Agent-Based Modeling of Socioeconomic Challenges of Energy Transition

Dear Colleagues,

The energy transition as a socio-economic challenge

The transition of the energy system is ongoing, a process that appears to be more successful in some EU countries than in others. Stringent targets are close, both on the EU and national level. The heat sector needs to overcome its use of fossil fuels through energy efficiency measures and the installation of technologies such as heat pumps. The transportation sector needs to increase its share of electric vehicles in order to decrease emissions. Rising shares of renewable energy generation, meaning more volatile energy provision and a more and more decentralized structure, require new approaches to match consumption with generation. In addition, power grids need to be reinforced and expanded in ways that are accepted by the affected population.

The success of such approaches is strongly dependent not only on finding technical solutions and economic approaches for markets, but also on the diffusion of required technical innovations, the design and implementation of appropriate policies, integrating stakeholder perspectives, and the public acceptance of new ways of energy usage. Therefore, socioeconomic aspects of the energy transition are crucial for its success.

Agent-based modeling is a promising way to represent the heterogeneity of the involved actors and their interaction, to capture spatial aspects of energy transition and to investigate processes of individual decision making. Agent-based simulations enable the exploration of these fundamental processes and emergent system-level phenomena in an empirically grounded, explicit way. Finally, ABM is capable of offering science-based instruments and approaches to govern and steer the energy transition process successfully.

We ask for contributions of agent-based models of, and their applications to, these socioeconomic challenges, such as design of energy markets, demand side management, policies towards diffusion of technology, and practices. Furthermore, this Special Issue looks for studies about simulations combining the technical energy system with socioeconomic behavior, especially focusing on model coupling or co-simulations of ABM with approaches of other paradigms, such as optimization.

Dr. Sascha Holzhauer
Dr. Friedrich Krebs
Dr. Emile Chappin
Guest Editors

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