From Energy Systems to Energy Justice

From Energy Systems to Energy Justice

Summer school for early-stage PhD students and MSc students. Time and place: Aug. 29, 2022–Sep. 2, 2022, Sundvolden Hotel, Dronningveien 2, 3531 Krokkleiva, Norway. Hosted by University of Oslo.

The partners of the two projects LUCS and PACE, University of Oslo, Norway, Simula Metropolitan Center for Digital Engineering, Norway, University of Stavanger, Norway, University of Lille, France, Technical University of Berlin, Germany, GT-ARC, Germany, and Technical University of Munich, Germany, are jointly organizing the Summer School From Energy Systems to Energy Justice.

The target audience for the summer school is early-stage PhD students and MSc students in the related degree programs of any institution worldwide*. Well qualified Bachelor students are also welcome to apply, but priority will be given to higher-level applicants. Students from the host universities and institutes are particularly encouraged to apply.

Program: To find a list of confirmed speakers and their titles and abstracts, please go here. The final program is available here.

Location: Sundvolden Hotel, Dronningveien 2, 3531 Krokkleiva, which is close to the city of Oslo, Norway. Hosted by University of Oslo.

Dates: August 29—September 2, 2022.

The transition to a globally sustainable low-carbon emission society requires a significant increase in the use of renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, and reducing energy consumption. We are facing increased decentralized energy production, and digitalization of the whole value chain. We must learn to exploit state-of-the-art ICT methods, tools and techniques to achieve sustainable energy generation and use. However, the technical aspect is just one part of this equation, where the social aspect is just as important. There is a need to integrate technological and social science research to develop solutions that adopt the perspectives of social inclusion and energy justice in developing new solutions. That is, inclusion of all groups in society and policy approaches to support fair distribution of energy generated on-site, costs and benefits, the recognition of all involved groups, and fair representation in decision making.  New knowledge is increasingly at the intersection of Energy technology, Energy Informatics, Communication systems, Social Sciences Psychology, and Data and Energy Law.

This year's summer school focuses on these areas of intersection and tools that facilitate research at these intersections. Energy sharing and decentralized markets require mechanisms to securely and privately facilitate the interactions in fair and equitable ways. Battery management and storage systems help enable stable connectivity. Simulation and emulation tools help us to examine how these interactions will play out in future systems. Optimization is a powerful tool to help us to find the best approaches to the interactions. Adopting this approach will enable us to address the cross disciplinary aspects necessary to develop a holistic and autonomous framework for transactive energy management.

The summer school will cover contemporary topics in energy systems along with the interaction to socio-technical perspectives. These include:

  • Energy sharing: Local Markets and Community Energy Storage
  • Battery Management Systems and Industry Scale Storage Solutions
  • Energy system simulation and emulation
  • Microgrids and Virtual power plants
  • Energy justice: Social, psychological, and regulatory aspects of the energy transition
  • Security and Privacy of Energy Systems and Local Energy Markets
  • Decentralized Markets Design and Models for Sustainable Energy Systems

The lectures will cover the recent trends and modern approaches in the above topics. Lectures in each field will be presented from various perspectives, encompassing technical and social aspects from both academics and industry. In addition, the summer school will include hands-on work in the form of a tutorial on optimization conducted by the authors of the Julia package on Unit Commitment. Finally, 1-minute madness presentations from students to introduce their current research will align interests and lead to future collaborations.

Applying for the summer school 

Please apply here. Included in the application, you will be asked to upload a CV, letter of support from your supervisor, transcripts and a motivation statement. Deadline for applications is 19 June, 2022. Accepted students will be notified by the beginning of July.


Travel and Accommodation

Accommodation in double rooms will be provided to the admitted students for the entire duration of the summer school. Arrival at the hotel will be Sunday, the 28th of August with checkout by noon on the 2nd of September. All meals from the evening of the 28th until lunch on the 2nd are included. Upon presentation of documentation, travel expenses will be reimbursed after the summer school with a maximum of €500 for travels within Europe. For travel from outside of Europe, expenses will be reimbursed up to a maximum of €1200. Please note, only economy class travel will be reimbursed. Reimbursable travel expenses include airplane tickets, train or bus.

Currently there are no restrictions in Norway due to Covid-19. As we get closer to the event, updated travel information will be made available.

Contact Information

If you are part of one of the host institutions, please contact your local coordinator listed below:
David Hayes, Email: davidh@simula.no; Tel.: (+47)99870774
If you are not part of a host institution, questions can be directed to:
Russel Wolff, Email: russel.wolff@uis.no; Tel.: (+47)47903118
David Hayes, Email: davidh@simula.no; Tel.: (+47)99870774

Contact person: Frank Eliassen

Local contact person: David Hayes

*Subject to being able to travel to Norway and meeting relevant entry requirements. These are subject to change, but currently there are few restrictions (see koronavirus-covid-19-restrictions) in addition to the normal visa requirements. Ensuring that you have been sufficiently vaccinated for covid-19, and have the necessary documentation, may help if the situation suddenly changes.