The combination of locally produced energy, internet technology and machine intelligence to control loads provides a hitherto unrealised potential to exploit sources of “flexibility” in the electricity system. This could provide an important resource to more efficiently balance electricity in the UK market.

The PhD project would aim to understand the interplay between local flexibility (generation and demand) and supplier wholesale top-up as well as network and system operator pricing. The project will examine the controls necessary to manage these interactions and work on algorithms necessary to realise the potential of local flexibility.

The project is funded by, and run in collaboration with, Elexon, the balancing settlement operator for the UK electricity market, see http://www.elexon.co.uk. The prospective student would be part of Warwick’s Centre for Complexity Science and its new Centre for Doctoral Training in Mathematics for Real-World Systems (http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/mathsys/).

We are looking for a candidate with a high Masters (MSc / MEng) in a quantitative area (OR, Engineering, Maths, Computer Science, etc.). A background in the processes relating to electricity generation and supply would be advantageous.

Funding

The studentship will be funded for 3 years, paying an annual maintenance allowance at the standard rate of £13,863 (based on the UK Research Council’s current rate) and will also cover Tuition Fees.

Application

Please apply online for a PhD in Mathematics of Systems athttp://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/mathsys/apply, specifying your interest in this particular project

For an informal inquiry, please contact

Prof Juergen Branke, University of Warwick, juergen.branke<στο>wbs.ac.uk

Prof Robert MacKay, University of Warwick, R.S.MacKay<στο>warwick.ac.uk