Kristina Nienhaus

AMIRIS: An Agent-Based Simulation Model for the Analysis of Different Support Schemes and Their Effects on Actors Involved in the Integration of Renewable Energies into Energy Markets

Electricity generation from renewables in Germany has now reached an energy economically relevant magnitude. The further increase of electricity from renewable energy sources is driven by the Energy Concept enacted by the Federal Government in 2010 with the goal of transforming the energy system into a renewable based one by 2050. In order to achieve the political targets reorganization in terms of technical, organizational and financial aspects is needed. The transition and structural adjustments are characterized by a huge variety of actors, who are connected through complex interactions with one another and who react very differently to changes in the energy economic environment. We will present the agent-based simulation model AMIRIS (Agent-based Model for the Integration of Renewables Into the Power System), which can be used as policy design tool to foster the integration of renewable energy sources into the electricity market.

Assessing the Plurality of Actors and Policy Interactions: Agent-Based Modelling of Renewable Energy Market Integration

The ongoing deployment of renewable energy sources (RES) calls for an enhanced integration of RES into energy markets, accompanied by a new set of regulations. In Germany, for instance, the feed-in tariff legislation for renewables has been successively replaced by first optional and then obligatory marketing of RES on competitive wholesale markets. This paper introduces an agent-based model that allows studying the impact of changing energy policy instruments on the economic performance of RES operators and marketers. The model structure, its components, and linkages are presented in detail; an additional case study demonstrates the capability of our sociotechnical model. We find that changes in the political framework cannot be mapped directly to RES operators as behaviour of intermediary market actors has to be considered as well. Characteristics and strategies of intermediaries are thus an important factor for successful RES marketing and further deployment. It is shown that the model is able to assess the emergence and stability of market niches.