1 PhD Research Project in Decision-making for the Management and Planning of Integrated Energy Systems in Denmark | Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

Future energy systems in smart cities will call for the joint management and planning of the power, heat, gas, water and transportation systems. Furthermore, the procurement of some of these energy commodities and services (power, heat and gas) is to be carried out through participation in markets. Within this context, this PhD will focus on:

• Developing models to optimize the multi-commodity trading strategy of energy companies (especially those owning a portfolio of distributed energy resources) in the different wholesale energy markets. Particular emphasis will be placed on improving the resource procurement strategy and the operation of combined heat-and-power production facilities, considering the system dynamics, the uncertain energy prices and demands, and the interrelation of the different energy commodities and services that a combined heat-and-power system integrates (biomass/biogas/gas, heat and electricity).
• Developing planning tools capable of assessing the societal benefits of an integrated management of energy systems in cities and of identifying potential business cases and scenarios for city development and their impact on the future energy mix.

Requirements

Candidates must have a master degree in computational science and engineering (CSE), applied mathematics, or engineering, or equivalent academic qualifications. Preference will be given to candidates who can document strong skills in statistical and mathematical modelling and optimization and, in addition, have a background in energy markets and systems. Good knowledge of modelling and optimization tools (GAMS, Gurobi, Cplex, etc.) and data-handling and programming software (R, Matlab, Python, etc.) is an advantage. Furthermore, good command of the English language (orally and in writing) is essential.