Multi-carrier energy systems include energy grids as well as producers, consumers, storage and converter devices in and between the electricity, gas and heat sectors. As part of a long-term (inter)national energy transition with increasing integration of renewable energy sources (RES), their overall systemic consideration plays an important role. The coupling of currently largely independent energy systems (e.g. through power-to-gas plants, fuel cells, combined heat and power plants) offers more flexibility for a robust and efficient energy supply and a possibility to limit the development of RES and grids to a socially acceptable level.

Cellular structures are a way of structuring the complex problem of a cross-sectoral energy system into local sub-problems, so-called "energy cells". They also depict the decentralized nature of the producers, consumers, storage and converter devices that are spatially distributed throughout the energy system.

Control-oriented system design deals in this work with the question of how control concepts and system design, i.e. the definition of topology (network structures), components and interfaces, together can contribute to meeting control requirements such as stability. Due to the sparsely research system theory in the field of multi-carrier energy systems questions regarding existing and desired properties of energy cells will be investigated from a control-engineering perspective.