Contributions to web-based simulation software for sustainable energy systems

authored by: Maria Christina Gudrun Hart
supervised by: Michael Breitner
Abstract: Motivated by the calls for more solution-oriented studies that contribute to the energy transition, this dissertation comprises of ten articles describing the development, evaluation, validation, application, and abstraction of the multi-criteria decision support system NESSI. NESSI is an openaccess, web-based software simulating energy systems for buildings and neighborhoods. Using an adapted design science research approach, NESSI is further developed in five consecutive design cycles specifically for actors in developing countries. For each design cycle, requirements were derived through systematic market research, literature analyses, user tests, and expert interviews. After extensive iterative programming works, each design cycle is demonstrated, evaluated, and validated by applying the software to suitable contexts in developing countries. Further methods to improve and validate NESSI included reviewer feedback as well as presentations at national and international events. Two articles describe extensive case studies situated in Thailand and Colombia to further demonstrate NESSI. This work led to a joint article, co-authored with an international project team, which presents the load profile generator RAMP and its integration into NESSI. Moreover, the functionality of the tool is introduced in a separate article to serve as a manual, to support transparency, trust, and credibility as well as to highlight the tool’s global applicability. In the last article, nascent design theory is derived by formulating seven grounded design principles with multiple design features for the wider application of bottom-up societal sustainability transformation. Throughout this development process, it was proven that the decision
support system NESSI supports bottom-up energy transition, educates stakeholders, and empowers
people. Nevertheless, several limitations regarding the tool’s restrictiveness are highlighted.
Challenges during software development are elaborated on, especially in terms of the stakeholder
definition, the remote research approach, the tool’s complexity and credibility as well as importance
of stakeholder networks. Stakeholders and researchers are invited to further improve NESSI,
challenge the approach, and together develop a more refined model to foster the bottom-up energy
transition.
Organisation(s): Institute of Computer Science for Business Administration
Type: Doctoral thesis
No. of pages: 76
Publication date: 01.08.2024
Publication status: Published
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.15488/17837 (Access: Open)