The research focus of this field of work lies in the grid-based energy economy and the actors involved. The primary emphasis is on the electricity sector, considering existing and potentially future interactions with the heating and transport sectors. The scientific work ranges from energy system analysis and design to business model development.
Within the electricity sector, the research field addresses:
• Energy economic and regulatory frameworks,
• System transformation with decentralized and fluctuating generation as a central pillar,
• Load options (demand-side management, storage, European interconnected grid) and their respective actors,
• As well as the evaluation and further development of infrastructure approaches for sustainable energy systems.
Through a cross-sectoral approach, key research topics in the heating sector include:
• Power-to-heat,
• Combined heat and power (CHP), and
• Industrial waste heat.
Scientific questions in the context of power-to-heat and CHP focus on the additional electricity demand that arises, its effects on load profiles, and potential ways to influence these profiles. Regarding industrial waste heat, the research explores its potential and possible uses — including electricity generation, depending on temperature and flow rate — and investigates options for its utilization.
Electromobility forms the third scientific pillar of the “Energy Markets” field. Research questions here focus on the framework conditions for the use of electromobility — particularly in individual transport — the relevant actors, and the impacts on infrastructure.
For scientific scenario analyses, the research field utilizes the following instruments:
• Electricity market model for day-ahead trading: This is a fundamental model that, within the framework of a market simulation, determines the hourly allocation of generation and consumption. Unlike most models, it is not an optimization model that uses a given power plant fleet to solve an objective function at its optimum. Instead, the bidding behavior of individual actors is modeled, which means that the power plant dispatch does not necessarily reflect an optimal outcome but rather a response to expected, market-based reactions.
• Charging model for electric vehicles: Based on the “Mobility in Germany” survey, driving behavior is simulated by replicating user categories (commuters, students, retirees, etc.) over a defined observation year. Depending on charging scenarios (e.g., charging at home after work, during work hours, fast charging at low battery levels, etc.) and user categories, a load profile emerges that must be balanced by corresponding generation capacity. This demand load can be calculated on an hourly basis over any defined period, taking into account working days and public holidays, and can be imported into the electricity market model.
