PATHFNDR
Pathways to an efficient future energy system through flexibility and sector coupling
Contact: Dr. Blazhe Gjorgiev
PATHFNDR is a research project sponsored by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy’s “SWEET” programme (Call 1-2020) and hosted by ETH Zurich. The project consortium is represented by eight research partners – ETH Zurich, Empa, PSI, ZHAW, HSLU, UNIGE, EPFL and TU Delft – and 25 cooperation partners. The project aims to develop and analyze transition pathways for renewable energy integration in Switzerland. The project will deliver feasible pathways, provide planning and operation tools, develop pilot and demonstration projects, identify new business opportunities and innovation strategies, and analyze potential policies.
The RRE group contributes to the PATHFNDR project with the Nexus-e energy systems modeling platform. Furthermore, a gas model will be linked to Nexus-e to assess the role of the Swiss gas network in flexibility provision. We consider the use of synthetic gas located in key industrial sites and power-to-gas sites and of gas storage facilities as long- and short-term flexibility providers in connection with their operations within the gas grid.