PhD position on flexibility applications to mitigate power quality issues in distribution networks

We seek for an aspiring researcher who is interested to contribute to the development of a sustainable future which does not interfere with end user comfort. KU Leuven boasts a rich tradition of education and research that dates back six centuries. The university’s basic research orientation has always been and will remain fundamental research. At the same time, the university remains vigilantly open to contemporary cultural, economic and industrial realities, as well as to the community’s needs and expectations. KU Leuven is currently by far the largest university in Belgium in terms of research funding and expenditure (EUR 455.1 million in 2015). KU Leuven conducts fundamental and applied research in all academic disciplines with a clear international orientation. In the Times Higher Education ranking KU Leuven is ranked as the 12th European university, while in the Reuters Top 100 of the World’s most innovative institutions, KU Leuven is listed as the first European university. The ELECTA research group of the Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT) of KU Leuven performs research on aspects of generation, transmission, distribution and rational use of electrical energy. Topics covered are smart grids, reliable power systems with high penetration of renewable energy sources, HVDC and LVDC, energy markets, integration of renewable energy sources on transmission and distribution. Seven professors lead the group. They manage the research assisted by teams of senior researchers, post-doctoral researchers and about 50 PhD students. EnergyVille is an association of the Flemish research institutes KU Leuven, VITO, imec and UHasselt in the field of sustainable energy and intelligent energy systems. EnergyVille brings research, development, training and industrial innovation together under one name, in close cooperation with local, regional and international partners. EnergyVille strives to become one of the top five European institutes in innovative energy research. For that reason, the center was embedded in big national and international networks from the start.

Project

The evolution of distribution networks with greater amount of load and distributed generation uncertainty makes it challenging for the distribution system operators (DSOs) to operate the grid reliably. This energy transition demands developing decision support tools for the DSOs to use flexible resources while ensuring probable network congestion incidents and deteriorating power quality (power factor, voltage unbalance, etc.) events to be minimized. The traditional fit-and-forget approach for the distribution networks needs a major revamping. This PhD will develop solutions that exploit consumer flexibility in a decentralized manner to mitigate power quality issues in distribution networks. The solutions ensure that physical grid constraints (e.g., maximum currents that cables can carry, nominal voltage ranges) are not violated, making use of behind the meter models, and accounting for fairness and data governance/privacy constraints, as well as market rules. Tasks will include: 

• Develop a versatile mathematical framework for centralized vs decentralized flexibility activation
• Incorporate and explore different markets, fairness and privacy rules using the framework
• Solve medium-voltage power quality issues with low-voltage resources

The PhD candidate is expected to go beyond the state of the art of flexibility operation, congestion mitigation and headroom calculation for near real-time intervals, developing methods and workflows that compare centralized and decentralized techniques under different levels of distribution network observability. The result should be a workable representation of the networks, that can effectively be used by other engineers for operational purposes. As such, we are looking for a candidate with interest, and preferably background, in mathematical optimization (linear/convex/mixed integer), electrical power system, stochastic modeling, statistical analysis and data science.

Profile

• You hold a Master's degree in electrical engineering, computer science, mathematical engineering, or similar, and the knowledge of (stochastic) mathematical optimization techniques is a plus.
• You can work independently, as well as in a team.
• You have good programming skills, preferably in Julia or Python.
• You are eager to disseminate your research results by scientific publications or communications at conferences.
• Prior research and publication experience is a plus.
• Willingness to live in Belgium. Primary workplace would be EnergyVille in Genk.
• You are able to communicate fluently in English, both orally and in writing. Knowledge of Dutch is a plus. Please consult the language requirements for Arenberg Doctoral School.
• You are willing to contribute to teaching activities for a limited number of hours.

Offer

• A well-funded PhD position for 4 years at one of the leading universities globally. 
• This PhD position is under the multi-disciplinary C2 FlexIQ project, funded by KU Leuven where other departments of the university are involved, offering exposure to a variety of expertise and knowledge: data governance, energy markets, etc.
• Multiple benefits (health insurance, access to university infrastructure and sports facilities, etc.).  
• An exciting work environment in a team with different skill sets working in projects for the industry and in public R&D projects with industry involvement.  
• The opportunity to be active in an international research environment in one of the top universities in Europe. 
• Opportunity to work in a research laboratory with state of the art (SOTA) infrastructure.
• Engage in research collaborations and participate at international conferences.

EnergyVille
Arenberg Doctoral School

Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. ir. Dirk Van Hertem, tel.: +32 16 32 34 62, mail: dirk.vanhertem@kuleuven.be or Mr. Md Umar Hashmi, tel.: +32 16 19 48 38, mail: mdumar.hashmi@kuleuven.be.

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.