Mesap PlaNet

Mesap (Modular Energy System Analysis and Planning Environment) is an energy-system analysis toolbox, and PlaNet (Planning Network) is a linear network module for Mesap that is designed to analyse and simulate energy demand, supply, costs and environmental impacts for local, regional and global energy-systems. It was originally developed by the Institute for Energy Economics and the Rational Use of Energy (IER) at the University of Stuttgart in 1997 [1-3] but it is now maintained by the German company Seven2one Informationssysteme GmbH [4]. In total 15 versions of Mesap PlaNet have been released and it has approximately 20 users. To purchase the model costs at least €6,800 but there is a 30% discount for research groups, and it takes 2 days of training to learn how to use the model, which is not contained in the price and is also not mandatory.

Mesap PlaNet calculates energy and emission balances for any kind of reference energy systems (RES). A detailed cost calculation determines the specific production cost of all commodities in the RES based on the annuity of investment cost and the fixed and variable O&M cost. The model uses a technology-oriented modelling approach where several competitive technologies that supply energy services are represented by parallel processes. All thermal generation, renewable, storage and conversion, and transport technologies are considered in the simulation. The simulation is carried out in a user-specified time-step which ranges from one minute to multiple years, and the total time-period is unlimited.

Mesap PlaNet has previously been used to simulate global energy supply strategies [5, 6] and to compare energy-efficiency strategies in Slovenia [7]. The model has also simulated a 100% renewable energy-system [6].

References

1. Schlenzig, C. PlaNet - Ein entscheidungsunterstützendes System für die Energie- und Umweltplanung (PlaNet - a decision support system for energy and environmental planning), 1997. Ph.D. Thesis, Institut für Energiewirtschaft und Rationelle Energieanwendung, Universität Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany. See also: http://elib.uni-stuttgart.de/opus/volltexte/2001/742/pdf/diss_cs.pdf.
2. Baumhögger, F., Baumhögger, J., Baur, J., Kühner, R., Schellmann, U., Schlenzig, C., Schweiker, A. & Steidle, T. Mesap Manual: Version 3.1. Institut für Energiewirtschaft und Rationelle Energieanwendung, 1998.
3. Schlenzig, C., Energy Planning and Environmental Management with the Information and Decision Support System MESAP. International Journal of Global Energy Issues, 12(1-6), pp. 81-91, 1999.
4. Schlenzig, C. Seven2one Modelling: Erstellung integrierter Ener-giekonzepte mit Mesap/PlaNet (Seven2one Modelling: Building integrated energy concepts with Mesap/PlaNet). seven2one, 2009, http://www.seven2one.de/de/technologie/mesap.html.
5. Krewitt, W., Simon, S., Graus, W., Teske, S., Zervos, A. & Schäfer, O., The 2 °C scenario--A sustainable world energy perspective. Energy Policy, 35(10), pp. 4969-4980, 2007.
6. Energy [r]evolution - a sustainable global energy outlook, Greenpeace, 2008, http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/sweden/rapporter-och-dokument/energirevolution.pdf.
7. Al-Mansour, F., Merse, S. & Tomsic, M., Comparison of energy efficiency strategies in the industrial sector of Slovenia. Energy, 28(5), pp. 421-440, 2003.