For the institute division Energy & Climate we are looking for a student, who is eager to write a master thesis in collaboration with Oeko-Institut at the location either Berlin or Freiburg:
Master Thesisin the field of hydrogen modelling - Student Assistant (m/f/d)
The planned topic of the Master’s thesis will be:
“Modelling a no-regret infrastructure developments in Europe”
Background
Hydrogen economy has become a buzz word to spur new investment and to combine sustainable economic development with new business opportunities, world-wide. First publications draw a picture of a possible future hydrogen infrastructure for Europe, such as the Hydrogen Backbone [1]. However, the debate is driven by stakeholders involved in the current natural gas industry. The debate lacks open-source modelling based on scenarios that aim at limiting hydrogen use to only hard-to-abate sectors and taking sustainable hydrogen production into account.
Objective of the thesis
This master thesis builds on the existing energy system modelling framework PyPSA [2] and makes it operational, covering the Member states of the EU. The result of the Master thesis should be a model that maps the balance between supply (electrolysis & import centers) and demand on an hourly basis and that can identify the necessary infrastructure between supply and demand. Starting point for scenarios are existing plans for the development of supply and demand centers and IPCEI projects.
Key Tasks
- Get acquainted with existing PyPSA applications: PyPSA is being used for an increasing number of regions and applications, most notably PyPSA-EUR [3]. The first step will be to review existing works that can be used and adapted as a starting point.
- Obtain and structure data on the projected hydrogen demand and production/imports: refined enough to allow sensible assessments, aggregate enough to avoid artefacts and reduce computational complexity. European databases providing data on planned projects for demand, production and transport options will be a major source.
- Operationalize the modelling framework: Get acquainted with the tool and adapt/extend it.
- Scenario analysis: Set up 1-2 scenarios of potential differentiating developments in hydrogen demands, imports, transport infrastructure and production.
- Conclusions: Based on the scenario analysis, draw conclusion on no regret infrastructure developments and identify required points of decision to guide the role hydrogen in Europe in the future.
Who are we looking for?
We are seeking a motivated master's student who has a keen interest in energy system modelling and hydrogen. The candidate should be interested in energy system analysis, including understanding, using and extending energy system models, preferably written in Python. This should be coupled with a socio-economic interest to be capable of comprehending the various trade-offs inherent in the interactions between the energy system and the economy. This master’s thesis opportunity is ideal for those with a background in Industrial or Energy Economics, Economics and Math or equivalent programs. Fluency in English is required. We are happy to receive applications from outside Germany and EU countries to broaden the perspective of the analysis, which so far seems characterized by an EU-centric approach.
Our offer:
We offer a varied student-job in a highly motivated, professional team working on a wide range of national and international environmental and sustainability issues. We are committed to diversity and equality and strive for an inclusive work environment and diversity. Payment is made according to the Oeko-Institut’s salary charts as part of the institution’s charter agreement. Mobile working is possible. Your employment contract will be limited to six months.
We look forward to receiving your application. Please send it by 15.05.2024 as a pdf file by e-mail to p.kirstetter@oeko.de
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