ABSTRACT
In this and the following chapters, many of the intermittency issues will be illustrated by means of simple simulations of actual systems. In these examples, the systems are often simplified in such a way that the immense complexity of real-world systems is replaced by a small number of idealized system components capable of singling out the behavior relevant to the particular ways of dealing with demand-supply mismatch by storage, energy trade, or demand management. These simplified systems are also offered as basic scenarios for the structure of future energy systems. The attraction of looking a bit ahead is that a future system can be constructed in the “right” way from the beginning, without the extra cost that would occur if an existing system were to be modified or replaced before having reached the economic life period expected when the system was built. One such reference scenario is presented in Section 4.1 for North America, starting with the contiguous part of the United States and then adding the rest of North American nations or regions in order to later explore options for energy exchange and trade. Other scenarios for future energy systems will be used to illustrate issues in the following chapters, and a final Asian scenario is subjected to simulation toward the end of the book.
