The project develops methods and tools to use the results and indicators of energy system analysis and technology assessment as a knowledge base for robust decisions on the direction of climate-neutral energy system design.
Subproject: Co-design and integrative visualisation as well as analyses of society and the environment to support evaluation
Project coordination: Dr. Bert Droste-Franke
IQIB team: Dr. Markus Voge, Davy van Doren
Duration: October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2027
Funding: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE)
Partners: Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg – Chair of Sustainability Transition Policy, Nuremberg; German Aerospace Center (DLR) – Institute of Networked Energy Systems, Stuttgart
Objective: To make the energy system climate-neutral, it is necessary to combine many measures at different levels. To make robust decisions about the direction to take, detailed information on alternative options and possible effects is needed. At the same time, there are different ideas in politics, business, and society about how to implement the energy transition. Reasons for this include differing assessments of the importance of climate and environmental protection, resource consumption, impacts on society, and the feasibility, necessity, and appropriateness of various measures. These should be discussed as transparently as possible, including their requirements and consequences.
The overall aim of the project is to develop a new method and set of tools with which different results and indicators from energy system analysis and technology assessment can be brought together and used as a knowledge base for a multidimensional and multi-perspective assessment of transformation paths in discursive-reflexive processes. To this end, analyses of relevant transformation aspects are prepared in a consistent manner and compiled for expert- or stakeholder-based evaluation. Results from classic model-based analyses can be used as a knowledge base, as can qualitative considerations or analyses from the perspective of the actors involved. The aim of the work is to visualise conflicting goals in the energy transition. Another key aspect is the evaluation of political and regulatory options from different perspectives. To this end, the results of various analysis options are visualised in an integrated manner with their uncertainties in a flexible, adaptable, transparent, and interactive way.
IQIB coordinates the overall project, implements the co-design process with experts for the design of the toolkit, and works with experts from the field to develop a corresponding visualisation that can be used for multi-criteria evaluation in a discursive setting. Indicators and representations are thus tailored as closely as possible to the needs of the evaluation situation. In addition, IQIB contributes to analyses in the areas of regulation with regard to innovation dynamics, assessments of environmental and societal impacts, and regional aspects for energy scenarios.
Further information: EnArgus