Multi-Dimensional Flexibility Integration: Foundational and Conceptual Challenges

R. Saur

doi:10.4233/uuid:a3f644b0-9dee-4fb3-9651-895acaaba76b

Multi-Dimensional Flexibility Integration: Foundational and Conceptual Challenges

R. Saur

Intelligent Electrical Power Grids

Research output: Thesis › Dissertation (TU Delft)

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Abstract

The widespread adoption of renewable energy sources has greatly contributed to the fight against climate change. This success, however, has put a significant strain on power grids.
Further integration of renewable energy sources, while necessary, will require a smarter use of existing infrastructure. Power-to-gas, electric vehicles and heat pumps already allow us to provide flexibility by shifting energy use across domains. This thesis explores how new market designs can better facilitate such multi-energy flexibility.
This work discusses both foundational questions of multi-dimensional energy trading and conceptual questions of applying fairness and honesty to multi-dimensional energy markets: What are fair unit-prices when energy can be shuffled across time? How can an agent be incentivized to be honest about its forecast when it does not know it perfectly itself?

Original language	English
Qualification	Doctor of Philosophy
Awarding Institution	Delft University of Technology
Supervisors/Advisors	la Poutré, J.A., Promotor Yorke-Smith, N., Promotor
Award date	14 Oct 2026
Print ISBNs	978-94-6384-999-9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4233/uuid:a3f644b0-9dee-4fb3-9651-895acaaba76b
Publication status	Published - 2026

Bibliographical note

The research in this dissertation was performed at the Intelligent &
Autonomous Systems (IAS) group of Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica
(CWI), the national research institute for mathematics and
computer science in the Netherlands.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
SDG 13 Climate Action

Keywords

mechanism design
flexibility
Energy integration
markets
epistemic uncertainty
fairness

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title = "Multi-Dimensional Flexibility Integration: Foundational and Conceptual Challenges",

abstract = "The widespread adoption of renewable energy sources has greatly contributed to the fight against climate change. This success, however, has put a significant strain on power grids. Further integration of renewable energy sources, while necessary, will require a smarter use of existing infrastructure. Power-to-gas, electric vehicles and heat pumps already allow us to provide flexibility by shifting energy use across domains. This thesis explores how new market designs can better facilitate such multi-energy flexibility. This work discusses both foundational questions of multi-dimensional energy trading and conceptual questions of applying fairness and honesty to multi-dimensional energy markets: What are fair unit-prices when energy can be shuffled across time? How can an agent be incentivized to be honest about its forecast when it does not know it perfectly itself?",

keywords = "mechanism design, flexibility, Energy integration, markets, epistemic uncertainty, fairness",

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doi = "10.4233/uuid:a3f644b0-9dee-4fb3-9651-895acaaba76b",

language = "English",

isbn = "978-94-6384-999-9",

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type = "Dissertation (TU Delft)",

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T2 - Foundational and Conceptual Challenges

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N2 - The widespread adoption of renewable energy sources has greatly contributed to the fight against climate change. This success, however, has put a significant strain on power grids. Further integration of renewable energy sources, while necessary, will require a smarter use of existing infrastructure. Power-to-gas, electric vehicles and heat pumps already allow us to provide flexibility by shifting energy use across domains. This thesis explores how new market designs can better facilitate such multi-energy flexibility. This work discusses both foundational questions of multi-dimensional energy trading and conceptual questions of applying fairness and honesty to multi-dimensional energy markets: What are fair unit-prices when energy can be shuffled across time? How can an agent be incentivized to be honest about its forecast when it does not know it perfectly itself?

AB - The widespread adoption of renewable energy sources has greatly contributed to the fight against climate change. This success, however, has put a significant strain on power grids. Further integration of renewable energy sources, while necessary, will require a smarter use of existing infrastructure. Power-to-gas, electric vehicles and heat pumps already allow us to provide flexibility by shifting energy use across domains. This thesis explores how new market designs can better facilitate such multi-energy flexibility. This work discusses both foundational questions of multi-dimensional energy trading and conceptual questions of applying fairness and honesty to multi-dimensional energy markets: What are fair unit-prices when energy can be shuffled across time? How can an agent be incentivized to be honest about its forecast when it does not know it perfectly itself?

KW - mechanism design

KW - flexibility

KW - Energy integration

KW - markets

KW - epistemic uncertainty

KW - fairness

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T3 - SIKS Dissertation Series

ER -

Multi-Dimensional Flexibility Integration: Foundational and Conceptual Challenges

Abstract

Bibliographical note

UN SDGs

Keywords

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