ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the concept of energy systems, which integrate technologies, policies, and practices to meet societal energy demands while addressing efficiency, affordability, and sustainability. An energy system encompasses the entire chain of energy production, conversion, storage, distribution, and consumption, involving both renewable and non-renewable sources. Energy demand, inherently shaped by economic factors and consumer affordability, is influenced by political decisions, such as environmental taxation, which address the externalities of energy use.
The chapter identifies the key components of energy systems, including the energy source mix (local or imported, renewable or non-renewable, and their programmability), energy conversion technologies, storage systems (critical for stabilizing renewable energy supplies), and energy carriers such as electricity, chemical fuels, and synthetic carriers like e-fuels. It highlights the shift towards low-carbon carriers, with electricity increasingly preferred for its efficiency and compatibility with renewable energy technologies. Final consumption patterns across industrial, residential, and transportation sectors emphasize the stable dominance of these domains.
Through its focus on energy system components and dynamics, this chapter underscores their central role in modern development and the transition to sustainable solutions. It sets the stage for forthcoming discussions on energy dependency, resource depletion, environmental impacts, and pathways to achieving a global low-carbon energy transition.
