Energy in Buildings
The Energy in Buildings theme focuses on the development and implementation of technologies that improve our new and existing built environments, bring comfort to occupants and provide energy savings with efficiency and rational use of resources.
These technologies are mainly studied for performance through the use of advanced modelling packages for the different aspects involved (energy, daylight, thermal comfort) in order to benchmark and inform researchers, specialized clients and the general public on the most convenient solutions for each case.
Our research also contributes to the examination of the effectiveness of resilience measures and the opportunities available in the different stages of a whole building. This will lead to a better understanding of sustainability and future energy use. The group also deals with the understanding of appropriate construction methods for energy improvement in both contemporary and traditional buildings.
Energy in Building’s current research portfolio can be found here.
Smart Energy Services and Regulatory Innovation
This theme focuses on the innovations in energy services and business models for the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors and associated policy and regulatory innovations with a focus on energy efficiency, sustainability and decarbonisation of the energy intensive sectors.
The research performed in this theme concerns the analysis of the competing technologies enabling energy efficiency, energy management, the cost-effective energy supply, the demand side management as well as the analysis of the energy services markets and the stakeholder’s behaviour.
This is achieved through a wide range of competencies covering the analysis and design of energy efficiency improvements, the modelling of energy supply and storage, the design of energy management methods, the energy policy analysis, the energy auditing, the ability to perform comparative studies and pilot demonstrations of emerging technologies, developing new business models and contractual templates to enhance the performances of smart energy services and to foster their adoption across the diverse sectors.
Smart Energy Services and Regulatory Innovation’ current research portfolio can be found here.
Energy Informatics
As energy systems become increasing complex software and system integration is becoming a fundamental building block of a decarbonized economy. The Software and System Integration theme at IERC aims to create innovative concepts and develop state-of-the-art solutions to enable the energy system of the future. Researchers in this themes utilise software engineering, artificial intelligence, big data analysis, blockchain technologies to enable digital solutions to decarbonise society. This includes the development of disruptive technology platforms for the electricity sector where consumers and communities will be empowered with the necessary infrastructure to generate their own electricity, earn from the electricity generation, and finally, to be an integral part of decarbonizing their homes and communities for sustainable living. Digital technologies underpin powerful BIM management system with BIM-based toolset able to support designers in the design and planning phase, construction companies to efficiently carry out the work and service companies to provide attractive solutions for building retrofitting and decarbonise the building sector.
Energy Informatics current research portfolio can be found here.
Intelligent Grid (iG)
The thematic area of “Intelligent Grid (iG)” aims to design, develop and demonstrate (3D) intelligent and innovative solutions for decarbonising the smart grid and energy networks.
Low and zero-carbon technologies are being deployed through the power electronics converters at the generation, transmission, distribution and consumption (community and building) level. Due to their stochastic and intermittent behaviour, grid stability and power quality improvement are always a big concern for intelligent grid networks. Different energy storage systems are being integrated as a buffer to support these improvement activities. Passive consumers are turning into energy active consumers/prosumers. Aggregation, intelligent control and management solutions for the resources at different levels of the smart grid networks encourage all stakeholders to actively participate in the energy transition and market mechanisms. The theme “Intelligent Grid” thus focuses on (i) Smart Grid Networks: Microgrids, Virtual Power Plant, Smart Buildings and Local Energy Systems; (ii) Grid Stability, Power Quality, Power Conversion and Control; (iii) Grid Integration of Distributed Energy Resources: RET, Energy Storage, Electric Vehicles, Heat Pump; (iv) Energy and Flexibility Markets, Ancillary Services; (v) Artificial Intelligence in Smart Grid Networks.
Intelligent Grid’s current research portfolio can be found here.