Subproject 1: Integrating Renewable Energies and Resources in Energy Landscapes
The energy transition requires land for the production of renewable energy and resources. This can easily lead to conflicts with other land uses, e.g. food production, or to adverse effects for local residents and biodiversity. Previous energy system studies often neglect the local conditions and requirements for the emergence and further development of sustainable energy landscapes.
This is due to the fact that these analyses are spatially coarse and use incomplete evaluation frameworks for sustainability assessments. In response to these gaps, we are particularly interested in understanding how the spatial implications of renewable energies are developing and will interact with expectations and preferences of regional stakeholders. We develop and apply analytical and modelling tools with high spatial resolution to understand and manage land-use conflicts related to the deployment of renewable energies and resources.
At UFZ we have the unique opportunity to combine a broad and cutting-edge expertise in land-use modelling with social and system science expertise in energy system and energy governance research. These analyses qualify us to develop coherent solution approaches for sustainable energy landscapes and support the successful implementation of the energy transition.
Three pillars of our research stand out:
- The open and integrated in the interactive webtool “EEmonitor” which encompasses a complete data set of all renewable energy installations in Germany since 1990 and their environmental impacts.
Link: https://web.app.ufz.de/ee-monitor/ - The MultiplEE energy location model which allows analyzing strategies to manage spatial trade-offs related to future deployment pathways for onshore wind power and utility-scale solar photovoltaics.
Link: https://home.uni-leipzig.de/multiplee/index.php/home-en/ - The open source model "BENOPTex", which analyses, evaluates and optimises the competing demand for biomass in various energy sectors
Link: https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=37180