Winners of the Energy System Integration (ESI-FAR) programme announced

14 Jun 2021 - 5 min

Energy for the future: one of the critical challenges for sustainable life on earth.

Following a recent joint call for proposals, the eScience Center is pleased to announce 5 new projects focused on the Science, Social Science and Humanities domains. The call was jointly supported by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), together with the Top Sector Energy’s Systems Integration Programme, the Taskforce for Applied Research (SIA), and specifically focuses on digitization. 

Projects awarded through the ‘Energy System Integration: towards a Futureproof, Affordable, and Reliable energy system’ (ESI-FAR) programme focus on integration issues in energy systems, such as coupling and optimizing the infrastructures for production, transport and storage of energy. Award recipients will receive up to 2.5 years in-kind support of Research Software Engineers employed by the Netherlands eScience Center, as well as in cash support for PhD and postdoc positions, and materials. 

The projects that have been awarded funding are as follows: 

Hydrogen value chain deployment – Agenda for the emerging hydrogen economy supporting energy system integration
Prof.dr.ir. Zofia Lukszo, Delft University of Technology, Department of Technology, Policy and Management

The aim of the project is to accelerate the emergence of large-scale hydrogen production and transport from renewable power sources to large-scale adoption in different sectors and by a variety of end-users. It investigates how significant potential of this hydrogen value chain can enable transition to a clean, low carbon future energy system.

Participating institutions and companies: Havenbedrijf Rotterdam, QuoMare, Oyster Legal, Clingendael International Energy Programme, Gasunie, Nouryon, ISPT, DOW, OCI Nitrogen, Stedin and Province Zuid-Holland, University of Amsterdam, Tilburg University, Breda University of Applied Sciences (HBO), TNO

Resilience and Cyber Security of Integrated Cyber-Physical Energy Systems (RESCUE) 
Dr. A.I. Stefanov, Delft University of Technology, Department of Electrical Sustainable Energy (EWI) 

The main goal of the project is to develop advanced mathematical and computational foundations, methods, and technologies for incident response to protect utilities from state-sponsored cyber attacks, cyber secure the Control Room of the Future, and to improve the operational resilience of integrated cyber-physical energy systems to such threats considering a further digitalisation. 

Participating institutions and companies: TU Delft, Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI), Netherlands eScience Center, TenneT TSO, Siemens, DNV GL, European Network for Cyber Security 

Technologically and socially feasible transition pathways for local energy system integration (TeSoPs) 
Prof. dr. E.M. Steg, University of Groningen, Department of Psychology 

TeSoPs uses an integrative approach to identify, develop and assess technically, economically and socially feasible transition options and pathways in the heat system (e.g., including technological, behavioural and policy change), which will increase the share of renewables in, and reliability of, the wider integrated energy system. 

Participating institutions and companies:Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, TNO, Enexis, ING Bank, Gemeente Groningen, PowerChainger 

Designing and modelling future systems of energy systems (DEMOSES) 
Dr.ir. L.J. de Vries, Delft University of Technology, Department of Technology, Policy and Management 

The goal of this project is a break-through in energy system modelling technology in order to provide a step improvement in the science of energy systems design and analysis. This knowledge is needed to support market parties, energy network operators and governments with the energy transition.  

Participating institutions and companies: TU Eindhoven (co-applicant), TNO (co-applicant), Alliander, AgroEnergy, Eneco, Netbeheer Nederland, Stedin, Tata Steel, TenneT. 

Next Generation Sector-Coupling Models for Optimal Investments and Operation (NextGenOpt) 
Dr. M. de Weerdt, Delft University of Technology, Department of Software Technology 

Main goal(s) of the project is to facilitate the decision-making towards an efficient, reliable and sustainable future energy system. We will develop computationally efficient models and algorithms, taking into account the coupling between electricity, heat, and hydrogen, while including key system flexibility and reliability constraints and societal objectives. 

Participating institutions and companies: PBL, TenneT, ORTEC, AIMMS, Gemeente Utrecht 

The Netherlands eScience Center is excited to be involved in this joint programme, and we’re looking forward to collaborating intensively with the winning research teams in the coming years. A full list of other projects initiated by the eScience Center can be found here. For further funding opportunities provided by the eScience Center, regularly check our opportunities for collaboration here.