PhD Studentship: Storage Control for Grid Support

City, University of London

Storage Control for Grid Support

Qualification Type: PhD

Location: London

Funding for: UK and Overseas Students

Funding amount:

Half coverage of tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of £21,000/year

Hours: Full Time

Closes: 07th  July 2023

Applications are invited for a PhD studentship in the Department of Engineering. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work on control algorithms for storage resources.

Thesis Summary

We are now moving to an envisioned future power system which is dominated by environment-friendly distributed resources that are highly intermittent and variable. The proliferation of renewable-based generation requires the use of storage devices to maintain adequate reliability levels. However, energy storage is only useful if combined with intelligent algorithms that determine when and how much to charge or discharge the finite-capacity battery. As part of this studentship, the use of storage along with renewable generation to operate a highly renewable power system will be investigated.  More specifically, the promising Carnot Battery technology will be studied where excess renewable energy is used to increase the temperature of low-grade heat which is stored for later release and conversion to electrical power when required.

Eligibility and requirements 

The candidate should have an upper second-class BSc/BEng/MEng (or equivalent, or higher) degree in Electrical, Mechanical or Energy Engineering, or Applied Mathematics. They should demonstrate aptitude for original research.

Scholarship: The studentship is for 3 years and will provide an annual tax-free stipend of £21,000 and 50% of tuition fees (Home and Overseas). Also, £4000/year is allocated for travel, publications and conference expenses across the 3 years.

An extra £1,500/year salary supplement will be offered to all successful candidates from underrepresented communities. In particular, the stipend supplement will be reserved for female, LGBTQ+ and disabled applicants.

Additional income: Each student may also have the opportunity to earn around £2,200/year on an average (max. is around £4,300/year) through a teaching assistantship.

The candidate should possess a good understanding of optimisation, mathematical modelling, and programming languages (e.g., MATLAB, Python). A candidate who demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one or more of these areas (as evidenced, for instance, through strong academic credentials or research papers in reputable, peer-reviewed journals/conferences) may be accorded preference. Ideally, the successful candidate should have proven skills in power systems, frequency control, simulation of thermal systems, techno-economic analysis, and interest in interdisciplinary research.

A doctoral candidate is expected to meet the following pre-requisites for their PhD: 

  • Demonstrate a sound knowledge of their research area
  • Achieve and demonstrate significant depth in at least a few chosen sub-areas relevant to their primary research area
  • Demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research, including a critical assessment of their own and others’ research

A bonus would be to have published high-quality papers in reputable peer-reviewed conferences and journals will be an advantage for the candidate.

If you are interested in applying, Dimitra Apostolopoulou ([email protected] ) and Tala El Samad ([email protected] ) will be happy to address any initial informal enquiries.

How to apply

Online applications should be submitted via the City, University of London scholarships webpage by clicking the ‘Apply’ link above.

For queries regarding the application process, please contact [email protected]

We welcome applications regardless of age, caring responsibilities, disability, gender identity, gender reassignment, marital status, nationality, pregnancy, race and ethnic origin, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation and socio-economic background.

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