Russell McKenna
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View article: Global greenhouse gas emissions mitigation potential of existing and planned hydrogen projects
Global greenhouse gas emissions mitigation potential of existing and planned hydrogen projects Open
Hydrogen will play a critical role in decarbonizing diverse economic sectors. However, given limited sustainable resources and the energy-intensive nature of its production, prioritizing its applications will be essential. Here, we analyse…
View article: The role of geothermal plants in the global energy and materials transition
The role of geothermal plants in the global energy and materials transition Open
International audience
View article: Estimating demand response potentials of domestic appliances: Insights from a Japanese survey
Estimating demand response potentials of domestic appliances: Insights from a Japanese survey Open
Intermittent renewable electricity generation increases flexibility needs in energy systems. Demand response (DR) programs can effectively address these needs. However, their success depends on consumer willingness to participate. This stu…
View article: Global cost drivers and regional trade-offs for low-carbon fuels: a prospective techno-economic assessment
Global cost drivers and regional trade-offs for low-carbon fuels: a prospective techno-economic assessment Open
Low-carbon fuels (LCFs) such as green hydrogen, synthetic hydrocarbons, and biofuels are critical for decarbonizing sectors that are difficult to electrify. In this study, we present a globally harmonized techno-economic assessment of 21 L…
View article: A critical reflection on modelling approaches for heat pumps and building envelope retrofits in local energy system optimisations
A critical reflection on modelling approaches for heat pumps and building envelope retrofits in local energy system optimisations Open
Integrating heat pumps and adopting building envelope retrofit (BER) measures is vital for decarbonising the built environment. This paper systematically reviews modelling approaches for these technologies within 84 local energy system opt…
View article: Barriers to district heating deployment: insights from literature and experts
Barriers to district heating deployment: insights from literature and experts Open
Over the last century, district heating (DH) has only achieved global market shares of around 10 %. To reach its potential market shares of 25–50 % in Europe by 2050, growth must drastically accelerate. But deployment of DH is hindered by …
View article: Location matters: Exploring the effects of regional geographical and political characteristics on hydrogen pipeline costs globally
Location matters: Exploring the effects of regional geographical and political characteristics on hydrogen pipeline costs globally Open
Transporting hydrogen using pipelines is becoming increasingly relevant in the energy system, yet current cost estimates typically rely on simplistic approaches that overlook region-specific characteristics, leading to potential underestim…
View article: Quantifying the trade-offs between renewable energy visibility and system costs
Quantifying the trade-offs between renewable energy visibility and system costs Open
Visual landscape impacts on scenic and populated places are among significant factors affecting local acceptance of large-scale renewable energy projects. Through the combination of large-scale reverse viewshed and techno-economic energy s…
View article: The global environmental footprint of Switzerland’s net-zero energy system uncovers impacts abroad
The global environmental footprint of Switzerland’s net-zero energy system uncovers impacts abroad Open
National energy system models play a crucial role in climate policy. However, they often overlook environmental impacts beyond territorial greenhouse gas emissions. Here we evaluate a territorial net-zero carbon dioxide emissions energy sc…
View article: The material-energy nexus in net-zero transition scenarios: exploring environmental trade-offs and uncertainties
The material-energy nexus in net-zero transition scenarios: exploring environmental trade-offs and uncertainties Open
As countries pursue net-zero energy systems, material demands intensify. This study develops a framework combining energy system modeling and life cycle assessment to quantify environmental impacts and material needs of energy transition s…
View article: The role of low carbon fuels towards net-zero in integrated assessment models and energy system models: A critical review
The role of low carbon fuels towards net-zero in integrated assessment models and energy system models: A critical review Open
Low-carbon fuels (LCFs) are crucial for achieving net-zero CO2 emission goals in integrated assessment model (IAM) and energy system model (ESM) scenarios. The absence of a standardized LCF classification system and inconsistencies in mode…
View article: The Role of Geothermal Plants in the Global Energy Transition: Raw Material Extraction and Flexibility as Game Changers
The Role of Geothermal Plants in the Global Energy Transition: Raw Material Extraction and Flexibility as Game Changers Open
Advances in geothermal technology and the global capacity for geothermal power and heat are growing, yet its role in the transition to sustainable energy systems remains notably underexplored. In this review, we find that many existing ene…
View article: Integrated assessment of a robust Choquet integral preference model for efficient multicriteria decision support
Integrated assessment of a robust Choquet integral preference model for efficient multicriteria decision support Open
Decision problems are often characterized by complex criteria dependencies, which can hamper the development of an efficient and theoretically accurate multicriteria decision aid model. These criteria interactions have the form of either a…
View article: Is API Access to LLMs Useful for Generating Private Synthetic Tabular Data?
Is API Access to LLMs Useful for Generating Private Synthetic Tabular Data? Open
Differentially private (DP) synthetic data is a versatile tool for enabling the analysis of private data. Recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) have inspired a number of algorithm techniques for improving DP synthetic data ge…
View article: Trade-offs between system cost and supply security in municipal energy system design: An analysis considering spatio-temporal disparities in the Value of Lost Load
Trade-offs between system cost and supply security in municipal energy system design: An analysis considering spatio-temporal disparities in the Value of Lost Load Open
The Value of Lost Load is a key metric to assess the economic impact of power supply interruptions and establish supply security standards within the European Union. Current EU regulations recommend a single average value per country, even…
View article: Reviewing sector coupling in offshore energy system integration modelling: the North Sea context
Reviewing sector coupling in offshore energy system integration modelling: the North Sea context Open
Offshore energy system integration is particularly important for realising a rapid and cost-effective low-carbon energy transition in the North Sea region. Effective implementation of strategies that require collaboration between countries…
View article: Swiss Center of Excellence on Net-Zero Emissions (SCENE): annual report 2023
Swiss Center of Excellence on Net-Zero Emissions (SCENE): annual report 2023 Open
The dramatic and much faster than anticipated rise of global sea level temperatures during 2023 em-phasized how little time we have left to fight climate change and reach net-zero greenhouse gas emis-sions. Within our SCENE Joint Initiativ…
View article: Evaluating the levelized costs and life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of electricity generation from rooftop solar photovoltaics: a Swiss case study
Evaluating the levelized costs and life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of electricity generation from rooftop solar photovoltaics: a Swiss case study Open
The transition to renewable energy sources is pivotal in addressing global climate change challenges, with rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems playing a crucial role. For informed decision-making in energy policy, it is important to ha…
View article: Designing multi-energy systems in Mediterranean regions towards energy autonomy
Designing multi-energy systems in Mediterranean regions towards energy autonomy Open
Decentralized multi-energy systems (MESs) are a key element of a future low-carbon energy supply. Here, we address the crucial role of grid-connected and off-grid MESs in achieving a low-carbon future, particularly relevant for regions lik…
View article: Out of sight, out of mind? Cost of minimizing visibility of nationwide renewable energy systems
Out of sight, out of mind? Cost of minimizing visibility of nationwide renewable energy systems Open
Visual landscape impacts on scenic and populated places are important factors affecting local acceptance to large-scale renewable energy deployment. Through the combination of large-scale viewshed and techno-economic energy system analyses…
View article: Modelling to generate near-Pareto-optimal alternatives (MGPA) for the municipal energy transition
Modelling to generate near-Pareto-optimal alternatives (MGPA) for the municipal energy transition Open
Energy system models are frequently used to support energy planning. Especially at the local level, however, decision-making is difficult because of conflicting interests of diverse stakeholders. This study proposes a new method to overcom…
View article: Future hydrogen economies imply environmental trade-offs and a supply-demand mismatch
Future hydrogen economies imply environmental trade-offs and a supply-demand mismatch Open
Hydrogen will play a key role in decarbonizing economies. Here, we quantify the costs and environmental impacts of possible large-scale hydrogen economies, using four prospective hydrogen demand scenarios for 2050 ranging from 111–614 mega…
View article: Long-term integration of large-scale gas storage in Switzerland
Long-term integration of large-scale gas storage in Switzerland Open
This study was mandated by Gaznat and is an associated case study to the SWEET project "Sustainable and Resilient Energy for Switzerland" (SURE). It analyses the role of large-scale gas storage in the Swiss energy system taking into consid…
View article: Overcoming the landlord–tenant dilemma: A techno-economic assessment of collective self-consumption for European multi-family buildings
Overcoming the landlord–tenant dilemma: A techno-economic assessment of collective self-consumption for European multi-family buildings Open
Around half of the EU population lives in multi-family buildings, in which the landlord–tenant dilemma poses a significant barrier to low-carbon retrofits. Collective self-consumption (CSC) could present a promising way to overcome this ba…