Call for expression of interest in leadership roles for the Supergen Energy Networks Hub Call announced: 4 th September 2017 Deadline for applications: Midday 29 th September 2017 Provisional decision announcement: 9 th October 2017 Deadline for EPSRC Supergen Energy Networks Hub proposal: 18 th January 2018 Summary Professor Phil Taylor and Dr Sara Walker invite expressions of interest in leadership roles in the Supergen Energy Networks Hub. Applications for these leadership roles will be reviewed by a panel of international experts. We hope to appoint 3-5 leaders, from any career stage, to join us. Successful applicants will be invited as Co-Investigators on a 5m, 4-year proposal to EPSRC for the next Supergen Energy Networks Hub, which has a submission deadline of 18 th January 2018. Background The next generation of the Supergen Energy Networks Hub considers a Whole Systems approach that will include physical hardware, communities and organisations, people, digital/ict, software and control systems, climate adaptation, and policy and markets. These wide areas are interlinked to fields including economics, society, physics, cyber security, cloud computing, transport, hydrogen, heat, meteorology and material science - amongst others - that coalesce across disciplines. The hub will have other key aims outside of the core research, which will include providing more opportunities to help early career researchers realise their potential, and promoting equality and diversity within the research community. How to apply RCUK eligibility We welcome applications from individuals who meet the RCUK eligibility criteria regardless of career stage, and the role can be undertaken with flexible working arrangements. The Hub is committed to promoting equality of opportunity and diversity in our team. How to submit You should submit via the online form at https://forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=257602. You will be required to answer four questions using the free text boxes provided. Personal information is stored separately to the free text sections, to enable anonymous evaluation by the panel. You should therefore ensure the free text sections do not include your name. If you have any queries regarding the process, please get in touch with Helen Temple (helen.temple@newcastle.ac.uk). You can also email Helen to request to be added to the Supergen Energy Network Hub mailing list.
Questions to address in the application: 1. Why do I want the role and what will I bring to it? (2200 characters) 2. How will I be a research leader to the community? What nationally or internationally leading research have I delivered? (2200 characters) 3. What research would I propose to undertake as part of the Supergen Energy Networks Hub? (4500 characters) 4. How do I meet the personal criteria for a Co-Investigator? (4500 characters) Personal criteria: Commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Commitment to research impact Commitment to be open, inclusive, and transparent Clear vision for own research within the context of the Supergen Energy Networks Hub vision (see Annex 1 for the vision) Key expertise areas: As a result of initial consultation with the energy sector, we have identified the following areas of interest for the Hub. We would welcome applications from individuals with expertise in one of these areas, although multi-disciplinary working across more than area is more valuable to the Hub. We hope to appoint 3 to 5 individuals to lead across (some of) the following areas: Whole energy systems network infrastructure technology Information and Communication Technology Cyber Security Statistics Data Analytics Intelligent Control Systems Policy Economics A brief description of these areas is included in Annex 2. Should your area of expertise not be included, but you feel it is within the scope of the Supergen Energy Networks Hub (Annex 3), please be encouraged to apply. The above list is not exhaustive.
ANNEX 1: Vision for Hub The energy sector worldwide is facing considerable pressure arising out of climate change, depletion of fossil fuels, and geo-political issues around the location of remaining fossil fuel reserves. These pressures have implications for our energy networks. Electricity systems are facing technical issues of bi-directional power flows, increasing long-distance power flows and a growing contribution from fluctuating generation sources. Gas systems in the UK have challenges of radically different business models in the face of the risk of becoming obsolete. Heat networks in the UK serve very little energy demand, although they have been successfully installed in other northern European countries. Other energy vectors such as Hydrogen show great promise but as yet have no significant share of the market. Existing research into the future capabilities needed for our energy networks tend to focus on the physical hardware and, to a lesser extent, software and the digital/ict elements which enable our energy networks to become smart. However, our understanding of energy networks is broad and incorporates many elements such as; People, Communities and Organisations, Digital/ICT, Physical hardware, Software and Control Systems, Policy and Markets. Much of the research in energy networks has so far concentrated on ideas of climate change mitigation however it is becoming increasingly clear that energy networks need to consider issues of climate change adaptation as well. The vision for the Hub is to help create a vibrant, well connected, diverse, open, communicative energy networks community that has a deeper understanding of whole systems approaches to energy networks. The Hub will strive to make this community open to new entrants, be representative in terms of equality and diversity, have well developed succession plans to ensure longevity, and involve both established and emerging areas of research excellence. The Hub will seek to strike the right balance between being inclusive but also focussed on the relevant questions, and be complementary and integrative with respect to other investments nationally and internationally in the energy networks space. We see the role of leading the Supergen Energy Networks Hub as one of connecting, convening, facilitating, steering and communicating in order to help all stakeholders reach their potential and exploit all their chosen opportunities.
Annex 2: Brief description of each area of potential activity within the Supergen Energy Networks Hub Whole energy systems network infrastructure technology This area will comprise existing and emerging technologies which enable the design, planning, and operation of whole and integrated energy systems. The technologies covered will be broad, incorporating smart grid and low carbon for electrical networks, alongside technology specific to gas networks and the repurposing of technology within gas and heat networks, for example a transition from an energy vector to a storage medium or source of flexibility. The area will cover transmission and distribution technology for both gas and electrical networks, as well as stratospheric and deep marine networks, and energy networks in developing countries. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Advances in sensor and control technology are enabling a step change in information gathering and processing functionality. This can be integrated into energy networks to assist in planning and operation, which has led to the development of Smart Energy Networks. This added functionality necessitates an ICT system in order to carry data between the different elements of the network. Energy networks are increasingly being studied as cyber-physical systems. This theme specifically investigates the cyber aspects of the technology, which comprises the underpinning technologies for flexible, extensible plug and play, data-driven networks, autonomous control and the use of robotics, and trans-global energy networks. Cyber Security Energy networks are a critical national infrastructure, and their reliability, security, and integrity are of paramount importance. This is particularly important in Smart Energy Networks, because the addition of communication and control functionalities raises security concerns among various network stakeholders such as consumers, utilities, and regulators. Whilst the impacts of physical threats to these networks are relatively well understood, cyber security is an area which requires substantially more investigation. Statistics Energy networks operate on a variety of timescales and have too many individual connections to model analytically. Statistics can be applied to infer the behaviour of groups of systems, generators, or consumers; to assess system reliability; and to analyse the ever increasing volumes of data produced by smarter networks and, particularly, smart metering. Data Analytics Smart networks and smart metering will represent a significant challenge in terms of data acquisition, management, and analysis. This theme will include Artificial Intelligence and machine learning data analysis techniques to uncover hidden energy usage patterns, providing the understanding to enable better prediction and management of demand, generation, and network assets. Intelligent Control Systems Future energy networks will include local, distributed, and centralised control systems which will aim to deliver more sustainable, affordable, and reliable networks. The control systems will include Artificial Intelligence, adaptive control, integrated operation of multiple energy vectors, and control on timescales from scheduling to real-time operation. Policy Technical changes can only realise their full potential if the policy environment allows them to be developed and deployed effectively. There are myriad policy issues in energy networks, including security of supply regulations, the classification of new asset types, regulations governing multi-vector energy systems, and balancing data privacy for customers with data access for network operators and other utilities. Economics To take advantage of emerging technologies, innovative new business models will be required. Customer involvement will require business models which offer sufficient incentives while ensuring ease of use for the
customer. Flexibility trading platforms will be required which can offer seamless integration with monitoring and control systems, and assess the value of flexibility within the network. Trading across borders and between energy vectors could also require new approaches, and the economics of an energy network in the UK will be very different to that of newly constructed infrastructure in developing countries. Annex 3: Supergen Energy Networks Hub remit (as provided in the EPSRC call document) The new Supergen Energy Networks hub will focus on all energy networks such as electricity or gas, and would be expected to address associated research challenges related to the following high level themes: Network reliability and security Integrated energy system planning and operation New Distribution and Transmission Technology Smart grids / Data driven networks / smart cities Improved technology pipeline Energy networks in developing countries Repurposing the gas network Autonomous control and use of robotics for asset and condition monitoring Flexible, extensible plug and play network operability Decarbonisation of energy networks Trans-global energy networks, including consideration of political effects Stratospheric and deep marine networks (including cost reduction in offshore networks) Security and integrity of energy networks as critical national infrastructure Horizon-scanning to identify and explore future energy production, distribution and consumption models Networks as infrastructure, including scope for combination