18 students from Denmark and the United States met to collaborate on projects in an interdisciplinary format. The topics included smart energy systems, economic aspects and life cycle analysis, regulatory policies and current barriers for renewable energy integration together with technical challenges for the existing power system.
Three PhD students from Center for Electric Power and Energy – Andreas Aabrandt, Katarina Knezovic and Sergejus Martinenas – have just returned from US-Denmark Renewable Energy Summer Workshop held from 21st July to 16th August at University of California, Santa Cruz and Davis in collaboration with DTU and Aalborg University. The purpose of the program is to gain insight into both theoretical and practical issues through seminars, panel discussion, fieldtrips and problem-based learning.
18 students from Denmark and the United States, ranging from advanced undergraduate students to PhD students in a wide variety of disciplines, met to collaborate on projects in an interdisciplinary format. The students were divided into several groups to work on specific sustainable energy projects which were supplemented with lectures and presentations from faculty as well as external experts. These lectures covered a broad spectrum of subjects including smart energy systems, economic aspects and life cycle analysis, regulatory policies and current barriers for renewable energy integration together with technical challenges for the existing power system.
The most interesting part of the workshop were the fieldtrips among which we visited Santa Cruz Sustainable Wharf, UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center, UC Davis biodigester, Watsonville Water Recycle Center, Moss Landing Power Plant and Makani Power. Notably, the visit to California Independent System Operator (CalISO) provided us with a new understanding of practical details in operators’ everyday work, especially considering emerging electricity markets where renewable resources play a prominent role. In addition, the visit to Honda Smart Home illustrated the innovative implementation of zero-net energy housing.
This program provided us with an excellent opportunity to establish new and strengthen already existing connections for further research collaboration. Next year the workshop will be held in Denmark and hosted by AAU and DTU. We strongly recommend students to take part in it.