IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v305y2022ics0306261921012186.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The implications of ambitious decarbonisation of heat and road transport for Britain’s net zero carbon energy systems

Author

Listed:
  • Chaudry, Modassar
  • Jayasuriya, Lahiru
  • Blainey, Simon
  • Lovric, Milan
  • Hall, Jim W.
  • Russell, Tom
  • Jenkins, Nick
  • Wu, Jianzhong

Abstract

Decarbonisation of heating and road transport are regarded as necessary but very challenging steps on the pathway to net zero carbon emissions. Assessing the most efficient routes to decarbonise these sectors requires an integrated view of energy and road transport systems. Here we describe how a national gas and electricity transmission network model was extended to represent multiple local energy systems and coupled with a national energy demand and road transport model. The integrated models were applied to assess a range of technologies and policies for heating and transport where the UK’s 2050 net zero carbon emissions target is met. Overall, annual primary energy use is projected to reduce by between 25% and 50% by 2050 compared to 2015, due to ambitious efficiency improvements within homes and vehicles. However, both annual and peak electricity demands in 2050 are more than double compared with 2015. Managed electric vehicle charging could save 14TWh/year in gas-fired power generation at peak times, and associated emissions, whilst vehicle-to-grid services could provide 10GW of electricity supply during peak hours. Together, managed vehicle charging, and vehicle-to-grid supplies could result in a 16% reduction in total annual energy costs. The provision of fast public charging facilities could reduce peak electricity demand by 17GW and save an estimated £650 million annually. Although using hydrogen for heating and transport spreads the hydrogen network costs between homeowners and motorists, it is still estimated to be more costly overall compared to an all-electric scenario. Bio-energy electricity generation plants with carbon capture and storage are required to drive overall energy system emissions to net zero, utilisation of which is lowest when heating is electrified, and road transport consists of a mix of electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. The analysis demonstrates the need for an integrated systems approach to energy and transport policies and for coordination between national and local governments.

Suggested Citation

  • Chaudry, Modassar & Jayasuriya, Lahiru & Blainey, Simon & Lovric, Milan & Hall, Jim W. & Russell, Tom & Jenkins, Nick & Wu, Jianzhong, 2022. "The implications of ambitious decarbonisation of heat and road transport for Britain’s net zero carbon energy systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:305:y:2022:i:c:s0306261921012186
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.117905
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261921012186
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.117905?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eggimann, Sven & Hall, Jim W. & Eyre, Nick, 2019. "A high-resolution spatio-temporal energy demand simulation to explore the potential of heating demand side management with large-scale heat pump diffusion," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 236(C), pages 997-1010.
    2. Chaudry, Modassar & Abeysekera, Muditha & Hosseini, Seyed Hamid Reza & Jenkins, Nick & Wu, Jianzhong, 2015. "Uncertainties in decarbonising heat in the UK," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 623-640.
    3. Chaudry, Modassar & Jenkins, Nick & Qadrdan, Meysam & Wu, Jianzhong, 2014. "Combined gas and electricity network expansion planning," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1171-1187.
    4. Crozier, Constance & Morstyn, Thomas & McCulloch, Malcolm, 2020. "The opportunity for smart charging to mitigate the impact of electric vehicles on transmission and distribution systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    5. Bell, Keith & Gill, Simon, 2018. "Delivering a highly distributed electricity system: Technical, regulatory and policy challenges," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 765-777.
    6. Bhattacharyya, Subhes C. & Timilsina, Govinda R., 2009. "Energy demand models for policy formulation : a comparative study of energy demand models," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4866, The World Bank.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Song, Yuguang & Xia, Mingchao & Yang, Liu & Chen, Qifang & Su, Su, 2023. "Multi-granularity source-load-storage cooperative dispatch based on combined robust optimization and stochastic optimization for a highway service area micro-energy grid," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 747-762.
    2. Ramachandran Kannan & Evangelos Panos & Stefan Hirschberg & Tom Kober, 2022. "A net‐zero Swiss energy system by 2050: Technological and policy options for the transition of the transportation sector," Futures & Foresight Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 4(3-4), September.
    3. Yang, Tianqi & Shu, Yun & Zhang, Shaohui & Wang, Hongchang & Zhu, Jinwei & Wang, Fan, 2023. "Impacts of end-use electrification on air quality and CO2 emissions in China's northern cities in 2030," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(PA).
    4. Samanta, Samiran & Roy, Dibyendu & Roy, Sumit & Smallbone, Andrew & Roskilly, Anthony Paul, 2023. "Techno-economic analysis of a fuel-cell driven integrated energy hub for decarbonising transportation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chaudry, Modassar & Jayasuriya, Lahiru & Jenkins, Nick, 2021. "Modelling of integrated local energy systems: Low-carbon energy supply strategies for the Oxford-Cambridge arc region," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    2. Oduro, Richard A. & Taylor, Peter G., 2023. "Future pathways for energy networks: A review of international experiences in high income countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    3. Peng, Jieyang & Kimmig, Andreas & Niu, Zhibin & Wang, Jiahai & Liu, Xiufeng & Ovtcharova, Jivka, 2021. "A flexible potential-flow model based high resolution spatiotemporal energy demand forecasting framework," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).
    4. Ehsan, Ali & Preece, Robin, 2022. "Quantifying the impacts of heat decarbonisation pathways on the future electricity and gas demand," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PA).
    5. Eggimann, Sven & Usher, Will & Eyre, Nick & Hall, Jim W., 2020. "How weather affects energy demand variability in the transition towards sustainable heating," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    6. Rüdisüli, Martin & Romano, Elliot & Eggimann, Sven & Patel, Martin K., 2022. "Decarbonization strategies for Switzerland considering embedded greenhouse gas emissions in electricity imports," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    7. Azevedo, I. & Leal, V., 2021. "A new model for ex-post quantification of the effects of local actions for climate change mitigation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    8. Francesco Lo Franco & Mattia Ricco & Riccardo Mandrioli & Gabriele Grandi, 2020. "Electric Vehicle Aggregate Power Flow Prediction and Smart Charging System for Distributed Renewable Energy Self-Consumption Optimization," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-25, September.
    9. Fakhri J. Hasanov & Jeyhun I. Mikayilov, 2020. "Revisiting Energy Demand Relationship: Theory and Empirical Application," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-15, April.
    10. Rancilio, G. & Rossi, A. & Falabretti, D. & Galliani, A. & Merlo, M., 2022. "Ancillary services markets in europe: Evolution and regulatory trade-offs," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    11. Cheng, Yaohua & Zhang, Ning & Kirschen, Daniel S. & Huang, Wujing & Kang, Chongqing, 2020. "Planning multiple energy systems for low-carbon districts with high penetration of renewable energy: An empirical study in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    12. Farrokhifar, Meisam & Nie, Yinghui & Pozo, David, 2020. "Energy systems planning: A survey on models for integrated power and natural gas networks coordination," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    13. Jiaan Zhang & Chenyu Liu & Leijiao Ge, 2022. "Short-Term Load Forecasting Model of Electric Vehicle Charging Load Based on MCCNN-TCN," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-25, April.
    14. Youssef Amry & Elhoussin Elbouchikhi & Franck Le Gall & Mounir Ghogho & Soumia El Hani, 2022. "Electric Vehicle Traction Drives and Charging Station Power Electronics: Current Status and Challenges," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-30, August.
    15. Frame, Damien & Hannon, Matthew & Bell, Keith & McArthur, Stephen, 2018. "Innovation in regulated electricity distribution networks: A review of the effectiveness of Great Britain's Low Carbon Networks Fund," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 121-132.
    16. Lowes, Richard & Woodman, Bridget, 2020. "Disruptive and uncertain: Policy makers’ perceptions on UK heat decarbonisation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    17. Hong, Bowen & Zhang, Weitong & Zhou, Yue & Chen, Jian & Xiang, Yue & Mu, Yunfei, 2018. "Energy-Internet-oriented microgrid energy management system architecture and its application in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 2153-2164.
    18. Augutis, Juozas & Jokšas, Benas & Krikštolaitis, Ričardas & Urbonas, Rolandas, 2016. "The assessment technology of energy critical infrastructure," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 1494-1504.
    19. Lefeng, Shi & Shengnan, Lv & Chunxiu, Liu & Yue, Zhou & Cipcigan, Liana & Acker, Thomas L., 2020. "A framework for electric vehicle power supply chain development," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    20. Alhamwi, Alaa & Medjroubi, Wided & Vogt, Thomas & Agert, Carsten, 2018. "Modelling urban energy requirements using open source data and models," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C), pages 1100-1108.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:305:y:2022:i:c:s0306261921012186. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.