Supporting Europe's energy technology plan
The development of energy technologies is playing a vital role in achieving European targets for energy sources, efficiency and use. To guide the transition to a low-carbon future, Europe has launched its Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan), which focuses on new energy technology development and deployment. Within the SET-Plan, the ATEST project, funded by the EU, worked to provide planning support for the low-carbon transition. The project aimed to develop a toolbox containing the procedures and models required to assist in planning decisions for the deployment of low-carbon technologies and their related infrastructures. ATEST devised a method for tools selection using a combination of models and tools. To respond to policy questions, specifications must be defined, along with models that can respond to them, so that the final combination is able to respond to the original question. Based on the gaps identified in the road mapping exercise conducted by ATEST partners for the development of tools and methods, it was not possible to include everything in a single roadmap. Therefore, the content was divided into two separate roadmaps addressing the development from either the techno-economic or from the socioeconomic viewpoint. Now complete, the ATEST project is expected to support decision making for developing low-carbon energy systems and to suggest future developments that will improve the analysis capability of European countries. It will also provide for a better understanding of energy issues across the whole of Europe.
