Master thesis: Evaluation of future system integration concepts for LTES

AEE INTEC

AEE – Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE INTEC) is a non-university research institute founded in 1988. AEE INTEC currently employs around 90 scientists from fifteen nations and continuously awards master’s theses and internships. AEE INTEC works in the fields of “Buildings”, “Cities and Networks”, “Technology Development” and “Industrial Systems” on fundamental and application-oriented research in national and international R&D projects in cooperation with universities, colleges, other research institutions and industry.

Research Project

Energy storage systems create a balance between energy supply and demand and are of essential importance for future energy systems with high shares of volatile renewable energies. The focus is not only on electricity storage, but also on heat storage, which enables not only short-term but also long-term (seasonal) heat storages. In particular, large-scale thermal energy storages (LTES) with volumes of up to 1.000.000 m³ could play a central role in increasing the share of renewable energy in local and district heating networks and in industry.

The TREASURE project (https://www.treasure-project.eu/) is developing Pit Thermal Energy Storages (PTES), which are crucial for utilising renewable energy to heat residential areas and industry.

Seven demonstration projects are being implemented in five countries to determine the optimal techniques. Collaboration with various partners will make it possible to improve the components and develop more efficient construction methods. The aim is to close the gap between research and implementation in order to ensure robust, reliable, cost-efficient and sustainable thermal energy storage on a large scale. In addition, safe and intelligent energy system integration concepts will be developed and the effectiveness of implementation in Europe will be increased.

Outline of the Master Theses

The thesis should provide insights into the feasibility of future energy concepts, identifying the conditions under which specific PTES integration strategies are most effective. And thus, contribute to the know-how gain on the optimal design and operation of future PTES integration concepts.

The initial phase consists of a literature review, through which the student will gain a comprehensive understanding of the state of the art in large-scale thermal energy storage technologies and integration concepts. During this phase, the scope of the thesis should be concretized by selecting specific use cases, roughly defining potentially interesting energy concepts, a methodology (e.g., evaluation methods, etc) etc. to ultimately have a clear work plan (incl. a timeline). The outlined workplan should align the student’s academic background and interests with the goals of the TREASURE project and the requirements of the student’s home university. The main phase of the thesis involves the definition, analysis, and evaluation of energy concepts. This work is intended to follow an iterative approach—beginning with preliminary evaluations and progressively advancing to more detailed analyses of selected concepts, for example through modelling in Modelica. The results will be systematically evaluated and critically discussed. The final, consolidated findings will be presented in the thesis.

We expect…

  • Interest in sustainable energy technologies
  • Solution-focused, independent, motivated and responsible working practices
  • Current/finished studies in the field of natural or engineering sciences or similar.


We offer…

  • Paid Master’s thesis, embedded in a current research project
  • Intensive support from experienced employees in the field of thermal energy technologies and modelling and simulation with Modelica
  • Planned duration: 6 months, Start: from now on, Place of realization: Gleisdorf, Austria


Contact for content-related questions and application to:

DI Carles Ribas Tugores (c.ribastugores@aee.at)