Johan Lilliestam

Johan Lilliestam

Potsdam institute for climate impact research
Research Domain IV: Transdisciplinary concepts and methods
Phone: 0049 331 288 2683
email: johan

Visiting address: Pappelallee 20, Room 106, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
Postal address:   Telegrafenberg A31, 14473 Potsdam, Germany

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I work in the SuperSmart Grid project, and currently have two interrelated research foci related to a largely renewable European Supergrid power system with considerable imports of renewable electricity to Europe from North Africa (such as proposed by Desertec and others).

My primary focus, which is also my PhD thesis topic, is security of electricity supply in a Supergrid Europe. The idea of renewable electricity imports is often criticised and accused of increasing European energy import dependency, and especially the European dependence on unstable and supposedly unreliable governments. Whether this claim is true or not is the guiding question in my current research: Will a renewable Supergrid jeopardise European security of supply? Or will it even improve it? How secure is a Supergrid Europe compared to other power system scenarios?

A second focus is the rationale to realise such a system. It will not be easy to transform the current, fossil- and nuclear-based power system based on interconnected national subsystems to an intercontinental, renewables-based power system. Thus, we look at how this can be done, both from the perspective of technological change but also, and primarily, from the perspective of political change. How can Europe get out of old path dependencies and get into other, more desirable renewable paths? What is required from policy to transform renewable electricity from niche technologies to the mainstream? And is European policy on a good way, or does it need to change fundamentally?

Publications

Peer reviewed:

Lilliestam, J., Bielecki, J., Patt, A.: Comparing carbon capture and storage (CCS) with concentrating solar power (CSP): potentials, costs, risks, and barriers (accepted by Energy Policy).

Lilliestam, J., Ellenbeck, S.: Fostering interdependence to reduce political risks in a European-North African renewable electricity Supergrid (accepted by The international journal on sustainable energy conversion and storage / Green).

Lilliestam, J., Battaglini, A., Finlay, C., Fürstenwerth, D., Patt, A., Schellekens, G., Schmidt, P. (2012): An alternative to a global climate deal is unfolding before our eyes, in Climate and Development 4:1, pp. 1-4. DOWNLOAD (free access).

Patt, A., Komendantova, N., Battaglini, A., Lilliestam, J. (2011): Regional integration to support full renewable power deployment for Europe by 2050, in: Environmental Politics 20 (5), pp. 727-742. DOWNLOAD

Lilliestam, J., Ellenbeck, S. (2011): Energy security and renewable electricity trade – Will Desertec make Europe vulnerable to the “energy weapon”?, in: Energy policy 39 (6), pp. 3380-3391. DOWNLOAD

Förster, H., Lilliestam, J. (2011): Modeling thermoelectric power generation in view of climate change: A reply, in: Regional Environmental Change 11 (1), pp. 211-212

Williges, K., Lilliestam, J., Patt, A. (2010): Making concentrated solar power competitive with coal: the costs of a European feed-in tariff, in: Energy Policy 38, pp. 3089-3097. DOWNLOAD

Förster, H., Lilliestam, J. (2010): Modeling thermoelectric power generation in view of climate change, in: Regional Environmental Change 10 (4), pp. 327-338. DOWNLOAD

Battaglini, A., Lilliestam, J., Haas, A., Patt, A. (2009): Development of SuperSmart Grids for a more efficient utilisation of electricity from renewable sources, in: Journal of Cleaner Production 17 (10), pp. 911-918. DOWNLOAD

Submitted papers in review:

Patt, A., Pfenninger, S., Lilliestam, J.: Vulnerability of solar energy infrastructure and output to extreme events: climate change implications (submitted to Climatic Change in March 2011, revised in March 2012).

Lilliestam, J., Patt, A., Cherp, A.: Energy security through policy lenses: the cases of the European Union, the United Kingdom and Sweden (Submitted to Energy Policy in February 2012).

Lilliestam, J., Winzer, C., Komendantova, N.: Security of supply in European electricity scenarios: comparing business-as-usual and renewable electricity imports (Submitted to Energy Policy in February 2012).

Book chapters, reports, conference papers, media contributions, etc.:

Patt, A., Lilliestam, J. (2012): Green tech could mean global climate deal not needed, Public Service Europe, Newcastle-upon-Lyme. DOWNLOAD

Lilliestam, J., Patt, A. (forthcoming): Conceptualising energy security in the European context: A policy-perspective bottom-up approach to the cases of the EU, the UK and Sweden, SEFEP Working Paper, Smart Energy for Europe Platform (SEFEP), Berlin.

Schmidt, P., Lilliestam, J., Fürstenwerth, D., Battaglini, A. (forthcoming): Electricity for growth and jobs in Tunisia: exploring the nuclear and renewable electricity options, in: Tunisia: Economic, political and social issues, Nova Science Publishers, Hauppage.

Battaglini, A., Lilliestam, J. (2011): Zur Governance des Übertragungsnetzes, Schriften zur Ökologie, Band 16, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Berlin. DOWNLOAD

Schellekens, G., Battaglini, A., Finlay, C., Fürstenwerth, D., Lilliestam, J., Patt, A., Schmidt, P. (2011): Measuring progress towards 100% renewable electricity in Europe and North Africa, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, London. DOWNLOAD

Battaglini, A., Lilliestam, J. (2010): On transmission grid governance, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, ERENE, Berlin. DOWNLOAD

Reid, G., Lilliestam, J., Battaglini, A., Mitchell, C., Patt, A., Schellekens, G.: A Global Renewables Investment Plan, Conference paper for The Delhi international renewable energy conference (DIREC), New Delhi 26-29 October 2010. DOWNLOAD

Schellekens, G., Battaglini, A., Lilliestam, J., McDonnell, J., Patt, A. (2010): 100% renewable electricity - A roadmap to 2050 for Europe and North Africa, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, London. DOWNLOAD

Battaglini, A. & Lilliestam, J. (2010): Das SuperSmart Grid - die Möglichkeit für 100 Prozent Erneuerbare Energie, in: Stiftung Brandenburger Tor (Ed.): Energie gleich Arbeit. Nachdenken über unseren Umgang mit Energie, Stiftung Brandenburger Tor, Berlin, pp. 38-42.

Patt, A., Pfenninger, S., Lilliestam, J. (2010): Vulnerability of solar energy infrastructure and output to extreme events: climate change implications, Conference paper for Vulnerability of energy systems to climate change and extreme events, ICTP/IAEA, Trieste, 22 April 2010. DOWNLOAD

Battaglini, A., Lilliestam, J., Knies, G. (2010): SuperSmart Grid - paving the way for a 100% renewable electricity system, in: Schellnhuber, H. J.: Global sustainability - A Nobel Cause, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 289-305. DOWNLOAD  

Battaglini, A., Lilliestam, J., Bals, C., Haas, A. (2008): The SuperSmart Grid, Germanwatch, Bonn. Working paper for the Tällberg forum 2008. DOWNLOAD

Patt, A., Battaglini, A., Komendatova, N., Lilliestam, J. (2008): Linking North Africa's renewable energy resources to Europe: Policy challenges, Background paper for a scientific workshop, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg. DOWNLOAD

Jochem, E., Jaeger, C., Battaglini, A., Bradke, H., Cremer, C., Eichhammer, W., Förster, H., Haas, A., Henning, E., Idrissova, F., Kasper, B., Köhler, J., Köwener, D., Krause, J., Lass, W., Lilliestam, J., Mannsbart, W., Müller, M., Riffeser, L., Saure, K., Schade, W., Sensfuss, F., Toro, F., Walz, R., Wietschel, M. (2008): Investitionen für ein klimafreundliches Deutschland, Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung, Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung, Potsdam, Karlsruhe. DOWNLOAD

Ongoing work:

Lilliestam, J.: Critical infrastructure vulnerability in scenarios (in preparation).