LIVEN Lab team members: 

  • Cristina Madrid  
  • Gara Villalba  
  • Alexander de Tomás  
  • Ramin Soleymani  
  • Laura Pérez Sánchez 
  • Yoana Kisyova  
  • Sam Marot  
  • Camilo Ruiz 

Stakeholder-Based Environmentally-Sustainable and Economically Doable Scenarios for the Energy Transition

The SEEDS project was a three-year initiative (March 2021 – February 2024) involving a consortium of four European institutions. The project aimed to integrate human dimensions into energy transition scenario design while accurately modelling technical, economic, and environmental constraints. Our research focused on case studies in Portugal to explore alternative pathways for energy transition. 

As part of the SEEDS project, we were responsible for Work Package 2 (WP2), which focused on integrating socio-ecosystem metabolism data into various energy system configurations. Specifically, we focused on combining energy configurations generated with Calliope and our tool, ENBIOS. Additionally, we analyzed uncertainty cascades throughout this process. 

To enhance accessibility and support decision-making, we presented our environmental assessment results to stakeholders via a web application. We also focused on extracting information from this chain of models.  

Some of the highlights include: 

  • We analyzed 260 near-optimal energy system configurations for Portugal’s 2050 energy transition using Modelling to Generate Alternatives (MGA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). 
  • Demonstrated that near-optimal configurations can have a lower environmental impact compared to cost-optimal ones. 
  • Identified a trade-off between technological diversity and environmental impacts. 
  • Highlighted that solar PV and batteries are the primary contributors to environmental burdens. 

Outputs

  • Interactive Web Application
  • SEEDS WebApp: Public tool for Portuguese citizens to explore 261+ energy transition scenarios
  • Integrates stakeholder preferences with environmental impact data
  • Technology Readiness Level: TRL 5

Access: WebApp publicly available online | Software on PyPI/GitHub | Data on Zenodo

  • Software & Tools
  • MuSIASEM Checker: Enhanced ENBIOS software for sustainability assessment of energy systems
  • SPARKS Workflow: Python tool connecting energy modeling with life cycle assessment
  • Both available as open-source packages
  • Research Findings
  • Environmental impact assessment of 261 Portuguese energy pathways
  • Identified risk of problem shifting if transition focuses only on decarbonization
  • Comprehensive uncertainty analysis across modeling scales
  • Publications
  • 3 scientific articles (submitted/in preparation)
  • 6 conference presentations at international venues
  • Technical reports and software documentation available via Zenodo
  • Follow-up Impact
  • Led to 3 new international projects (JUSTWIND4ALL, ETOS, Spain energy model)
  • Established ongoing collaborations between consortium partners

Funded by the Spanish Research Agency, grant TED2021-132032A-I00