Co-simulation of Socio-Technical Energy Systems: An Interdisciplinary Design Process

For exploration of future transition paths of the energy system and the complex challenges related to it, modeling components that are either a part of or connected to the energy system is primary. Here, co-simulation approaches facilitate integrated simulation scenarios by coupling simulation models developed in different programming languages, based on different modeling paradigms, and depicting various domains of the energy system (e.g., industry, households, or the electricity grid). However, co-simulation approaches exhibit a range of challenges and are thus under-exploited when investigating socio-technical transitions. We introduce a design and modeling process for an agent-based co-simulation framework, which aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration considering multiple socio-technical elements of the energy system. This starts with building an information model for simulation planning and collecting inputs and outputs of different models. Finally, a modularization approach defines simulation sub-scenarios to simplify modeling interdependencies. Additionally, we present two exemplary scenarios: (i) the impact of households‘ energy-related behavior on power grid stability and (ii) the co-evolutionary supply and demand dynamics of energy storage technologies in the industrial sector.