Effect of the sustainability indicators within OSeMOSYS optimization transition scenarios

Abstract

Facilitating a sustainable transition process, whether on a global or local scale, entails crafting an energy mix tailored to meet the specific needs of users. The objective is to pinpoint the most effective future strategy that optimizes both socio-economic benefits and sustainability. To tackle these challenges, a plethora of modeling tools now exists to evaluate various scenarios prior to implementation. However, it is worth noting that modeling tools are primarily geared towards economic optimization, exemplified by the open-source energy modeling system, OSeMOSYS. This paper proposes an optimization methodology encompassing economic, energetic, and environmental sustainability, introducing the most widely referenced estimator as an economic additional cost using the weight sum and monetization methodology. The ramifications of integrating these different estimators in terms of energy matrix design, costs, and emissions are thoroughly evaluated. Furthermore, the optimal selection criteria are delineated based on users’ anticipated objectives. To ensure the reproducibility of the study, we present an exercise utilizing data from Atlantis framework, which shares characteristics of both developing and developed nations. The main results indicate that implementing sustainability, despite not causing significant variations in overall costs (¡0.5%), leads to a 35% decrease in emissions. However, there is a 14.5% increase in investment costs, while residual costs rise by 6%.

Keywords

• Sustainable energy transition
• Sustainability index
• Energetic modeling
• OSeMOSYS