Vattenfall Energy Award 2017
Three best master theses in the energy filed, performed in 2017, were announced during the Energy Dialogue on 24 November and awarded with a cash prize from Vattenfall. Out of 37 submitted applications Théobald Le Louarn won the first place for his thesis ’Optimization of a Virtual Power Plant Portfolio in the German Electricity Market’
For the sixth year in a row Vattenfall sponsored a cash prize of 40 000 SEK to award three best mater theses in the energy field. Winner of the first place received 25 000 SEK, the second place got 10 000 SEK and the third place was awarded with 5 000 SEK. All KTH Master students, who performed their theses work during October 2016 - September 2017, were eligible to apply and this year 37 candidates were competing for the award.
Three best MSc thesis works were selected by the jury, based on criteria “design”, “impact” and “novelty”, and the final decision on the 1st, 2nd and the 3rd prize was announced during Energy Dialogue 2017 on 24 November.
The jury consisted of four KTH professors (Göran Lindbergh, Professor of Chemical Engineering; Folke Björk, Professor in Building Technology; Lars Nordström, Professor in Information Systems for Power System Management and Björn Laumert, Associate Professor at the Unit of Heat and Power Technology) and a representative from Vattenfall (Magnus Berg, Portfolio Manager Technology Assessment at Vattenfall).
Winners:
1st Prize – 25 000 SEK
Théobald Le Louarn
Title: Optimization of a Virtual Power Plant Portfolio in the German Electricity Market (pdf 1.0 MB)
Supervisor: M. R. Hesamzadeh
Motivation: Transition to energy systems based on renewables implies introduction of central and decentral intermittent power generation leading to larger variation in supply. Incorporation of small and large decentralised power producers and consumers into a virtual power plant will make this transition easier. The solid analysis conducted and software tool developed in this project is an innovative and very fruitful step in this direction.
2nd Prize – 10 000 SEK
Sean Gilleran
Supervisor: Lennart Söder
Motivation: Forecasting the weather is essential in order to make the best use of wind power. Better models can improve the predictions and reduce the demand of flexibility on the grid. This project is a solid theoretical work that advances the present models.
3rd Prize – 5 000 SEK
Marco Ghiandelli
Title: Development and implementation of small-scale biogas baloon digester in Bali, Indonesia (pdf 846 kB)
Supervisor: Dilip Khatiwada; Fumi Harahap
Motivation: The resources of biological waste are immense, not least in many developing countries. Small-scale, efficient and affordable biodigesters will help to make renewable production of biogas for cooking a reality for many rural areas. An ambitious project combining experimental studies on site in Indonesia, with theoretical and economical considerations.
