The renewable energy transition hinges on balancing energy supply and demand across seasons. This paper investigates the potential flexibility of Switzerland’s integrated power, hydrogen, and methane infrastructure to balance temporal mismatches while complying with national energy policies for sustainability and security. It develops an optimization method for energy system expansion and operation planning, filling crucial research gaps by (1) explicitly modeling power and gas transmission networks to guide technology placement and pinpoint network expansions, and (2) incorporating flexibility in power demand via shedding and shifting and in hydrogen and methane demands via price elasticity. The findings suggest that a 6.7-fold capacity expansion of variable renewables (i.e., photovoltaic, wind, run-of-river) by 2050 offsets nuclear phase-out and demand growth. The winter power gap is filled by power imports, hydropower generation, and gas turbines fueled by cost-effective hydrogen or methane imports. However, fuel embargoes escalate winter hydrogen and methane prices, reducing demand by 3.8%–10.4% and increasing domestic fuel production from biomass and excess renewable power in summer. To bridge the seasonal hydrogen and methane supply–demand gaps, up to 1.9 terawatt-hours of gas cavern storage is deployed in geologically viable locations, while costly tank storage plays a minor role. Power-to-gas requirements and power trade restrictions necessitate further renewable expansion, including 8.0 to 9.5 gigawatts of wind installations.

中文翻译：

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瑞士综合电力、氢气和甲烷基础设施的灵活性


可再生能源转型取决于跨季节能源供需的平衡。本文研究了瑞士综合电力、氢气和甲烷基础设施的潜在灵活性，以平衡时间不匹配，同时遵守国家可持续和安全能源政策。它开发了一种能源系统扩展和运营规划的优化方法，通过以下方式填补了关键的研究空白：（1）明确模拟电力和天然气传输网络以指导技术布局和精确的网络扩展，以及（2）通过削减和转移将电力需求的灵活性纳入其中以及通过价格弹性影响氢气和甲烷的需求。研究结果表明，到 2050 年，可变可再生能源（即光伏、风能、径流）产能扩张 6.7 倍，抵消了核电淘汰和需求增长的影响。冬季电力缺口由电力进口、水力发电以及以具有成本效益的进口氢气或甲烷为燃料的燃气轮机来填补。然而，燃料禁运导致冬季氢气和甲烷价格上涨，导致需求减少 3.8%–10.4%，并增加夏季国内生物质燃料产量和过剩的可再生能源发电。为了弥补季节性氢气和甲烷的供需缺口，在地质上可行的地点部署了高达 1.9 太瓦时的天然气洞穴储存，而昂贵的储罐则发挥了次要作用。电转气需求和电力贸易限制使得可再生能源的进一步扩张成为必要，其中包括 8.0 至 9.5 吉瓦的风电装机容量。