Distributed photovoltaics provides key benefits for a highly renewable European energy system

Parisa Rahdan*, Elisabeth Zeyen, Cristobal Gallego-Castillo, Marta Victoria

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaperJournal articleResearchpeer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are projected to be a key contributor to future energy landscape, but are often poorly represented in energy models due to their distributed nature. They have higher costs compared to utility PV, but offer additional advantages, e.g., in terms of social acceptance. Here, we model the European power network with a high spatial resolution of 181 nodes and a 2-hourly temporal resolution. We use a simplified model of distribution and transmission networks that allows the representation of power distribution losses and differentiates between utility and distributed generation and storage. Three scenarios, including a sector-coupled scenario with heating, transport, and industry are investigated. The results show that incorporating distributed solar PV leads to total system cost reduction in all scenarios (1.4% for power sector, 1.9–3.7% for sector-coupled). The achieved cost reductions primarily stem from demand peak reduction and lower distribution capacity requirements because of self-consumption from distributed solar. This also enhances self-sufficiency for countries. The role of distributed PV is noteworthy in the sector-coupled scenario and is helped by other distributed technologies including heat pumps and electric vehicle batteries.

Original languageEnglish
Article number122721
JournalApplied Energy
Volume360
ISSN0306-2619
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2024

Keywords

  • Distributed generation
  • Distribution grid
  • Energy system modeling
  • Home batteries
  • Rooftop solar PV

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