Belgium Job Openings

KU Leuven

PhD position on integrated energy system and climate scenarios for offshore wind

Leuven

FULL TIME

October 11, 2024

Ph D position on integrated energy system and climate scenarios for offshore wind

(ref. BAP-2024-654)
Laatst aangepast: 11/10/24

A KU Leuven consortium consisting of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Department of Electrical Engineering is seeking a Ph D student to work in the framework of the project "Wind-farm co-design in the North-Sea basin given climate and market uncertainty". You will work with two other Ph D students on this project, and your focus will be on integrating scenarios of the future development of the energy system and the climate over the North Sea.

You will be supervised by Prof. Erik Delarue and Prof. Nicole van Lipzig and will spend an equal amount of time in both groups. Prof. Erik Delarue is member of the division of Applied Mechanics and Energy Conversion (TME) of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and active in Energy Ville. He is leading the Energy Systems Integration and Modeling (ESIM) research group, working on advanced modeling of energy systems. The research spans different type of model development (unit commitment, system planning, equilibrium modeling, agent-based modeling) with applications regarding energy policy, and energy market design. Prof. Nicole van Lipzig is leading the regional climate studies group of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Their research group focuses on regional climate modelling for offshore wind energy, for developing climate scenarios including extreme weather events like heavy precipitation and heat stress. They have projects in Europe, East Africa and Antarctica. They are experts in atmospheric processes, land-sea-atmosphere interactions and climate change impacts.

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Project

Energy systems/markets and climate in the North Sea are coupled in various ways. On the one hand, the economic considerations determine optimized spatial distribution of installed wind capacity. On the other hand, expansion of wind farms in the North Sea will alter the wind climate, because of extraction of momentum from the air and increased turbulence by the turning blades. Moreover, with the increase of renewable energy, coupling between weather and electricity prices increases. Up to now, there has been little research on such interactions effects for the North Sea offshore zone. The aim of this interdisciplinary Ph D is to develop an ensemble of coupled climate–market scenarios that represent the joint dependence of wind conditions on wind-farm development, as well as the impact of spatially variable weather conditions (in various scenarios) on energy market price signals. To this end, we plan a coupling between a generation expansion model and a regional climate model including future wind farm expansion and associated cluster-scale wake losses. Additionally, we aim to quantify uncertainty in electricity generation and associated revenues. Activities are divided into three tasks. Task 1.1 entails the development and deployment of a basic generation expansion planning model, using in-house regional climate model data. Following this, Task 1.2 involves the coupling between the electricity system model and the climate model to generate consistent coupled climate–market scenarios. Finally, Task 1.3 focuses on quantifying uncertainties in electricity generation and revenues. Overall, it is expected that this Ph D project advances the understanding of the relationship between climate conditions and energy markets, in the context of offshore wind energy development.

Profile

Required qualifications:

To have a Master degree at the start of the project (1 Jan 2025) in Engineering, Earth - or Environmental Science, Climatology or related field (physics, bioscience engineering, geography, meteorology, oceanography, mathematics, informatics, economy etc.);
To have experience in computational programming;
To have demonstrated verbal and written communication skills in English;
To have a collaborative mindset: Enjoys working with others to achieve common objectives.

Offer

Ph D Position;
Starting date preferably 1 January 2025;
Full time position for 48 months;
Location: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium ;
Net monthly salary of about 2400 €, depending on personal situation. This includes social insurance. Transportation to and from the workplace is covered;
Contribution to educational activities is expected for about 10% of your time.

Energy Systems Integration and Modeling (ESIM) research group
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences KU Leuven

Interested?

Interviews will take place on 8 November 2025 from 14:00-17:00.

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Nicole Van Lipzig, tel.: +32 16 32 64 53, mail: nicole.vanlipzig@kuleuven.be or Prof. dr. ir. Erik Delarue, tel.: +32 16 32 25 21, mail: erik.delarue@kuleuven.be.

You can apply for this job no later than October 30, 2024 via the online application tool

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.

Heb je een vraag over de online sollicitatieprocedure? Raadpleeg onze veelgestelde vragen of stuur een e-mail naar solliciteren@kuleuven.be

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Tewerkstellingspercentage: Voltijds

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Locatie : Leuven

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Solliciteren tot en met:
30/10/2024 23:59 CET

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