Lectures and Courses
The Chair for Energy Systems Analysis offers the following lectures and courses:
If you are interested in working on a Bachelor, Semester, or Master project with us, you can find the projects we currently offer below or on external page SIROP. For further information, visit our student projects page for more insight into previous student work done with the Chair.
In case you have project ideas not currently related to any of these projects, please feel free to propose your own project and send your ideas to .
Balancing trade-offs between resource availability, landscape quality, property price and visual impact in feasibility assessment of wind farm development
Transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources (RE) is crucial for mitigating climate change and ensuring a sustainable future. Usually, the feasibility of the energy transition on the local scale is assessed by considering the technical and economic potentials of RE technologies, as well as their environmental impact. However, the plans for the energy system transition often encounter local opposition. Communities near proposed wind farms may express concerns about their visual impact, noise, or changes to their way of life. In this regard, identifying and understanding the trade-offs between different factors that may influence the local development of wind technologies is a nontrivial task.
Keywords
GIS analysis, machine learning, renewable energy
Labels
Semester Project , Master Thesis
Description
Goal
Contact Details
More information
Published since: 2025-06-17 , Earliest start: 2024-08-19
Organization Chair of Energy Systems Analysis
Hosts Lohrmann Alena , McKenna Russell , Chen Ruihong
Topics Engineering and Technology
Design and optimal sizing of renewable energy-powered water microgrids
Recently, microgrids have been recognized as a promising solution to tackle the rising number of power outages caused by extreme weather events affecting our cities and communities. These conditions, frequently induced by climate change, result in effects that go beyond damage to the energy infrastructure. The water systems are equally vulnerable to extreme weather events (including droughts caused by heat waves and floods), affecting the supply of clean water, the treatment of wastewater, and the management of stormwater. Recognizing the similarity of electricity and water microgrids, the project proposes to create a unified framework for renewable energy-powered water microgrids using concepts from electricity microgrids.
Keywords
Modelling, water supply, water and energy security
Labels
Master Thesis
Description
Goal
Contact Details
More information
Published since: 2025-06-17 , Earliest start: 2024-08-19
Organization Chair of Energy Systems Analysis
Hosts McKenna Russell , Lohrmann Alena
Topics Engineering and Technology
Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) of wind deployment in Europe considering different system impacts
The deployment of onshore wind energy across Europe is influenced by multiple factors, including technical constraints, economic feasibility, environmental sustainability, and social acceptance. While cost-optimal solutions are commonly pursued, a more nuanced approach that considers trade-offs between various objectives is essential for informed decision-making. Different objectives such as low visual landscape disturbance, high monetary benefits, low annoyance to low residents, good wildlife protection etc., are summarized in a systematic review. To explore the trade-offs among these objectives from different stakeholders’ perspectives, Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is necessary for evaluating different possible alternatives.
Keywords
Renewable, energy, modelling, GIS, MCDA, scenario analysis
Labels
Master Thesis
Description
Goal
Contact Details
More information
Published since: 2025-06-17
Organization Chair of Energy Systems Analysis
Hosts Lohrmann Alena , McKenna Russell
Topics Engineering and Technology
Evaluating water extraction from solid sorbent direct air capture for low-carbon fuel production
Phasing out fossil fuel-based economies is a tremendous challenge in the effort to meet the 2°C climate target. First, low-carbon energy systems, fuels, and technologies must be fully integrated into the global energy system to achieve required greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions. Second, unavoidable GHG emissions must be removed from the atmosphere with carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies to achieve net-zero CO2 and GHG emissions in the 21st century. A portfolio of CDR technologies has been proposed, both nature- and technology-based CDR options. Direct air capture (DAC) with CO2 storage is a technology-based solution and is among the CDR technologies with the highest future CDR potential, up to 40 GtCO2/year. Alternatively, the CO2 sourced from DAC can produce low-carbon fuels instead of being stored permanently in geographical layers. Low-temperature DAC typically uses a sorbent to capture CO2 from the ambient air, which is challenging due to the highly dilute concentration of CO2 in ambient air requiring considerable energy requirements for CO2 capture. Latter energy requirements and the generation of by-products (such as water) are highly influenced by ambient air conditions, for example, relative humidity and temperature. Water is becoming an increasingly scarce resource, yet it is essential for producing many forms of energy (including low-carbon fuels, which are needed to tackle climate change). This dependency is known as the water-energy nexus and is a growing concern among many researchers. Previous studies have mainly focused on the costs and life cycle GHG emissions of DAC. However, one of the neglected aspects of solid sorbent DAC is the generation of pure water as a by-product. In this context, water produced via the DAC process could potentially be used to produce low-carbon fuels (e.g., methanol, synfuels, etc.) by combining captured atmospheric CO2 (from DAC), water, and other feedstocks.
Keywords
Direct air capture, water footprint, e-fuels, sustainability, GIS analysis, Energy systems
Labels
Master Thesis
Description
Goal
Contact Details
More information
Published since: 2025-06-17
Organization Chair of Energy Systems Analysis
Hosts McKenna Russell , Lohrmann Alena , Terlouw Tom
Topics Engineering and Technology
Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) online tool development
Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is a critical field that focuses on supporting complex decision-making processes involving multiple, often conflicting criteria. In areas like energy systems analysis and environmental management, MCDA methods help evaluate and compare different technologies or strategies based on various performance metrics and stakeholder preferences. With the growing complexity of energy systems and the integration of new technologies, there is a pressing need for advanced tools that can assist decision-makers in making informed decisions. Developing an online tool that incorporates MCDA methods will facilitate a more transparent and interactive decision-making process, allowing users to elicit preferences and understand trade-offs between different options.
Keywords
Multi Criteria Decision Analysis, Linear programming, Data Visualization, Software development, Python
Labels
Internship
PLEASE LOG IN TO SEE DESCRIPTION
More information
Published since: 2025-04-10 , Earliest start: 2024-12-10 , Latest end: 2025-12-31
Organization Chair of Energy Systems Analysis
Hosts Huang He , McKenna Russell
Topics Engineering and Technology