Projects
Supergen Energy Networks Hub
The Supergen Energy Networks Hub brings together the vibrant and diverse energy networks community. We work to gain a deeper understanding of the interactions and inter-dependencies of energy networks.
Led by Hub Director, Professor Phil Taylor (Bristol University), the Hub integrates a wide range of industrial and academic partners with other energy network stakeholders.
The Hub’s research is carried out by a consortium of Universities:
- Newcastle
- Bristol
- Manchester
- Cardiff
- Bath
- Leeds.
The research addresses the challenges of technology, policy, data, markets, and risk for energy networks.
Merlon
The MERLON H2020 project looks at local energy communities. It is developing smart solutions and engaging customers to form autonomous energy islands. These islands can make use of locally available energy resources and ensure a secure supply even if no energy is available from the wider system.
Modern Energy Cooking Services
The Modern Energy Cooking Services is a five-year programme funded by UK Aid (DFID). The aim is to catalyse Africa’s transition to clean electric and gas cooking.
The Modern Energy Cooking Services is integrating modern energy cooking services into the planning for electricity access, quality, reliability, and sustainability. The service hopes to leverage investment in renewable energies (both grid and off-grid) to address the clean cooking challenge. The Modern Energy Cooking Services is implementing a strategy focused on including the cooking needs of households into the investment and action on ‘access to affordable, reliable, sustainable modern energy for all’.
Pragmatic Security Assessment (Northern Powergrid)
Distribution network security has traditionally relied on conventional network assets such as transformers and circuits. They ensure a secure supply to consumers from the upstream network.
In recent years, there has been increasing interest in utilising non-network assets. These assets may be able to provide a fortuitous contribution to network security. For example, including customer flexibility could improve cost efficiency and increase security of supply.
The prevailing distribution network planning standard is a deterministically applied, rule-based standard. It is focused on ensuring sufficient network redundancy is available to supply customers by specifying the times within which some or all customer demand during peak conditions should be restored.
This project will develop a simple-to-apply set of empirical rules to allow smart solutions to be included in conventional network design and planning studies.
E4Future V2G
This project proposes a large-scale demonstrator of up to 1,000 battery electric vehicles and novel bidirectional chargers (V2G).
BLOG: Impact of the ban of UK internal combustion engine sales
The project will bring together participants from car companies and power system stakeholders in a unique collaboration.
The aim is to encourage significant take-up of battery electric vehicles in the coming decade by lowering the cost of ownership by providing services to the power system.
The research is spread across three work packages:
- Collection and analysis of customer data from the demonstrator.
- Technical analysis of the impacts and benefits of V2G systems on electricity distribution networks.
- Cyber-security assessment of V2G systems.
CLEARHEADS (Supergen Energy Networks flex-fund)
This recently-funded project brings together energy researchers at Newcastle and meteorologists at Reading University. Together we will study how future European-wide weather patterns affect the supply in demand countries and the energy flows between them.
The key questions this project will address are whether there is always enough energy available to meet demand, and whether it can be shared effectively using the existing and proposed electricity interconnectors.
Active Building Centre (ABC)
The Active Building Centre investigates the potential for buildings to play a more active role in energy systems.
We are exploring how buildings might become more complex due to a greater number of assets such as:
- photovoltaic panels
- electric vehicles
- heat pumps
- solar thermal systems
- heat and electrical storage
If these assets are to be better controlled, we need to measure their performance. We also need to know about the status of the local energy networks. At times of network peak demand, the home might then avoid certain loads being used.
Asset measurement and control means data being shared. This increases the security risk and cyber security concerns. The Active Building Centre research is looking at:
- the types of cyber security threats which will be relevant to active buildings
- the ways to mitigate these threats
- appropriate response to threats if a system was to experience cyber attack.
EPSRC National Centre for Energy Systems Integration
EPSRC National Centre for Energy Systems Integration brings together an interdisciplinary team of experts from the Universities of:
- Newcastle (lead)
- Durham
- Bristol
- Edinburgh
- Heriot Watt
- Sussex
Energy systems are vital to the future of industry and society. But the energy trilemma of security, sustainability, and affordability presents many complex interconnected challenges.
Our research investigates and reduces the risks associated with securing an integrated energy system for the UK. We utilise our diverse list of cross-sector demonstrators for validation and calibration of our models. We collaborate with our industrial partners to ensure we use state of the art standards for our cross-vector technical and regulatory integration.
ReNU Centre for Doctoral Training
The Centre for Doctoral Training in Renewable Energy Northeast Universities is an added value doctoral training programme. It is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Over the next 5 years, it will create a pipeline of highly skilled doctoral graduates. They will drive forward innovation in small scale renewable and sustainable distributed energy.
It is a collaboration between three major UK universities in the North East of England.
The importance of renewable energy technologies to the UK economy is fundamental. The next energy revolution will stem from our ever-increasing demand for electricity.
This includes:
- the transition to zero carbon transportation, not just cars but also new personal mobility devices
- huge numbers of interconnected personal devices
- sustainable buildings
The Centre for Doctoral Training will create high quality people who have excellent scientific and engineering skills. They will also have specialist training in business, innovation and internationalisation.
The Centre seeks to pair businesses with highly qualified PhD candidates and established academics in relevant fields. Together they can share knowledge that can drive innovation. See our Partner Guide and Partner Handbook for more information.
Our PhD projects are advertised between November and January each year.