The buzz around system development is louder than ever: Calls for integrated approaches, multi-sector planning, and simultaneous optimization of interconnection, transmission, distribution, generation and consumption.
System development has always been an immanent part of the energy industry, driven by Grid Development Plans, Cost-Benefit Analyses, and feasibility studies. Achieving high-quality results requires robust governance, broad stakeholder engagement, and clear methodologies — elements highlighted in developments like the BMWK system development strategy. Without coordinated planning, infrastructure investments risk fragmentation and inefficiency, whereas the right planning processes deliver real system benefits and prevent stranded assets.
Spotlight: Tools, Boundaries, and Regional Planning
- Boundaries: Assumptions regarding temporal and spatial system boundaries – whether detailed vertical perspectives, cross-border interactions, or system states under consideration – provide room for criticism if not chosen carefully.
- Integrated vs. Stepwise: Integrated approaches offer many degrees of freedom and enable synergies, but require far-reaching simplifications that can lock in critical decisions early on. Stepwise approaches deliver sector-specific accuracy and can make it easier to refine details later, but may overlook cross-sector synergies and demand more effort for modeling and interface management.
- Transparency: Regulatory authorities and the public increasingly expect traceability, open data and tools and inclusive consultation. While established simulation environments often provide ready-made functionality and professional support, open-source solutions meet these demands by enabling collaboration. An example of the development is the cooperation between ENTSO-E and Open Energy Transition in the area of TYNDP.
- Regional System Development: Smaller systems, in particular, can realize significant synergies through data synchronization across departments rather than fully integrated, large-scale models – reducing both complexity and resource requirements.
E-Bridge is ready to support your system development projects – from designing the planning process to conducting detailed asset studies. Feel free to contact us.
