Hauke Bents receives the Energy Informatics Foundation Sponsorship Award 2024
Ina Kruse, Stiftung Energieinformatik
- The research assistant at the Institute of Networked Energy Systems received the award for his master's thesis "Integrating Weather Forecast Uncertainty into Power Systems Management using the Probabilistic Power Forecast Evaluation Tool (ProPower)"
- The results can help to adapt the operation of power grids to the fluctuating feed-in from renewable sources and thus increase future security of supply.
- Energy Informatics Foundation awards the prize in recognition of excellent theses by students that contribute to the design of the energy system.
- Focus: Energy, system modelling, awards
Hauke Bents from the Institute of Networked Energy Systems has been awarded with this year's Energy Informatics Foundation Sponsorship Award. The jury honoured his work on "Integrating Weather Forecast Uncertainty into Power Systems Management using the Probabilistic Power Forecast Evaluation Tool (ProPower)" with first place in the "Master's Thesis" category. The award ceremony took place on Friday, 28 June 2024 as part of the 8th Energy Industry Day of the Energy Informatics Foundation on the topic of "Digitalisation & Flexibilisation of Energy Networks in a Future Energy System" in Jülich. The award was presented by Eduard Sudheimer, Deputy Chairman of the Foundation, in front of around 60 participants from research and industry.
"It was a great honour for me to be able to present my work in this setting," says Bents. "I was particularly pleased that my results on the integration of weather forecast uncertainty into the management of the power system were so highly regarded by the jury." In terms of subject matter, the work of the research associate focuses on the interface between energy meteorology and grid operation. To this end, Bents used the DLR's own modelling tool "ProPower" to simulate the use of so-called ensemble weather forecasts (where various forecast scenarios are represented in a corridor of probabilities) in day-ahead and intraday clearing. This was followed by a comparison of the status quo with a novel stochastic clearing method that utilises uncertainty information. On this basis, Bents was able to draw conclusions about the extent to which the amount of curtailed wind energy or events with supply bottlenecks depend on the clearing used and the generation mix used.
"The use of uncertainty information fundamentally reduces the operating costs of the system," Bents emphasises, whose work could therefore help to adapt the operation of the electricity system to the volatile nature of renewable generation. This could increase the security of supply in a future system - based on information that meteorologists already provide for such purposes.
Sponsorship award from the Energy Informatics Foundation
The Energy Informatics Foundation was established in 2013 by seven companies from Aachen's regional SME sector. The purpose of the foundation is to promote innovation through science and research. Another important purpose is the promotion and recruitment of future specialists and managers. Among other things, an endowed professorship has been set up at Aachen University of Applied Sciences, which runs a practice-oriented study programme. More than 18 companies from the IT services, energy supply and consulting sectors are currently involved in the Energy Informatics Foundation.
The Energy Informatics Foundation honours excellent final theses by students who make a contribution to shaping the energy system. In particular, theses that have developed excellent and relevant solutions for the energy system of tomorrow and thus contribute to shaping the energy transition are honoured. In addition, they should be scientifically sound and of high quality in terms of content, be characterised by a high level of innovation and be relevant to the energy industry. The work can deal with practical, constructive, empirical, theoretical or numerical issues.