In January 2020 three energy researchers from the Europa-Universität Flensburg (Germany) travelled to the three Cuban partner universites as part of the CRECE project supported by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Capacity Building for Higher Education programme. The aim was to teach local experts and researchers in the topic of “Modelling future power systems towards sustainability: Optimization of grid, storage and power plant investments for 100 % renewable power systems”.
Martin Jahn, Clemens Wingenbach and Ulf Philipp Müller conducted a two-day course for the participants at the universities in Moa, Santiago de Cuba and Havana (CUJAE). On the first day we fist had a look at what power system models are, what is needed to build them and how open source and open data can contribute. With the help of a simple model we then together changed different aspects of the model to investigate their impact on a future power system. Questions like “How do exogenous and endogenous parameters influence the behavior of the system (e.g. wind or PV installations, flexibility options like biomass and storages, and the influence of weather and prognosis on the power system model)? What can be optimized and how does that influence the complexity of models?” Where critically discussed in the Cuban context by the interested and engaged participants during the first part.
On the second day the model exercise was continued and concluded with a look at a case study using energy system modelling the German “Energiewende” to find the optimal grid and storage expansion in a highly renewable power system. We took a look at how a more complex model of the German power system using open source and open data and possible scenarios for the future development are developed and how the model can be used to derive a co-optimal grid and storage expansion setting (optimizing both unit commitment and investment costs). At the end we looked at the problems and challenges that come with such complex models and methods for the reduction of complexities.
The full lecture material and the model itself can be downloaded here: https://erasmus-meee.fi/?page_id=258.
Written by Martin Jahn, Europa-Universität Flensburg