Energy Supply and System Studies
Introduction
Energy Supply has a distinct
(international) reputation and strong and diverse funding position; 95% of
the research is funded by external sources, more or less equally divided between
scientific funds (NWO; Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research),
national sources (NOVEM, Ministries, GTI’s, private sector) and international
sources (EC, IEA, FAO, UN, private sector, etc.). Total turnover in 2003 amounted
1 MEuro. The balanced combination of scientific and applied research is a
strong point of the energy supply research; two worlds that mutually benefit
from each other. This is also evident from the parties funding and requesting
our research.
In 2004, an external evaluation of the cluster
qualified the group as Very Good – Excellent’ with respect
to ‘Productivity, Quality, Viability and Societal Relevance’,
showing strong international leadership in areas as bio-energy and Carbon Capture
and Storage. Similar wording was used in 2000 by an international committee
set up by the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU). According
to this committee, the quality, relevance, productivity and viability of the
research work was "good up to excellent, with a strong international reputation
and unmistakable societal and policy relevance”
People and
funding [back to top]
The Energy Supply cluster currently (end 2006) consists some 25 researchers
(9 senior/postdocs, 5 junior researchers, 12 Ph.D.-researchers) and covers 4
sub-topics: Biomass & Bioenergy, Sustainable use of Fossil Fuels, Intermittent
energy sources (Solar and Wind Energy) and Energy System Studies. The cluster
is coordinated by Dr. Andre Faaij. Responsible Professor is Prof. Dr. Wim Turkenburg.
Prof. Dr. Bert de Vries provides support to Energy Supply as well.
Dr. Martin Junginger and Dr. Veronika Dornburg act as joint coordinators of
the bio-energy research. Dr. Evert Nieuwlaar is involved in Energy System Studies
research. Dr. Wilfried van Sark and Drs. Erik Alsema coordinate the work on
solar and wind energy. Dr. Andrea Ramirez jointly coordinates the work on sustainable
use of fossil fuels. Division of capacity over the four sub-topics is as follows
(situation end 2006, including several vacancies):
- Biomass & Bioenergy: 3 Senior,
3 Junior, 5 Ph.D.-researchers
- Intermittent energy sources: 2
Senior, 1 Junior, 2 Ph.D.-researcher
- Sustainable Use of Fossil Fuels:
2 Senior, 1 Junior, 4 Ph.D.-researchers
- Energy System Analyses: 2 Senior,
2 Ph.D.-researchers.
- Some 20 M.Sc.-projects finalized per
year.
The work of the Energy supply is for some 90%
funded by external funds, with a very small university staff. The funding base
is strong and diverse with about equal shares from 1. the National Science Foundation
(NWO; providing a strong scientific base under the work), 2. contract research
for government (e.g. SenterNOVEM, ministries) and private sector (e.g. energy
companies as Shell, utilities) and 3. international (EC, international bodies
as IEA, FAO, OECD, UN and corporate funds)
Energy Supply & System Studies; scope and
objectives [back
to top]
Key options for a future sustainable
energy supply system include the renewables; bio-energy, solar energy, and wind
energy as well as the use of fossil fuels with, amongst others, drastically reduced
CO2 emissions. The latter involves large-scale capture and storage
of CO2.
For all options, minimizing the environmental impacts and risks and achieving
the lowest possible costs is a leading objective in the research conducted.
Key overall objectives for the Energy Supply research
program are:
- To develop new and improved methods and
tools for comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the impacts (economic,
environmental, social) of energy supply options and systems.
- To identify, design and analyze the impacts
of energy supply options and systems to provide high quality information and
insights for relevant actors in society involved in managing, developing and
implementing energy supply options and systems.
- To support societal actors in transition
activities towards the development of a sustainable energy system by providing
tools, insights and analyses of strategies, policies and scenarios for doing
so.
- To educate students, researchers and
society in general in above listed issues by high quality courses, M.Sc.-projects,
Ph.D. research, publications and lecturing in the fields mentioned.
Table: Generic topics and aims of Energy Supply Research
of the Copernicus Institute
| Research activities
(what is developed) |
Aim of the research
(what does it contribute) |
- Research into potential renewable
sources of energy and a cleaner use of fossil fuels
- Modeling of energy systems for
optimization and comparative analyses
- Chain, environment and cost analyses
- Technology investigation, process
modeling and performance analyses
- Investigation of technology development
and related RD&D requirements
|
- New energy carriers and energy
systems at the lowest possible cost and with as little environmental
pollution as possible
- Obtain detailed insights in implementation
possibilities and trajectories, e.g., regarding energy infrastructure
- Deriving RD&D priorities for
development and commercialization of sustainable energy systems
|
Research of key options
Methods utilized (and further
developed when necessary) include: Life Cycle Analyses, Environmental Impact Analyses,
economic (process and system) analyses, macro-economic analyses of entire energy
(supply) systems, system, scenario & optimization studies through various
modeling techniques, process (performance) modeling and comparative systems research.
- Analyses of technological options
and technological possibilities: includes exploring technological options
and (detailed) performance evaluations of (future) systems through process
simulations and long-term projections (e.g., by operationalizing of the technological
learning concept) for such options. Technology Assessments are carried out
into new technological developments relevant for sustainable development as
a whole.
- Analyses of the potentials: this
includes physical potentials for, e.g., available biomass resources, CO2 storage potentials linked to fossil fuel reserves, wind energy potentials
and solar energy potentials (e.g., on basis of climatic and meteorological
data). Such evaluations are done at different scale levels, from local to
global scale and by using various tools, including GIS databases. Assessment
of the (future) potential for bio-energy includes studying possibilities and
potentials for land-use changes and more efficient land-use, also including
issues of land-use competitions for various functions (thus linking with topic
3 of Copernicus). Potential for solar and wind energy also entail urban areas,
and off-shore locations. Potentials are assessed and analyzed taking into
account sustainability criteria and economic boundaries, thus allowing identification
of different types of energy potentials for various options and technologies. Evaluations
include Western and Developing countries alike.
- Energy (supply) system analyses:
this type of research is carried out on different levels, with respect to
spatial dimensions (from industrial areas and built-on areas to countries
and beyond, with respect to the size of the systems and with respect to the
social context (sectors, actors). Research includes the building
of databases of technologies, options and energy infrastructure, model development
and modeling of total energy systems aimed for system optimization and development
of scenarios and for assessing developments over time (transition trajectories).
In doing so, and combined with detailed technological insights, related implementation
strategies and RD&D priorities for transitions in the energy systems can
be drafted.
National collaboration [back
to top]
A variety of activities and projects has been deployed with partners of the research
school SENSE (Socio-economic and natural sciences of the environment). Other universities
in the Netherlands with whom strong collaboration exists are various departments
at the Delft University of Technology (e.g. Mechanical Engineering, Mining and
Technology Policy & Management), Eindhoven Technical University (e.g. Chemical
Engineering) and various parts of the Wageningen University and the DLO institutes.
The research of the cluster has benefited considerably from the Utrecht Centre
for Energy research, which institutionalized the already strong collaboration
with the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), the State Institute
for Health and Environment (RIVM), ECOFYS and the Netherlands Institute for Applied
Geosciences (TNO-NITG). A wide variety of projects have been realized among the
UCE partners, which also includes the other departments of the Copernicus Institute
and departments at the faculties of chemistry and physics and astronomy.
Due to the strong contract research in this field many activities are either carried
out for the national policy arena and with industrial and market parties. Examples
are SenterNOVEM (Netherlands Organization for Energy and the Environment), the
Ministries of Economic Affairs (EZ), Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment
(VROM), Shell (Global Solutions, International, Solar), Essent Energy, Electrabel
the Port of Rotterdam Authority, EnergieNed and many others.
International collaboration [back
to top]
International collaboration plays
an essential role in the energy supply research. Numerous projects are carried
out in the framework of various EU-research programs and with a subsequent array
of European partners (such as in JOULE, THERMIE, APAS, FAIR, INCO-DC, ALTENER,
of DG-TREN and DG-Research, etc.). Furthermore, work is carried out, amongst others,
for various parts of the IEA (PVPS, Greenhouse Gas R&D program and the Bio-energy
Agreement), the UN system, OECD, GEF, WEC, the IPCC, WWF and FAO. International
collaboration is established worldwide. Countries where research with partners
is carried out include, apart from the intensive collaboration throughout the
EU and the US: Brazil, Canada, Nicaragua, South Africa, India, Maldives, Indonesia,
China, Brazil, Nicaragua, Thailand, Cuba, Australia, Kenya and Eastern European
countries like Ukraine, Russia, Poland and Rumania.
Students & Exchange [back
to top]
On average 15-20 students are writing their M.Sc. thesis in the Energy Supply
cluster each year. Furthermore, smaller theses (e.g. for 6 week or 3 month periods)
are written on various topics as well. The Energy Supply research delivers important
input in the two Master Programmes coordinated by Science Technology & Society:
‘Energy Science’ and ‘Track Energy & Resources of the Master
Sustainable Development’.
Students stem from various faculties and backgrounds, which is of particular interest
for the multidisciwork related to energy research at STS. Students from chemistry,
biology, physics, environmental studies, geography and engineering have been welcomed
at our department. They thereby contribute in diverse and various ways to research
and publications.
We strive for international collaboration and exchange for master students and
an extensive network covering the EU and numerous developing countries can be
contacted to explore options for research in other countries. STS serves as home
base and supervising institute in such cases. Foreign exchange students are welcomed
at STS (provided there is sufficient capacity and manpower for supervision); visitors
from all continents have participated within the current energy research.
Publications [back
to top]
Publications can be found in the publication
section of the STS website.
The publication list of Energy Supply covers a variety
of Ph.D.-theses, hundreds of scientific articles, books, book chapters and scientific
reports.
Description
of main research topics [back
to top]
