Research Challenges and Opportunities of Utility-Scale Hybrid Power Plants Kaushik Das, Anca D. Hansen, Juan Pablo Murcia Leon, Rujie Zhu, Megha Gupta, et al. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Energy and Environment, 2025 Hybrid power plants (HPPs) combining multiple generation and/or storage sources behind a single connection point are becoming popular due to their capability to provide additional value for both plant owners and power systems compared to individual technology renewable power plants. However, the research on HPPs is still in nascent stage. This article comprehensively overviews utility‐scale HPPs (power plants ranging from hundreds of MW to GW scale). It primarily addresses HPPs that combine renewable sources such as wind and solar (PV technology) with electrical energy storage (ESS), all connected behind a single grid connection and operated as a unified power plant by a single operator. This article covers various aspects such as HPPs' potential benefits, research challenges, and opportunities related to their design, operation, and development, from both societal and HPP owners' perspectives. It briefly discusses the advantages of HPPs compared to individual renewable technology‐based power plants highlighting the potential added values of HPPs for owners, system operators, and society, while ensuring compliance with grid code requirements at the point of common coupling. The main focus is on identifying and clustering the research challenges associated with design and operation of HPPs. Topics such as energy management systems, sizing and siting, electrical design and control, uncertainties and forecasting, grid emulation and advanced testing, and multi‐energy system integration are elaborated and reviewed. This article demonstrates that significant research is urgently needed to enhance renewable generation flexibility and improve grid services. Addressing these challenges will accelerate the development and deployment of HPPs.
An Inverse Modeling Approach for Retrieving High-Resolution Surface Fluxes of Greenhouse Gases from Measurements of Their Concentrations in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Iuliia Mukhartova, Andrey Sogachev, Ravil Gibadullin, Vladislava Pridacha, Ibragim A. Kerimov, et al. Remote Sensing, 2024 This study explores the potential of using Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAVs) as a measurement platform for estimating greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes over complex terrain. We proposed and tested an inverse modeling approach for retrieving GHG fluxes based on two-level measurements of GHG concentrations and airflow properties over complex terrain with high spatial resolution. Our approach is based on a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model capable of determining the airflow parameters that affect the spatial distribution of GHG concentrations within the atmospheric boundary layer. The model is primarily designed to solve the forward problem of calculating the steady-state distribution of GHG concentrations and fluxes at different levels over an inhomogeneous land surface within the model domain. The inverse problem deals with determining the unknown surface GHG fluxes by minimizing the difference between measured and modeled GHG concentrations at two selected levels above the land surface. Several numerical experiments were conducted using surrogate data that mimicked UAV observations of varying accuracies and density of GHG concentration measurements to test the robustness of the approach. Our primary modeling target was a 6 km2 forested area in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in Russia, characterized by complex topography and mosaic vegetation. The numerical experiments show that the proposed inverse modeling approach can effectively solve the inverse problem, with the resulting flux distribution having the same spatial pattern as the required flux. However, the approach tends to overestimate the mean value of the required flux over the domain, with the maximum errors in flux estimation associated with areas of maximum steepness in the surface topography. The accuracy of flux estimates improves as the number of points and the accuracy of the concentration measurements increase. Therefore, the density of UAV measurements should be adjusted according to the complexity of the terrain to improve the accuracy of the modeling results.
Seasonal Dynamics of Flux Footprint for a Measuring Tower in Southern Taiga via Modeling and Experimental Data Analysis Andrey Sogachev, Andrej Varlagin Forests, 2023 This paper reports on the location of sources contributing to a point flux measurement in the southern taiga, Russia. The measurement tower is surrounded by a coniferous forest with a mean aerodynamically active height of 27 m (h). Aerodynamical parameters of the forest, such as displacement height d and aerodynamic roughness z0, derived from wind speed profile measurements for 2017–2019, were used to estimate the seasonal and daily behavior of the flux footprint. Two analytical footprint models driven by d and z0 were used to estimate the footprint for canopy sources. The Lagrangian simulation (LS) approach driven by flow statistics from measurements and modeling was used to estimate the footprint for ground-located sources. The Flux Footprint Prediction (FFP) tool for assessing canopy flux footprint applied as the option in the EddyPro v.7 software was inspected against analytical and LS methods. For model comparisons, two parameters from estimated footprint functions were used: the upwind distance (fetch) of the peak contribution in the measured flux (Xmax) and the fetch that contributed to 80% of the total flux (CF80). The study shows that Xmax varies slightly with season but relies on wind direction and time of day. All methods yield different Xmax values but fall in the same range (60–130 m, around 2–5 h); thus, they can estimate the maximum influence distance with similar confidence. The CF80 values provided by the FFP tool are significantly lower than the CF80 values from other methods. For instance, the FFP tool estimates a CF80 of about 200 m (7 h), whereas other methods estimate a range of 600–1100 m (25–40 h). The study emphasizes that estimating the ground source footprint requires either the LS method or more complex approaches based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques. These findings have essential implications in interpreting eddy-flux measurements over the quasi-homogeneous forest.
Modeling Tool for Estimating Carbon Dioxide Fluxes over a Non-Uniform Boreal Peatland Iuliia Mukhartova, Julia Kurbatova, Denis Tarasov, Ravil Gibadullin, Andrey Sogachev, et al. Atmosphere, 2023 We present a modeling tool capable of computing carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes over a non-uniform boreal peatland. The three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic model is based on the “one-and-a-half” closure scheme of the system of the Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes and continuity equations. Despite simplifications used in the turbulence description, the model allowed obtaining the spatial steady-state distribution of the averaged wind velocities and coefficients of turbulent exchange within the atmospheric surface layer, taking into account the surface heterogeneity. The spatial pattern of CO2 fluxes within and above a plant canopy is derived using the “diffusion–reaction–advection” equation. The model was applied to estimate the spatial heterogeneity of CO2 fluxes over a non-uniform boreal ombrotrophic peatland, Staroselsky Moch, in the Tver region of European Russia. The modeling results showed a significant effect of vegetation heterogeneity on the spatial pattern of vertical and horizontal wind components and on vertical and horizontal CO2 flux distributions. Maximal airflow disturbances were detected in the near-surface layer at the windward and leeward forest edges. The forest edges were also characterized by maximum rates of horizontal CO2 fluxes. Modeled turbulent CO2 fluxes were compared with the mid-day eddy covariance flux measurements in the southern part of the peatland. A very good agreement of modeled and measured fluxes (R2 = 0.86, p < 0.05) was found. Comparisons of the vertical profiles of CO2 fluxes over the entire peatland area and at the flux tower location showed significant differences between these fluxes, depending on the prevailing wind direction and the height above the ground.
Ranking uncertainties in atmospheric dispersion modelling following the accidental release of radioactive material S.J. Leadbetter, S. Andronopoulos, P. Bedwell, K. Chevalier-Jabet, G. Geertsema, et al. Radioprotection, 2020 During the pre-release and early phase of an accidental release of radionuclides into the atmosphere there are few or no measurements, and dispersion models are used to assess the consequences and assist in determining appropriate countermeasures. However, uncertainties are high during this early phase and it is important to characterise these uncertainties and, if possible, include them in any dispersion modelling. In this paper we examine three sources of uncertainty in dispersion modelling; uncertainty in the source term, uncertainty in the meteorological information used to drive the dispersion model and intrinsic uncertainty within the dispersion model. We also explore the possibility of ranking these uncertainties dependent on their impact on the dispersion model outputs.
Uncertainty propagation in atmospheric dispersion models for radiological emergencies in the pre- and early release phase: Summary of case studies I. Korsakissok, R. Périllat, S. Andronopoulos, P. Bedwell, E. Berge, et al. Radioprotection, 2020 In the framework of the European project CONFIDENCE, Work Package 1 (WP1) focused on the uncertainties in the pre- and early phase of a radiological emergency, when environmental observations are not available and the assessment of the environmental and health impact of the accident largely relies on atmospheric dispersion modelling. The latter is subject to large uncertainties coming from, in particular, meteorological and release data. In WP1, several case studies were identified, including hypothetical accident scenarios in Europe and the Fukushima accident, for which participants propagated input uncertainties through their atmospheric dispersion and subsequent dose models. This resulted in several ensembles of results (consisting of tens to hundreds of simulations) that were compared to each other and to radiological observations (in the Fukushima case). These ensembles were analysed in order to answer questions such as: among meteorology, source term and model-related uncertainties, which are the predominant ones? Are uncertainty assessments very different between the participants and can this inter-ensemble variability be explained? What are the optimal ways of characterizing and presenting the uncertainties? Is the ensemble modelling sufficient to encompass the observations, or are there sources of uncertainty not (sufficiently) taken into account? This paper describes the case studies of WP1 and presents some illustrations of the results, with a summary of the main findings.
Numerical modelling of the wind over forests: Roughness versus canopy drag Andrey Sogachev, Dalibor Cavar, Mark Kelly, Ebba Dellwik, Tobias Klaas, et al. Advances in Science and Research, 2020 Parameterizing the effect of vertically-distributed vegetation through an effective roughness (z0,eff) – whereby momentum loss through a three-dimensional foliage volume is represented as momentum loss over an area at one vertical level – can facilitate the use of forest data in flow models, to any level of detail, and simultaneously reduce computational cost. Results of numerical experiments and comparison with observations show that a modelling approach based on z0,eff can estimate wind speed and turbulence levels over forested areas, at heights of interest for wind energy applications (∼60 m and higher), but only above flat terrain. Caution must be exercised in the application of such a model to zones of forest edges. Advanced flow models capable of incorporating local (distributed) drag forces are recommended for complex terrain covered by forest.
Comparison of ensembles of atmospheric dispersion simulations: Lessons learnt from the confidence project about uncertainty quantification 19th International Conference on Harmonisation within Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling for Regulatory Purposes Harmo 2019, 2019
Assessment of consistent two-equation closure for forest flows European Wind Energy Association Annual Conference and Exhibition 2015 Ewea 2015 Scientific Proceedings, 2015
Atmospheric stability and complex terrain: Comparing measurements and CFD European Wind Energy Association Conference and Exhibition 2014 Ewea 2014, 2014
Footprint Analysis Üllar Rannik, Andrey Sogachev, Thomas Foken, Mathias Göckede, Natascha Kljun, et al. Eddy Covariance A Practical Guide to Measurement and Data Analysis, 2012
Footprint Analysis Üllar Rannik, Andrey Sogachev, Thomas Foken, Mathias Göckede, Natascha Kljun, et al. Springer Atmospheric Sciences, 2012
Wind energy availability above gaps in a forest European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition 2009 Ewec 2009, 2009
Wind and turbulence at a forest edge European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition 2009 Ewec 2009, 2009
Applying flow models of different complexity for estimation of turbine wakes European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition 2009 Ewec 2009, 2009
Development and verification of CFD models for modeling wind conditions on forested wind turbine sites European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition 2009 Ewec 2009, 2009
Hot-air balloon as a platform for boundary layer profile measurements during particle formation Boreal Environment Research, 2007
RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
FOOTPRINT FOR SURFACE FLUXES: CONCEPT AND ASSESSMENT METHODS AF Sogachev, IA Repina Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics 61 (6), 701-736 , 2025 2025
Source Region of Turbulent Fluxes from a Surface (Footprint): Concept and Estimation Methods AF Sogachev, IA Repina Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics 61 (6), 643-669 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Research Challenges and Opportunities of Utility‐Scale Hybrid Power Plants K Das, AD Hansen, JPM Leon, R Zhu, M Gupta, JA Pérez‐Rúa, Q Long, ... Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment 14 (1), e70001 , 2025 2025 Citations: 19
An inverse modeling approach for retrieving high-resolution surface fluxes of greenhouse gases from measurements of their concentrations in the atmospheric boundary layer I Mukhartova, A Sogachev, R Gibadullin, V Pridacha, IA Kerimov, ... Remote Sensing 16 (13), 2502 , 2024 2024 Citations: 5
Seasonal dynamics of flux footprint for a measuring tower in southern taiga via modeling and experimental data analysis A Sogachev, A Varlagin Forests 14 (10), 1968 , 2023 2023 Citations: 3
Modeling tool for estimating carbon dioxide fluxes over a non-uniform boreal peatland I Mukhartova, J Kurbatova, D Tarasov, R Gibadullin, A Sogachev, ... Atmosphere 14 (4), 625 , 2023 2023 Citations: 17
Airflow modelling over hybrid solar/wind farm A Sogachev Wind Energy Science Conference 2021, 386-387 , 2021 2021 Citations: 1
Investigating microclimate effects in an oasis-desert interaction zone R Liu, A Sogachev, X Yang, S Liu, T Xu, J Zhang Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 290, 107992 , 2020 2020 Citations: 46
Numerical modelling of the wind over forests: roughness versus canopy drag A Sogachev, D Cavar, M Kelly, E Dellwik, T Klaas, P Kühn Advances in Science and Research 17, 53-61 , 2020 2020 Citations: 5
Urban roughness mapping tool: approaches and validation A Sogachev, AM Sempreviva DTU Wind Energy , 2020 2020
Ranking uncertainties in atmospheric dispersion modelling following the accidental release of radioactive material SJ Leadbetter, S Andronopoulos, P Bedwell, K Chevalier-Jabet, ... Radioprotection 55, S51-S55 , 2020 2020 Citations: 44
Uncertainty propagation in atmospheric dispersion models for radiological emergencies in the pre-and early release phase: summary of case studies I Korsakissok, R Périllat, S Andronopoulos, P Bedwell, E Berge, ... Radioprotection 55, S57-S68 , 2020 2020 Citations: 28
Comparison of ensembles of atmospheric dispersion simulations: lessons learnt from the confidence project about uncertainty quantification I Korsakkisok, S Andronopoulos, P Astrup, P Bedwell, K Chevalier-Jabet, ... 19th International Conference on Harmonisation within Atmospheric Dispersion … , 2020 2020 Citations: 8
Observed and modeled near-wake flow behind a solitary tree E Dellwik, MP Van der Laan, N Angelou, J Mann, A Sogachev Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 265, 78-87 , 2019 2019 Citations: 49
Complex terrain: From spectra and form drag to effective z0 in flow simulation M Kelly, D Cavar, A Sogachev 19th annual meeting of the EMS , 2019 2019 Citations: 1
Published sets of probability maps of threshold exceedance for scenarios provided to WP4, WP5 & WP6→ 2 H de Vries, G Geertsema, I Korsakissok, R Périllat, R Scheele, J Tomas, ... European joint programme for the integration of radiation protection research , 2019 2019 Citations: 4
Ensemble calculations for the atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides. The Fukushima case study: ensemble results and indicators to assess the quality of ensembles I Korsakissok, R Périllat, S Andronopoulos, P Astrup, P Bedwell, E Berge, ... Guidelines for the use of ensemble calculations in an operational context … , 2019 2019 Citations: 1
Ensemble calculations for the atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides. Hypothetical accident scenarios in Europe: the REM case studies H De Vries, G Geertsema, I Korsakissok, S Leadbetter, R Périllat, ... Guidelines for the use of ensemble calculations in an operational context … , 2019 2019
From obstacle maps and forest canopy theory to urban surface roughness A Sogachev, MC Kelly, AM Sempreviva DTU Wind Energy , 2019 2019
Wind, temperature and water vapor fields over the oasis–desert ecosystem: measurements and numerical simulations R Liu, S Liu, A Sogachev, X Yang, E Dellwik, J Zhang 2018
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Productivity of forests in the Eurosiberian boreal region and their potential to act as a carbon sink–‐a synthesis ED Schulze, J Lloyd, FM Kelliher, C Wirth, C Rebmann, B Lühker, M Mund, ... Global Change Biology 5 (6), 703-722 , 1999 1999 Citations: 512
Flux and concentration footprint modelling: State of the art T Vesala, N Kljun, Ü Rannik, J Rinne, A Sogachev, T Markkanen, ... Environmental Pollution 152 (3), 653-666 , 2008 2008 Citations: 317
The role of VOC oxidation products in continental new particle formation A Laaksonen, M Kulmala, CD O'dowd, J Joutsensaari, P Vaattovaara, ... Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 8 (10), 2657-2665 , 2008 2008 Citations: 237
Evaporation from an eastern Siberian larch forest FM Kelliher, DY Hollinger, ED Schulze, NN Vygodskaya, JN Byers, ... Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 85 (3-4), 135-147 , 1997 1997 Citations: 220
Surface–atmosphere interactions over complex urban terrain in Helsinki, Finland T Vesala, L Järvi, S Launiainen, A Sogachev, Ü Rannik, I Mammarella, ... Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology 60 (2), 188-199 , 2008 2008 Citations: 201
Modification of two-equation models to account for plant drag A Sogachev, O Panferov Boundary-Layer Meteorology 121 (2), 229-266 , 2006 2006 Citations: 194
Aboveground biomass and nitrogen nutrition in a chronosequence of pristine Dahurian Larix stands in eastern Siberia ED Schulze, W Schulze, H Koch, A Arneth, G Bauer, FM Kelliher, ... Canadian Journal of Forest Research 25 (6), 943-960 , 1995 1995 Citations: 179
Forest–atmosphere carbon dioxide exchange in eastern Siberia DY Hollinger, FM Kelliher, ED Schulze, G Bauer, A Arneth, JN Byers, ... Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 90 (4), 291-306 , 1998 1998 Citations: 178
Evaporation from a central Siberian pine forest FM Kelliher, J Lloyd, A Arneth, JN Byers, TM McSeveny, I Milukova, ... Journal of hydrology 205 (3-4), 279-296 , 1998 1998 Citations: 172
Above-ground biomass and structure of pristine Siberian Scots pine forests as controlled by competition and fire C Wirth, ED Schulze, W Schulze, D von Stünzner-Karbe, W Ziegler, ... Oecologia 121 (1), 66-80 , 1999 1999 Citations: 155
Eddy covariance measurements of carbon exchange and latent and sensible heat fluxes over a boreal lake for a full open‐water period T Vesala, J Huotari, Ü Rannik, T Suni, S Smolander, A Sogachev, ... Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 111 (D11) , 2006 2006 Citations: 154
A simple three-dimensional canopy–planetary boundary layer simulation model for scalar concentrations and fluxes A Sogachev, GV Menzhulin, M Heimann, JON Lloyd Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology 54 (5), 784-819 , 2002 2002 Citations: 149
Environmental regulation of xylem sap flow and total conductance of Larix gmelinii trees in eastern Siberia A Arneth, FM Kelliher, G Bauer, DY Hollinger, JN Byers, JE Hunt, ... Tree physiology 16 (1-2), 247-255 , 1996 1996 Citations: 128
Vertical profiles, boundary layer budgets, and regional flux estimates for CO 2 and its 13 C/ 12 C ratio and for water vapor above a forest/bog mosaic in central Siberia J Lloyd, RJ Francey, D Mollicone, MR Raupach, A Sogachev, A Arneth, ... Global Biogeochemical Cycles 15 (2), 267-284 , 2001 2001 Citations: 116
Consistent two-equation closure modelling for atmospheric research: buoyancy and vegetation implementations A Sogachev, M Kelly, MY Leclerc Boundary-layer meteorology 145 (2), 307-327 , 2012 2012 Citations: 112
A note on two-equation closure modelling of canopy flow A Sogachev Boundary-Layer Meteorology 130 (3), 423-435 , 2009 2009 Citations: 98
Application of a three-dimensional model for assessing effects of small clear-cuttings on radiation and soil temperature A Olchev, K Radler, A Sogachev, O Panferov, G Gravenhorst Ecological Modelling 220 (21), 3046-3056 , 2009 2009 Citations: 97
Carbon dioxide efflux density from the floor of a central Siberian pine forest FM Kelliher, J Lloyd, A Arneth, B Lühker, JN Byers, TM McSeveny, ... Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 94 (3-4), 217-232 , 1999 1999 Citations: 94
Footprint analysis Ü Rannik, A Sogachev, T Foken, M Göckede, N Kljun, MY Leclerc, ... Eddy covariance: A Practical Guide to measurement and data analysis, 211-261 , 2011 2011 Citations: 90
Using a one-and-a-half order closure model of the atmospheric boundary layer for surface flux footprint estimation A Sogachev, J Lloyd Boundary-Layer Meteorology 112 (3), 467-502 , 2004 2004 Citations: 90