By signing the Paris Agreement, the global society, including the EU and its member states, have agreed upon “holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above preindustrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above preindustrial levels”. To meet the objectives stated in the Paris Agreement, a worldwide energy transition is necessary, not only in terms of how energy is supplied, but also in terms of how energy is transformed and used; an energy system transformation. The far-reaching implications of the energy system transition for technologies, infrastructure, market organisations, consumer behaviour and governance are only partially understood. This challenges the scientific community to develop the interdisciplinary knowledge to better understand the possibilities and impacts of energy system changes, linking analyses of energy technologies, infrastructure and systems with policy approaches, actor behaviour and business models. The Energy Systems in Transition (ENSYSTRA) training network of academic and secondment partners (companies and (semi-)government bodies) is a direct response to this challenge.
The ENSYSTRA network put together a study of key energy technologies and greenhouse gas mitigation options in the North Sea region in terms of (techno-economic and sustainable) potentials, system integration modelling, and spatial aspects at different spatial scales. It includes political and social drivers, as well as market and energy infrastructure issues. The network combines collaboration between different disciplines, modelling arenas, and involves relevant energy industries and regional authorities. This is important for the North Sea region, which constitutes the main focus area of this programme, as well as for other comparable regions, both in Europe and the rest of the world.
The overall objectives of ENSYSTRA are to:
-develop long term collaborations in the field of (energy) systems analysis between the project partners
-advance methodological and modelling capabilities in the field of energy system analysis
-improve linkages between academic disciplines, industrial sectors and government bodies relevant to supporting the energy transition process of the North Sea region
-have wider impact on relevant scientific arenas coming together in energy system integration and transition management
-contribute to accessible energy science based on open -source, -data, -access and – knowledge
-train 15 energy professionals (ESRs) with a strong interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral perspective on energy transition, with strong insight in the linkages between different science fields and methods, and skilled in the practice of open science.
-to provide the 15 ESRs with key skills and competences to apply interdisciplinary analysis and state- of-the-art science in an industrial, governmental and applied knowledge institutes setting.
