Decision Modelling and Analysis of Decentralised Green Energy Systems and Their Impact

Institution: University of Manchester

Dept/School/Faculty: EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Power Networks

PhD Supervisor: Prof L Xu

Co-Supervisor: Prof J Yang

Application Deadline: Applications accepted all year round

Funding Availability: Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

Student background required: 
Decision theory (ideally decision making under uncertainty and multiple criteria decision analysis); interest and knowledge about the performance analysis of energy systems and their impact on economy and society. 

Benefit to / Impact on Industry: 
Decentralised Green Energy (DGE) is regarded to be central to the world’s future energy and economic strategies. It is estimated that the increased use of DGE in the UK could reduce CO2 emissions associated with heat and power generation by as much as 30%. It is hoped that the severe pollution of cities in China mainly caused by the use of fossil fuel for heating and transportation could be reduced by the widespread deployment of DGE systems.

What novelty will the student base their PhD on? 
This multidisciplinary project will establish collaborations between three research teams specialising in complementary areas to investigate the success factors of and barriers to decentralised green energy (DGE) systems and their impact on the green economy. Apart from analysing regulation, institutional frameworks and economic structures, it will focus on investigating whether societal and sociocultural factors, which are crucial to western countries like Germany and the UK, would also play an important role in China. The findings will contribute to a global evidence base about DGE and be useful to researchers in policy analysis, energy transition, sustainability, and renewable energies. 

Project overview: 
Sustainable generation and consumption of energy is paramount for the world economy and the welfare of mankind of current and future generations. DGE will be central to global energy and economic strategies. This project is aimed to help create a more favourable environment for the diffusion of DGE systems and enable DGE systems to become self-sustainable and resource efficient. 

Outline of Proposed Project Plan: 
Year 1: Taught courses and preparatory study 
Year 2: Literature review about DGE systems and real systems will be evaluated together with possible site visits. Key factors for performance and impact assessment will be identified and their measurement methods will be investigated. A report or paper will be generated to summarise findings. 
Year 3: An evaluation model will be developed to assess the outputs and effectiveness of a DGE system; a decision model will be developed to analyse the contribution of larger scale DGE system deployment to the green economy. These models will be validated using both secondary data and real case studies. 
Year 4: The evaluation and decision models will be further applied in consultation with industrial partners. A number of papers will be submitted and the thesis will be generated. 

Funding Notes:

This project is funded by EPSRC, the University of Manchester and our Industry partners. Funding is available to UK candidates. EU candidates are also eligible if they have been studying or working continuously in the UK for three or more years (prior to the start date of the programme). The successful candidates will have their fees paid in full and will receive an enhanced maintenance stipend. 
See here for information on how to apply and entry requirements: www.power-networks-cdt.manchester.ac.uk/study/projects-apply