PhD Position KU Leuven/Joint Research Centre of the European Commission: Energy Systems Modeling –...

The EU aims to be climate-neutral by 2050. This objective is at the heart of the European Green Deal and in line with the EU’s commitment to global climate action under the Paris Agreement. In this context, our energy system is undergoing drastic changes. We face rapidly increasing shares of intermittent renewable energy sources (RES) like wind and solar photovoltaics. These resources are very often connected to the distribution grid, that is, at medium voltage (MV) and low voltage (LV) levels. Fundamental innovations are needed to guarantee their efficient integration into the electric system in order to ensure security of supply and system stability. The participation of LV and MV flexibility, via e.g., consumers engagement through a.o. electric vehicles and demand response mechanisms, can in this regard become an important provider of long-and short-term system services.
We have a fully funded PhD position available, within the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership between KU Leuven and the JRC. The focus of this PhD is on flexibility at LV and MV distribution level, and appropriate incentives and market schemes to unlock this potential. A connection is sought between flexibility mechanisms/markets on the one hand, and the technical needs of the system on the other. For the latter, distribution grid models and representative networks are to be deployed, to also assess the level of technical detail needed to allow for relevant economic analysis. Focus can further be on the analysis of prosumers, Energy Communities and other forms of regulatory experimentation developments in Europe, along with market arrangements for their participation into the wholesale markets, local flexibility markets, and development of local energy markets (e.g. local P2P and transactive energy schemes).
The PhD candidate can start from existing models/tools/data-sets and dedicated expertise available in the research groups, and will collaborate with other research group members (at both KU Leuven and JRC). The PhD candidate will be supervised by prof. Erik Delarue & prof. Leonardo Meeus (both KU Leuven), and Gianluca Fulli & Silvia Vitiello (both JRC).