This page describes the datasets which are required and/or already exist to build an open model the European energy system (electricity, heating, cooling, industry and transport demand) at a high spatial and temporal resolution.
The idea is to list the basic requirements for open modelling, so that researchers can collaborate and share the burden of data collection/curation. Once the dataset meets basic requirements, further detail can be added to the datasets.
The level of detail which is initially aimed at is comparable to that found for example in the DIW Germany electricity sector model ELMOD-DE or the unofficial SciGRID-based Germany electricity sector model, i.e. hourly temporal resolution and a spatial resolution at the level of electricity substations with voltages above 200 kV.
Once this level of detail is achieved, higher resolution data (e.g. detailed ramp rates, start-up/shut-down costs, lower voltage networks, etc.) can be included.
The geographical scope is flexible, but in principle the ENTSO-E countries and possibly also neighbours. The data requirements also apply for any other region of the planet.
The intention is to build a dataset that can be used for diverse research questions, including analysis of current energy usage and future energy system development.
Electricity demand
Bottom-up approach
In an ideal world, one would build a bottom-up model of industrial and residential demand profiles to build time series for each and every region (e.g. NUTS 3 regions), which could then be validated against historical data. This bottom-up model could then be re-run to include future changes to electrical demand, such as increased presence of heat pumps, electric vehicles and other changes to consumption.
Simple top-down approach
The simplest alternative is to use the historical hourly time series from ENTSO-E for each country and model the geographical distribution of each country's demand based on GDP and population in each NUTS 3 region. This approach excludes the possibility that different regions within a country have different load profiles.
Current status
The information for the simplest alternative already exists online in an open form.
Heating demand
Degree-day approximation
As a simplest assumption, this can be modelled based on temperature and population/GDP distribution using the degree-day heating demand approximation.
Current status
The information for the simplest alternative (i.e. temperature time series) already exists online in an open form.
Cooling demand
Since almost all cooling is powered using electricity, cooling is already included in the electricity demand.
Transport demand
TODO: literature review.
People (passenger-km) versus cargo (tonne-km) transport demand.
Electricity network
SciGRID / GridKit / OpenStreetMap datasets
ENTSO-E interactive map
Gas network
Read ENTSO-G map?
Heating network
District heating network, location of CHP plants, etc.
Power plant database
Replicate BNetzA list for whole of Europe.
GeOS, Enipedia, CAMRA, Platts
Hydroelectric power plants
Requires additional information on storage dam / pondage volumes, etc.
Combined-Heat-and-Power plants
Requires information on heat output, whether the dispatch is electricity- or heat-driven.
