute values for locations

349

other than Switzerland. At the same time, while both generation and demand profiles are subject

350

to seasonal variation of weather-related parameters (outside air temperature, solar irradiation,

351

and daylight hours), the demand side is limited to the synthetic load profiles from the three

352

generic building types. Future work would benefit from a more diverse portfolio on the demand

353

side, scrutinizing different types of end-usage, especially for small commercial buildings other

354

than office buildings, and taking measured load data instead of simulated loads into account due

355

to their potential discrepancies.54 Nevertheless, the results indicate where potential early

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sufficient systems – at least when the economic rationale is primary – will not be paved with

358

single, purely residential buildings, but rather with larger neighborhoods in areas with lower

359

seasonality that include commercial buildings.

360

3.4

361

In this section, we discuss potential alternative developments for the evaluated pathway. We

362

have explored how, when, and where self-sufficient neighborhoods might disrupt the market by

363

becoming cost-competitive with current baseline technology. Table 2 summarizes the main

364

findings for these questions.

365

Table 2. Summary of main findings to how, when, and where questions.

Alternative developments

How

366

When

Where

Carrier

Technology

(under medium energy price scenario)

Location

I

Electricity, Heat

PV, Battery, HP

Cost competitive if and when technology costs decrease by 21%

Competitive in areas with little seasonality (low latitudes)

II

Electricity, Heat, H2

PV, Battery, HP, Electrolyzer, H2 storage, Fuel Cell

Cost competitive if and when technology costs decrease by 51%

More competitive than I in areas with high seasonality (very high latitudes)

Ref

Electricity, Heat, Oil

Boiler, Grid

Cost competitive at 2015 energy prices and technology costs

Cost competitive in areas with medium to high seasonality (medium to very high latitudes)

Composition

More cost-efficient with lower residential share and larger neighborhood size

367

Battery and H2 storage-based configurations can be feasible and cost-effective self-sufficiency

368

solutions. With technological learning and increasing energy prices, these solutions can become

369

cost-competitive. This could occur even sooner for applications in areas with low seasonality

370

(favoring the PV-battery-HP configuration) and small commercial to mixed end-usage.

371

However, potential alternative developments for the evaluated pathway also need to be

372

discussed. At least in the short-term, development of self-sufficient energy solutions will differ

373

from the outlined pathways because niche markets follow different rules. Given today’s

374

technology and energy costs, the pursuit of self-sufficient neighborhoods still comes at a high

375

price. Total costs exceed reference costs by a factor of two to three, depending on the technical

376

configuration. Today, therefore, cost-competitive applications can be found in remote, rural, or

377

island areas, where the high technology investments compensate for the cost of providing grid

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access and the space requirements for the PV plant and the respective storage technology are

379

less rigid.55,56 Additionally, on the adopter side, decision-making is not based exclusively on a

380

purely economic rationale, but involves other motivations, such as overarching goals including

381

environmental leadership, energy independence, or power reliability. Accordingly, we observed

382

pilot projects in areas where cost-effectiveness does not hold but adopter preferences for a

383

lighthouse project are high.57,58

384

While we evaluated fully self-sufficient solutions in this study, moving from negligible niches to a

385

wider deployment of self-sufficient systems (buildings, neighborhoods, districts/regions) can be a

386

multifaceted journey. Reaching fully autarkic, grid-disconnected solutions means progressing

387

through various increments of self-sufficiency along the way. Today, there is a broad range of

388

hybrid solutions in manifold combinations of diverse technologies, where prosumers can meet

389

their energy supply demands for the most part autonomously and rely on the fallback power

390

provision by the centralized grid only in rare cases.20 This will be accelerated by the looming

391

phase-out of feed-in tariffs and the resulting incentive to increase self-sufficiency rates. While

392

regulatory issues may still restrict a community-based ‘self-supply’ approach in some places, it is

393

likely to gain momentum in the future because of entrepreneurial activities or progressive policy-

394

making in other places (e.g., “self-consumption regulation” in Switzerland59). Moreover, the

395

sectoral convergence (e.g., energy, transport, building) will affect future technology trajectories

396

on the one hand, and overall system design on the other.19,60 The extent to which these semi-

397

and close-to self-sufficient systems challenge the existing paradigm of a centralized

398

infrastructure remains to be determined, as does the question of whether fully autarkic, off-grid

399

systems pose a more severe threat to this infrastructure. An important unknown is the potential

400

reallocation of grid charges, which could push self-sufficiency on prosumers’ agendas as a

401

logical next step toward an independent energy supply.

402

It is also conceivable that, despite their radical characteristics, self-sufficient systems will not

403

cause major disruption to the overall energy system if the industry and its main actors adapt and ACS Paragon19 Plus Environment

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transform accordingly. Not least because of the high deployment rates and the technological

405

trajectories of distributed RES (wind, PV), incumbent actors are starting to change their business

406

models to cope with these developments. Among these innovations, new pricing schemes (e.g.,

407

charging a premium for providing back-up capacity) and the buildup of system integrator

408

capabilities (i.e., mastering the integration of different energy services, technologies, and

409

adjacent markets) are likely to play a role. Assuming a gradual shift over time, self-sufficient

410

systems may not cause a major upheaval in the energy landscape and industry.

411

Interesting avenues for further research can be identified for both the competitiveness and

412

disruptive potential of self-sufficient solutions. In terms of cost-competitiveness, quantifying and

413

determining the relative profitability of various increments of self-sufficiency – below the full

414

autarkic, off-grid 100% self-sufficiency rate – and the model expansion by further technologies

415

(RES, storage) are of high interest for future work. Beyond that, potential additional benefits of

416

these technologies, such as higher reliability of supply, reduced environmental impact and

417

increases in the connected buildings' property value, need further evaluation.

418

Additionally, overall implications for the existing infrastructure, as well as societal effects

419

triggered by a higher diffusion of truly self-sufficient systems, need to be thoroughly assessed in

420

order to give business and policy makers a basis for deciding on the if and the how of their

421

potential support.

422 423

Acknowledgments

424

This research has been financially supported by the Swiss Commission for Technology and

425

Innovation (CTI) within the SCCER FEEB&D (KTI.1155000149) and by the Swiss National

426

Science Foundation (SNF) under the National Research Program Energy Turnaround (NRP70),

427

Grant No. 407040-153781. We thank Paolo Gabrielli, Mark Pfeiffer and Jan Ossenbrink for their

428

valuable comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. ACS Paragon20 Plus Environment

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Supporting Information Available

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(A) Techno-economic model (1. model input data, 2. model simulation logic, and 3. model output

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data), (B) expert interviews, (C) sensitivity analysis. This information is available free of charge

432

via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.

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Environmental Science & Technology

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592 593 Energy demand [W]

Irradiation [W/m2]

Capacity shift via storage (here seasonal): Which technologies where and when?

Jan

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Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Irradiation*

Aug

Sep

Demand*

Oct

Nov

Dec

*average values per month

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