4TU.Energy PhD course 2025
(Full Program with Speakers Bio, Lecture Abstract, Preparation Questions)
Bio:
Anne van der Molen is research associate smart systems planning and-operations with the research group Electrical Energy Systems at the TU/e department of Electrical Engineering. His main affiliation is with distribution network operator Stedin, where he is senior advisor. In both roles he is involved in innovation and sustainability of the energy system, with special attention to the function of gas and electricity networks in the sustainable energy system of the future. Since 2022, he is vice chair of the Technology and Knowledge Sharing (T&KS) committee of E.DSO, the European Association of Distribution System Operators.
His main research interest is the role of energy distribution grids in the energy system of the future. In his research at TU/e he focuses on technical-substantive issues such as examining the potential benefits of smart grid concepts from a technical, operational and information management point of view. Adding to these electrotechnical issues, he puts attention to issues concerning legislation and regulations and the allocation of the costs and benefits of Smart Grids.
Anne van der Molen received his M.Sc. degree from the Twente University of Technology in 1997. He is currently a Senior Advisor with the Dutch Distribution System Operator Stedin, where he is engaged with smart grids policy and strategic planning. In 2019, he was appointed as research associate with the Eindhoven University of Technology, where he is involved in the area of smart grid operations and data science for smart network- and systems operations.
Abstract:
The Netherlands is undergoing a major overhaul of its energy system: the energy transition. This transition will bring drastic changes in the coming years, both in how we generate energy and how we use it. Renewable sources are replacing fossil fuels, new energy carriers like hydrogen and green gas are emerging, and electricity consumption is rising sharply. This requires a rethinking of the basic principles of grid management. Reliability, accessibility, and affordability remain crucial, but how we achieve and guarantee them is changing.
Pre-reading:
Bio:
M. Pilar Ruiz is Professor at the Sustainable Process Technology group at the University of Twente and group leader of the Chemical Recycling group at Maastrich University, the Netherlands. With chemical engineering background, she has both academic and industrial experience in the area of carbon circularity. Her research areas of interest include the development of thermochemical and/or catalytic processes for biomass conversion to fuels, chemicals and materials, and for chemical recycling of plastic waste.Â
Bio's:Â
Prof.dr.ir Eveline van Leeuwen, expert in urban economics, is Scientific Director at Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS Institute). In addition to her role at AMS Institute, Eveline is Chair of Urban Economics at Wageningen University & Research.Â
Within the fields of research and education, the topics that particularly spark her interest are the relations between city and countryside, interactions in space and time, differences between people and regions, and broad prosperity focused on themes such as circularity, energy transition and regional food systems.
In her research, she focuses on the integration of micro- and macro approaches in the field of regional science. Linking agent-based modelling and microsimulation, with macro models, such as input-output models, is an important common thread.
Dr. ir. Bas van Vliet is an Associate Professor in the Environmental Policy Group at Wageningen University. His expertise lies in the socio-technical transformation of urban water and energy systems, as well as systems of waste management and circularity. His research and teaching focus on how these dynamics are influenced by, and impact, social practices and the relationships between providers and consumers.
He has published edited volumes on infrastructures of consumption and on sanitation in both the Western and developing worlds, alongside 54 scientific publications covering topics such as drinking water supply, sanitation, waste management, renewable energy, the water-energy-food nexus, and housing retrofit.
Abstract/Narrative:Â Â
- The energy transition from home to system level
- Issues & Concepts of Spatial Justice and Participation in the Energy Transition
- Their analytical value for research into the energy transition: projects on Regional Energy Strategy in the province of Overijssel; the Local Inclusive Future Energy project in Amsterdam, and others Â
- Applications to research projects of participants in the courseÂ
Bio:
Oscar leads the Future of Energy team within Deloitte from the strategy practice of Deloitte consulting. He has more than 15 years of experience supporting governments and companies in the energy sector navigate the Future of Energy developing decarbonisation strategies, conducting feasibility studies and supporting energy infrastructure development. Before Deloitte Oscar worked 6 years at Shell within Shellâs Scenario Team and Shellâs New Energies Strategy Team and obtained his PhD on the topic of energy transition scenarios. He studied physics in Leiden and energy science in Utrecht.
Pre-reading:
Bio:
Francesco Lombardi is an assistant professor of Multi-Scale Integrated Energy System Design at TU Delft. he works on optimisation algorithms, energy system modelling, energy demand simulation, and other research methods that may support the practical realisation of fast, deep and resilient decarbonisation.
He is part of TU Delftâs PowerWeb Institute, which aims to design intelligent, integrated and inclusive energy systems, and he leads the âTransforming Citiesâ task within TU Delftâs Urban Energy Institute.
Abstract:
Accelerating planning decisions on the energy transitions, such as which technologies to deploy, how much and where, is urgent. In fact, most countries, including the Netherlands, are lagging behind their energy transition targets. And yet, the methods used to support such decisions hinder rather than accelerate progress. They overly fixate on economic performance, risking the overlook of technology lock-in, socially unacceptable infrastructure, or vulnerability to disruption. This purely economic approach often results in social opposition to the envisioned plans, with consequent slowdowns, or in poorly reliable system designs, leading to costly investments in overcapacity after disruptions materialise. Are there approaches that may enable more reliable and practically viable system designs? We will discuss this together during the lecture, where Iâll look forward to enriching my view on this matter with new insights from the diverse audience.
Questions before the lecture:
If you were to plan the re-design of the Dutch energy system to meet the 2050 energy transition targets, what approach, method or tool would you use to inform such planning?