NorENS: Developing the Norwegian Energy System in the European Energy Transition

NorENS will explore the likely directions of the European energy transition. It will develop future-oriented analysis models that connect all flexibility technologies in the power, heat, gas and transport sectors. It is managed by NMBU and includes researchers and analysts from Cicero and leading international experts. In addition, expertise from Statnett, NVE and Østfold Energi will contribute in the project.

01. Apr 2018 - 01. Apr 2018
The Research Council of Norway (ENERGIX)
Background

Driven by the international climate commitments, the European electricity system is in large transition on its way to a cleaner energy production. The share of renewable energy is increasing in all European countries, but at the same time it becomes more challenging to keep the electric supply stable because renewable energy is weather dependent. Norway has large amounts of clean and controllable hydropower and can play an important role in balancing the European electricity supply. Norwegian hydropower can step in when there is electricity shortage in Europe, while hydropower reservoirs can be used for energy storage when there is electricity surplus. Norway’s energy supply will be increasingly influenced by the Europe energy transition, and for Norwegian policy makers, system operators and producers it is important to in this perspective it is address how Norwegian renewable energy resources and infrastructure may be affected by, benefit from, and contribute to, the ongoing European energy transition. 

The NorENS project will explore the likely directions of the European energy transition and by using advanced modelling tools to simulate the future development of the interconnected electricity systems of Norway and Europe. The project results will contribute to planning an efficient, profitable and robust electricity system infrastructure for Norway in light of the European energy transition. NorENS is managed by Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and includes researchers and analysts from Cicero and leading international experts. In addition, expertise from Statnett, NVE and Østfold Energi will contribute in the project. NorENS is interdisciplinary and will combine technical analysis and analysis of market and policy frameworks with advanced energy system modelling. The energy system modelling will couple the power, heat, gas and transportation sectors and will pay particular attention towards the economic, political and technological uncertainty in the ongoing energy transition.

Objectives

Primary objective
To develop a broader and better knowlegde base for the problem of planning an efficient, profitable and robust electricity production and transmission infrastructure for Norway in light of the ongoing transition of the European energy system.

Secondary objectives
S1) Identify the main market, technological and political drivers, and the underlying uncertainties in the development of the drivers, in North European energy markets.

S2) Assess the economic potential and mutual competition of various flexibility alternatives.

S3) Identify and assess likely climate and energy policy options in Northern Europe, given the political opposition to high carbon prices in other parts of Europe.

S4) Improve the capability of an existing energy system model to handle uncertainty, as well as new flexibility alternatives, whilst increasing the degree of detail through improving the underlying numerical techniques, solution algorithms and computing paradigms.

S5) Simulate prices, power generation, value added and the need for interconnector capacity in the Norwegian power market at an hourly level and create probability distributions, showing how the development of the simulated variables depend on:
a) the main power market drivers in Northern Europe (based on the findings in S1)
b) the assumptions made about the mix of flexibility options (based on results from S2)
c) development of North European policies for power system decarbonization (from S3)

S6) Synthesize the implications of S5 for utilization of Norwegian renewable energy resources, transmission capacities and flexibility options, and suggest new policy directions that enable a robust development of the Norwegian energy system in light of likely changes and uncertainties in the European energy systems.

Researchers

Participating NMBU-researchers

Torjus Bolkesjø
Torjus Bolkesjø
Professor
Project manager
Erik Trømborg
Erik Trømborg
Professor
Participating researcher
Knut Einar Rosendahl
Knut Einar Rosendahl
Professor
Participating researcher
Jon Gustav Kirkerud
Jon Gustav Kirkerud
Researcher
Participating researcher
Yi-kuang Chen
Yi-kuang Chen
PhD candidate
Participating researcher
Niels Oliver Nagel
Niels Oliver Nagel
Researcher
Participating researcher
Partners
  • Cicero
  • Statnett
  • NVE - The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate
  • Østfold Energi
News

Sector coupling can provide much needed flexibility for the energy transition

A new study shows how sector coupling leads to a change of paradigm in the energy system, helping reducing the emissions from fossil fuels towards 2050. Configure

New study on decarbonization of North European heating systems  

Heating of buildings is a major source of emissions in Europe, often forgotten in energy system scenarios. A new study focusing on decarbonizing of buildings having individual heating systems concludes that large scale electrification through use of heat pumps is a major part of decarbonization of this energy use.Configure

Nytt forskningsprosjekt ser på Norges rolle i Europas energiomstilling

Et nytt NMBU-ledet forskningsprosjekt skal hjelpe norske energiaktører med å finne best mulige strategier for fremtidens energisystem preget av store endringer internasjonalt. Configure

Hvordan integrere forbrukernes fleksibilitet i fremtidens fornybare kraftmarked?

Aleksandra Roos viser i sin doktorgrad at det er viktig å vurdere hele kraftsystemet og samspillet mellom forskjellige markeder og nettnivå når etterspørselsfleksibilitet skal integreres i kraftsystemene.Configure

Storstilt biodrivstoffproduksjon vil endre skogsektoren betydelig

Eirik Ogner Jåstad har i sin doktorgradsavhandling undersøkt hvordan skog- og energisektoren vil tilpasse seg produksjonen av biodrivstoff og biovarme i Norden fremover. Resultatene viser at en storstilt biodrivstoffproduksjon i Norden vil endre den tradisjonelle skogsektoren, og at skogeieren vil være den store vinneren. 

Publications
TitleAuthor
Journal
Date
The economic competitiveness of flexibility options: A model study of the European energy transitionNiels Oliver Nagel et al.
Journal of Cleaner Production

2022-05-20
Europe beyond coal - An economic and climate impact assessmentChristoph Böhringer & Knut Einar Rosendahl
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management
2022-05
Balancing cost and justice concerns in the energy transition: comparing coal phase-out policies in Germany and the UKGuri Bang et al.
Climate Policy
2022-04-04
Balancing GHG mitigation and land-use conflicts: Alternative Northern European energy system scenariosYi-kuang Chen et al.
Applied Energy
2022-03-15
The role of demand response in the future renewable northern European energy systemNiels Oliver Nagel et al.
Energy
2021-11-15
Long-term trends of Nordic power marketYi-kuang Chen et al.
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment
2021-06-04
An endogenous emission cap produces a green paradoxReyer Gerlagh et al.
Economic Policy
2021-03-19
The role of sector coupling in the green transition: A least-cost energy system development in Northern-central Europe towards 2050Juan Gea-Bermúdez et al.
Applied Energy
2021-03-02
Impact of fossil-free decentralized heating on northern European renewable energy deployment and the power systemYi-kuang Chen et al.
Energy

2020-12-10
Climate-friendly but socially rejected energy-transition pathways: The integration of techno-economic and socio-technical approaches in the Nordic-Baltic regionSimon Bolwig et al.
Energy Research & Social Science
2020-09
The role of cross-border power transmission in a renewable-rich power system – A model analysis for Northwestern EuropeYi-kuang Chen et al.
Journal of Environmental Management
2020-02-23
EU ETS and the waterbed effectKnut Einar Rosendahl
Nature Climate Change
2019-09-25
Balmorel open source energy system modelFrauke Wiese et al.
Energy Strategy Reviews
2018-04
Presentations
TitleSpeaker
Event
Date
Balancing GHG mitigation and land use conflicts: Alternative Northern European energy system scenariosYi-kuang Chen
Project meeting
2021-02-19
Quantifying uncertainties in the future power market - A global sensitivity studyEirik Ogner Jåstad
Project meeting
2021-02-19
 Balmorelmodellen - Sensitivitetsanalyser, status og pågående arbeid Jon Gustav Kirkerud
Project meeting
2020-11-02
The role of demand response in the future renewable Northern European energy systemJon Gustav Kirkerud, 
Niels Oliver Nagel, 
Torjus Bolkesjø
SDEWES conference
2020-09-01
Comparing flexibility options in BalmorelNiels Oliver Nagel
Project meeting
2020-06-08
Europe Beyond Coal – An Economic and Climate Impact AssessmentChristoph Böhringer,
Knut Einar Rosendahl
Project meeting
2020-06-08
Fossil free heating and the power sectorYi-kuang Chen
Project meeting
2020-06-08
The role of cross-border power transmission in a renewable-rich power system – A model analysis for Northwestern EuropeYi-kuang Chen
CONECT, Riga
2019-05-19
FutureGas - Modeling renewable gas options in future integrated energy systemsMarie Münster,
Rasmus Bramstoft
Project meeting
2019-05-19
Policy modelling – statusKnut Einar Rosendahl
Project meeting
2019-05-28
Review on Long-Term Trends of North-West European Power Market
- Quick update
Yi-kuang Chen
Anne Hexeberg
Knut Einar Rosendahl
Torjus Folsland Bolkesjø
Project meeting
2019-05-28
The benefits and effects of cross-border transmissionYi-kuang Chen,
Torjus Bolkesjø

Project meeting
2019-05-28
NorENS: Developing the Norwegian Energy System in the European Energy TransitionTorjus Bolkesjø
Project meeting
2019-05-28