PhD Position on Multi-Carrier Energy Hubs for Horticulture with Positive Grid Impact

Do you want work on next-generation energy system modelling methods to support real-world decisions?
Do you have solid quantitative and analytical skills that you want to develop further in an international setting?

About the PhD position

This PhD focuses on Multi-Carrier Energy Hubs (MC-EHs) for greenhouse horticulture with a positive impact on the electricity grid. The energy transition requires large-scale renewable deployment and electrification, which increases fluctuations in demand and generation and exacerbates grid congestion. MC-EHs integrate multiple energy generation, conversion, and storage technologies across diverse carriers locally, helping to circumvent grid congestion while providing flexibility to the wider system.

In the Netherlands, greenhouse horticulture has high potential for innovative MC-EHs. Through combined heat-and-power (CHP) plants used for electricity, heat and CO2 demands, the sector provides 11% of the yearly national electricity supply and 10% of the dispatchable power capacity that balances increasing variability of demand and renewables on the grid. As horticulture shifts from fossil CHPs to sources like geothermal and solar, it risks moving from a flexible net electricity producer to an inflexible net electricity consumer. Instead, horticulture can accelerate the Dutch energy transition by adopting MC-EHs designed to meet local greenhouse needs while acting as system buffers that support large-scale renewable integration and mitigate grid congestion (“system-positive” MC-EHs).

In this PhD trajectory, you will develop methods and tools to support decision-making during the transition towards system-positive MC-EHs, with application to greenhouse horticulture. This includes supporting the design of a first-of-its-kind system-positive MC-EH for a real-life pilot in collaboration with industrial partners and stakeholders, and generalising the methods so they can be applied to horticulture systems across the Netherlands to enable scale-up.

To achieve these goals, you will develop cutting-edge energy system design methods, building on tools and methods such as open-source energy system modelling frameworks and Modelling to Generate Alternatives (MGA), and combining them with techniques from AI and other fields to ease computation and ensure robust assessments.

You will work closely with other researchers at TU Delft, Wageningen University & Research, and Leiden University, as well as industrial partners: Division Q, eFuelution, Resourcefully and Westland Infra.

You will work more closely with Francesco Lombardi and will be embedded in the Energy & Industry section, building on existing expertise and models on energy system optimisation and MGA. You will join a community of interdisciplinary energy researchers in the Department of Engineering Systems and Services at TU Delft.

Job requirements

You must be able to demonstrate:

• Masters degree in engineering (e.g., CoSEM, SET if you attended TU Delft), physics or other related discipline (must have been awarded by the agreed-upon starting date of the PhD).
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills.
• Very good written and spoken communication skills in English.

Bonus points if you have:

• Programming experience Python or a similar language.
• Knowledge of open-source energy system modelling frameworks, such as Calliope, PyPSA, Tulipa or similar.
• Taken courses in Optimisation, Energy System Modelling or similar.
• Prior research experience, especially in energy system modelling or other energy-related research.
• Knowledge of Dutch language.

Faculty Technology, Policy & Management

The Faculty of TPM contributes to solving complex technical-social issues such as energy transition, mobility, digitalisation, water management and (cyber) security, through education and research at the intersection of technology, society and policy. It combines insights from engineering, social sciences and the humanities, develops robust models and designs, and is internationally oriented with an extensive network of knowledge institutions, companies, social organisations and governments.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design, delivering results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in areas including energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society.