The role of modular capacity expansion and unit commitment in the optimal planning of the Italian 2040 power system with reserve constraints

This thesis presents the PyPSA-Eur simulation tool, an open model dataset of the European energy system at the transmission network level covering the entire ENTSO-E area. It is based on PyPSA, an open-source toolbox for simulating and optimising modern power and energy systems, developed by the Department of Digital Transformation in Energy Systems at the Technical University of Berlin. The work focuses on the analysis and modification of specific integrated functionalities within PyPSA-Eur, such as Unit Commitment and operating reserve management. Additionally, the concept of modularity was addressed by introducing the option to define modular component sizes within the PyPSA network model. To validate these aspects, several energy scenarios for Italy were implemented, reflecting key decarbonisation policies planned for 2040.