Strategic Design of Sector-Coupled Local Energy Systems: A System Planning Framework for the Energy Transition

The integration of large shares of renewable energy increasingly challenges power systems, not because of insufficient generation capacity, but due to limited system flexibility under grid and policy constraints. Sector coupling across electricity, heat, and hydrogen has been widely discussed as a potential solution to these challenges. However, existing studies often assess sector coupling through ex post performance comparisons, providing limited insight into whether and under what conditions it constitutes a viable system design option under binding policy constraints.