Program of our Summer School on
Sustainable Energy Systems
Monday, August 28, 2023:
08:45 - 9:00
“Opening of the Summer School”
Kai Sundmacher, Process Systems Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
09:00 - 10:30
“Introduction to the Topic of Sustainable Energy Systems”
Franziska Scheffler, Institute of Chemistry, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
(abstract)
11:00 - 12:30
“Thermal energy storage (TES) – one keystone in energy transition”
Franziska Scheffler, Institute of Chemistry, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
(abstract)
12:30 - 14:00
Lunch Break
14:00 - 15:30
“The Fuel Science Center at RWTH Aachen: Molecular design of bio-hybrid fuels”
Kai Leonhard, Institute of Technical Thermodynamics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
(abstract)
16:00 - 17:30
“Biomass as feedstock for energy and chemicals production”
Alba Diéguez Alonso, Institute of Fluid Dynamics and Thermodynamics, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
(abstract)
Tuesday, August 29, 2023:
09:00 - 10:30
“Delivering renewable energy using turbomachines: key facts, with a focus on wind turbines”
Dominique Thévenin, Institute of Fluid Dynamics and Thermodynamics, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
(abstract)
11:00 - 12:30
“Hydropower and marine energy: challenges and perspectives for a carbon neutral energy infrastructure”
Stefan Hoerner, Institute of Fluid Dynamics and Thermodynamics, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
(abstract)
12:30 - 14:00
Lunch Break
14:00 - 17:30
“Bioenergy and Life Cycle Assessment”
Liisa Rihko-Struckmann, Process Systems Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
(abstract)
Evening
Guided City Tour
Wednesday, August 30, 2023:
09:00 - 10:30
“Electrochemistry: Green Hydrogen”
Tanja Vidakovic-Koch, Electrochemical Energy Conversion, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
(abstract)
11:00 - 12:30
“Electrical energy storage for power systems”
Ines Hauer, Institute of Electrical Power Engineering and Energy Systems, TU Clausthal, Clausthal, Germany
(abstract)
12:30 - 13:30
Lunch Break
13:30 - 15:00
“Energy systems modelling for the net zero transition”
Caroline Ganzer, Process Systems Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
(abstract)
15:15 - 18:00
Excursion: Canoe Highlights Tour with Biber Kanutouristik
Evening
Conference Dinner at Daniel’s Restaurant
Thursday, August 31, 2023:
09:00 - 12:30
“Modeling of Energy Networks”
Sara Grundel, Computational Methods in Systems and Control Theory, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
(abstract)
12:30 - 14:00
Lunch Break
14:00 - 15:30
“Computer-Aided Energy Systems Engineering”
Manuel Dahmen, Institute of Energy and Climate Research, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
(abstract)
16:00 - 17:30
“Multiscale Energy Systems Engineering for Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage”
Faruque Hasan, Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
(abstract)
18:00 - 19:30
Spotlight presentation:
“Magnetic confinement fusion research and the path to fusion power”
Rachael M. McDermott, Physics of the Plasma Edge, Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Garching, Germany
(abstract)
Friday, September 1, 2023:
09:00 - 10:30
“Charging Ahead: A Comprehensive Guide to Lithium-Ion and Emerging Battery Technologies”
Peter Michalowski, Battery LabFactory Braunschweig & Institute for Particle Technology, Technical University of Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
(abstract)
11:00 - 12:30
“Interdisciplinary Competence Development – How to Empower Change Agents”
Juliana Hilf, Department of Political Science, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
(abstract)
12:30 - 12:45
“Closing of the Summer School”
Kai Sundmacher, Process Systems Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
Introduction to the Topic of Sustainable Energy Systems
Franziska Scheffler, Institute of Chemistry, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
Sustainable energy systems are highly relevant to address environmental and economic challenges posed by our current reliance on finite fossil fuels. They prioritize renewable, clean energy sources and energy efficiency strategies to reduce emissions and protect the planet from the effects of climate change. Additionally, they can help increase energy security, reduce energy costs, and create new economic opportunities across the world. While introducing the OVGU Master programme "Sustainable Energy Systems" (NES), this lecture provides an overview of current engineering-oriented research on the topic.
The three-semester course og OVGU is directed towards research oriented bachelor graduates with a strong interest in various areas and issues of renewable energy. The study programme comprises a systematic overview about evaluation of resource, principles of conversion process, choice of materials, as well as design and performance of systems in operation. In the compulsory part students may decide for a specialisation in one out of four topics: (1) Electrochemical energy transformation and storage, (2) Fluid mechanical energy transformation, (3) Semiconductor based energy transformation or (4) Thermal energy transformation and storage.
But probably the most interesting part of the talk will be a collection of glimpses on topics of short and master projects like “Planned obsolescence”, “The eatable city”, “The integration of private PV-storages into a virtual power plant” or ” Life cycle assessment of a high-speed vacuum transport system”.
Thermal energy storage (TES) – one keystone in energy transition
Franziska Scheffler, Institute of Chemistry, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
The availability of powerful thermal energy storages is an essential precondition for a successful energy transition. Due to the big share in the total energy consumption the focus is on (1) a cost-efficient, safe and widespread useable storage to provide room heating and domestic water. Besides there is a great interest in (2) high-temperature storages for the application in solar thermal power plants and reactors. An innovative interaction of materials development, control systems and the combination of different technologies seems to be the most promising strategy.
In the first part of the lecture the different physical and chemical principles of thermal energy storage (TES) will be discussed. In the second part a few selected examples of heat storage technologies will addressed and used to explain big challenges and recent developments in the field.
The Fuel Science Center at RWTH Aachen: Molecular design of bio-hybrid fuels
Kai Leonhard, Institute of Technical Thermodynamics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
For many products, their function is the main concern during their development. In spite of this, the development of fluid products, like fuels and solvents, is often guided by desired molecular properties, not directly by their function during application or production, which can lead to suboptimal designs. At the Fuel Science Center (FSC), experimental efforts contribute synergistically with simulation and design to better products. An optimal design is possible in silico by computer-aided molecular design (CAMD) methods. Here we show how the combination of experiments, an evolutionary algorithm for the optimization of molecular structures, quantum mechanics, machine learning, and process simulation can identify promising solvent and fuel candidates. A current limitation of the CAMD approach is that it is not yet applicable when it is unknown how the molecules of interest react. Therefore, we will discuss the status of methods for the automatic generation of chemical models, including our ChemTraYzer tool and their potential use in CAMD in the second part of the talk. Nevertheless, the presented framework already successfully designs promising molecular candidates for many applications.
Biomass as feedstock for energy and chemicals production
Alba Diéguez Alonso, Institute of Fluid Dynamics and Thermodynamics, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
Biomass, waste, and carbon dioxide constitute the carbon sources that will enable the development of a sustainable carbon-based chemistry, whether it is for the production of chemicals, materials, or fuels. Biomass and waste may also play a significant role in the renewable energy mix in the short- and mid-term future, especially for high-temperature heat production. However, despite the renewable character and theoretical zero CO2-emissions (depending on how it is handled) associated with biomass, there are still some challenges to be faced to reach clean and flexible energy and chemicals production. This also extends to the use of waste for the same purposes. Among the possible conversion pathways, thermochemical conversion processes typically offer higher robustness towards feedstock variability, easier scalability, and a wider range of possible products. However, the inherent heterogeneity and hierarchical structure of biomass, together with the use of traditional process development and optimization techniques following similar approaches as for fossil fuels, difficult the further expansion of these technologies, especially outside combustion.
New process design tools for flexible and sustainable energy, chemicals, and materials production from biomass and waste should be based on the development of high-fidelity models able to capture the feedstock properties and their evolution during the conversion process to enable better control and optimization of the products properties.
Delivering renewable energy using turbomachines: key facts, with a focus on wind turbines
Dominique Thévenin, Institute of Fluid Dynamics and Thermodynamics, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
One promising approach to supply energy (in general in the form of electricity) based on renewable energy sources (mostly wind and water; possibly also waste and biomass) relies on turbomachines, most prominently wind, water, and steam turbines. This presentation will first list important facts regarding this technical solution, then highlight some of the remaining challenges, and finish with a short focus on wind energy.
Hydropower and marine energy: challenges and perspectives for a carbon neutral energy infrastructure
Stefan Hoerner, Institute of Fluid Dynamics and Thermodynamics, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
Hydropower is by far the world's largest source of renewable energy. It is base-load capable and can directly replace thermal power plants that run on fossil or nuclear energy. Therefore, it can be used to supplement volatile wind and solar energy sources. Because of its fast start up and dynamic control capability, it can also provide to the highly dynamic demand-side response. Unfortunately, traditional hydropower technologies are associated with significant environmental impacts, discussed in detail, and are themselves impacted by climate change due to water loss and prolonged dry periods. Ocean energy, such as wave and tidal energy, has even greater energy potential and is largely independent of weather and climate change. However, to date, there are no mature technologies for widespread industrial use. Therefore, emerging approaches and technologies for a sustainable use of tidal and wave energy are discussed and analyzed.
Bioenergy and Life Cycle Assessment
Liisa Rihko-Struckmann, Process Systems Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is defined as a compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout the life cycle of a product system. It is a generally accepted methodology to assess the sustainability of a production system. This holistic methodology optimally provides for various stakeholders, e.g. process developers, the public audience or policy makers a scientifically motivated guide to support their sustainability decisions. Principally, LCA methodology is a standardized method, however, in practice, the methodologies are based on known procedures and common agreements. The related standards ISO 14040 and 14044 give only a framework for the practices and the implementation. The four phases (goal and scope, inventory analysis, impact assessment and interpretation and evaluation) in a life cycle assessment (LCA) will be discussed during the lecture. The importance of product system definition and functional unit will be worked out, and exemplified by biomass related processes. The allocation of the interventions or expenditures in a case of a multiproduct system, cut-off rules, the impact categories and various methodologies (e.g. Recipe and PEF) are pointed out during the lecture.
The thermochemical and biotechnological production processes for renewable biobased fuels and chemicals will be elucidated as case examples for LCA. A process model implementation to openLCA program, execution of the assessment and the results analysis are part of the course.
Electrochemistry: Green Hydrogen
Tanja Vidakovic-Koch, Electrochemical Energy Conversion, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
The presentation will discuss the current state of the art of electrochemical technologies for green hydrogen production and highlight the main advantages of the different technologies as well as possible improvements and challenges. Green hydrogen can defossilize various sectors such as transportation, industry, heating, and electricity. Together, these sectors account for two-thirds of global CO2 emissions. Selected examples of hydrogen use, potentials and associated challenges in different sectors will be discussed.
Electrical energy storage for power systems
Ines Hauer, Institute of Electrical Power Engineering and Energy Systems, TU Clausthal, Clausthal, Germany
Electrical energy storage systems have special importance in the field of sustainable energy systems. Renewable energy sources e.g.: Wind power and photovoltaics have a highly volatile energy generation behavior that is independent of the required energy demand of the consumers. In order to decouple energy production and energy consumption from each other in time, energy storage systems are required in the grid.
In this lecture, the need for energy storage and the main storage systems: pumped storage power plants, compressed air storage power plants, and electrochemical storage power plants are discussed.
Energy systems modelling for the net zero transition
Caroline Ganzer, Process Systems Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
Climate change mitigation necessitates the transition of energy systems to net zero emissions by 2050. The power system takes on a critical role by enabling the decarbonization of heat and transport through electrification with heat pumps and electric vehicles. Under tightening emissions constraints, the design and operation of the system need to evolve. In this context, energy systems modelling represents a valuable tool, e.g., for evaluating trajectories for the capacity mix, and examining the impact of policy.
This talk will introduce you to fundamentals in energy systems modelling. We will cover the dimensions of the wide variety of energy systems models and associated modelling choices as well as important characteristics of power systems, generators, and storage technologies. The concept of systems thinking and strategies for how to approach the modelling will be presented. Finally, we will discuss recent case studies and the current state of research on net zero power systems.
Modeling of Energy Networks
Sara Grundel, Computational Methods in Systems and Control Theory, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
Energy networks are modelled over graphs. In this block we will therefore introduce all necessary concept of mathematical graph theory together with some small exercises to understand the concepts. We will in particular learn the notion of multi-agent systems over graphs and the notion of the graph Laplace operator. In the second part we briefly discuss various models of the two main energy networks namely the power grid and the gas network.
Computer-Aided Energy Systems Engineering
Manuel Dahmen, Institute of Energy and Climate Research – Energy Systems Engineering (IEK-10), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
This lecture will cover simulation and optimization models, methods, and tools for design and operation of integrated energy systems with a high share of renewables. These systems are typically characterized by temporal and spatial variability of energy supply and demand, an increasing degree of intersectoral dependencies, and a corresponding need for increasing digitalization. We will focus on applications from the fields of energy-intensive processes, industrial energy supply systems, and residential energy systems. Particular emphasis will be placed on innovative numerical optimization and machine learning methods for solving design and operation problems (under uncertainty), accelerating global optimization with ML-based surrogate models and reduced-space formulations, energy time series forecasting, and demand response scheduling.
Multiscale Energy Systems Engineering for Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage
Faruque Hasan, Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is considered as an enabling technology towards decarbonizing the energy, chemicals and other industrial sectors. It will most likely play an important role in managing CO2 from stationary sources such as power plants, refineries, petrochemicals, iron and steel, cement production, and gas processing plants. However, significant challenges remain to be addressed before CCUS can be deployed at the industrial scale. CO2 capture involves large initial investment, and requires energy intensive separation of CO2 from a diverse set of sources. A major challenge is to reduce the overall cost of CO2 capture. This presentation will be focused on the application of advanced modeling, design and optimization techniques to discover novel processes, materials and supply chain designs to reduce the overall CCUS cost. A cost-based comparison of different CO2 capture technologies including absorption, adsorption, membrane and cryogenic processes will be presented. An in silico screening method to select the best materials and process conditions for CO2 capture will be described. A cost-effective CO2 management for clean energy applications through the optimal selection of materials, processes and supply chain networks will be also discussed.
Magnetic confinement fusion research and the path to fusion power
Rachael M. McDermott, Physics of the Plasma Edge, Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Garching, Germany
In the last forty years the world’s energy consumption has more than doubled and the demand for energy will continue to increase, particularly in developing nations. This increase in demand has been met, by and large, by proportional increases in the amount of fossil fuels burned, which has taken a serious toll on the earth’s environment. The use of renewable energy resources has also increased significantly, but remains unable to meet the base-load energy demand, both in terms of magnitude and consistency. Furthermore, studies show this is likely to remain the case, indicating that alternative energy sources need to be explored and developed. Nuclear fission power plants, producing a million times more energy per reaction than fossil fuel equivalents, offer an efficient alternative without the greenhouse gas emissions, but come with the costs of highly radioactive nuclear wastes and other safety and proliferation concerns. Nuclear fusion power plants, on the other hand, offer the possibility of meeting the base-load energy demands without the production of greenhouse gasses or long-lived nuclear waste. Unfortunately, the very high temperatures needed to sustain steady-state, burning, fusion plasmas make them very difficult to build. This presentation will focus on one of the most promising routes to nuclear fusion energy, magnetic confinement fusion (MCF), and will detail some of the challenges faced by the MCF community as well as its recent successes.
Charging Ahead: A Comprehensive Guide to Lithium-Ion and Emerging Battery Technologies
Peter Michalowski, Battery LabFactory Braunschweig & Institute for Particle Technology, Technical University of Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
In the rapidly evolving landscape of transportation, electrification has emerged as a crucial solution to reduce emissions and achieve sustainability. Central to this shift are batteries with lithium-ion batteries being particularly significant.
This presentation introduces the most important quantities and units, as well as the electrochemical fundamentals of lithium-ion batteries. In addition, the most relevant materials (active materials, additives, electrolytes) and processes for the production of electrodes and cells will be presented. To deepen the understanding, the participants will get an introduction to the most important characterization methods for components as well as produced battery cells. Alongside the already established lithium-ion batteries, a glimpse into potential future systems like sodium-ion, solid-state, and lithium-sulfur batteries will also be offered.
Interdisciplinary Competence Development – How to Empower Change Agents
Juliana Hilf, Department of Political Science, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
Mankind is facing its greatest challenges so far: Climate change, biodiversity loss, financial instability, wars and growing injustice with all the consequences worldwide due to an unsus-tainable development. The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)1 establish a framework with 17 interconnected goals that are supposed to be reached by 2030. But how do we get there? Which scientific discipline holds the most potential for solving these crises and fostering the best innovation?
Juliana’s lecture will demonstrate that it’s not only topical knowledge and subject-specific ex-pertise that we need, but rather interdisciplinary, educated, and skilled change agents who can drive transformation processes through empathy, creativity and confident decision making. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play a central role here as they can equip learners with special key competences for an Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)2. These learners will eventually become decision-makers and leaders in politics, industries, or education. We will start by discussing the origins of sustainability and how we can define this frequently used buzzword as a normative and scientific model. The three pillars of sustainability (Environment, Economy, Society) will be introduced, followed by the presentation of the United Nation’s SDGs. These goals will then be critically viewed, highlighting potential obstacles, ambiva-lences, as well as challenges in realizing them. In the second main part of this lecture, Juliana will explore the concept of an ESD competence development and what teachers and students can do to become agents of change, working towards the goal of ensuring a livable and just future for all.
1 United Nations (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
2 Brundiers et al. (2021). Key competencies in sustainability in higher education—toward an agreed‑upon reference framework. Sustainabil-ity Science (2021) 16:13–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-020-00838-2