Master thesis – Climate engineering and its potential impacts on global PV potentials in renewable energy systems scenarios

Your Job:

One way to combat climate change is climate engineering, which by either influencing solar radiation or removing carbon dioxide aims to cool the planet. Currently, climate engineering is still an emerging and controversial field, and the impact of several climate engineering technologies is unclear. The object of your thesis is to analyse the impact of climate engineering on global PV potentials. As a first step potential technologies are examined and their technological maturity evaluated. Afterwards, the likelihood of their employment, the impact on the environment as well as on future energy systems, especially on PV potentials, is estimated. Finally, potential technologies and methods for energy system analysis are implemented into the institute’s own energy system framework FINE ( https://github.com/FZJ-IEK3-VSA/FINE ).

Your main tasks will be the following:

• Literature research on climate engineering and collecting of technologies that could be employed
  
• Compare technologies based on their maturity as well as impact on the atmosphere and the environment
  
• Investigate the influence of different technologies on solar radiation and the consequences on PV potentials
  
• Implementation of approaches for energy system analysis

Your Profile:

• Very good academic records in your master studies in the field of energy technologies, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, environmental engineering, physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, or a comparable field
  
• Basic knowledge in the fields of energy system analysis, renewable energy systems or atmospheric chemistry or comparable.
  
• Knowledge of an object-oriented programming language (e.g., Python)
  
• Analytical and structural thinking
  
• Interest in energy system analysis and future technologies
  
• Fluent language skills in written and spoken English or German

Our Offer:

We work on the very latest issues that impact our society and are offering you the chance to actively help in shaping the change! We support you in your work with:

• You will be part of a highly motivated international working group at one of the largest research institutions in Europe
  
• Access to excellent scientific and technical infrastructure
  
• The opportunity to actively participate in shaping the energy system of the future
  
• Intensive supervision by academic colleagues
  
• You will have the possibility to work remotely
  
• Flexible working hours as well as a reasonable remuneration
  

The position is initially limited to 6 months.

In addition to exciting tasks and a collaborative working atmosphere at Jülich, we have a lot more to offer: https://go.fzj.de/benefits

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, e.g. in terms of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation / identity, and social, ethnic and religious origin. A diverse and inclusive working environment with equal opportunities in which everyone can realize their potential is important to us.