Next Generation Energy Systems
The NexSys Programme
The NexSys programme is broken down into themes and five research hub strands comprised of different work packages and projects →
Strands & Work Packages
NexSys: The five Hub Strands
1. Energy Systems: determining how energy systems should evolve to decarbonise.
2. Water: enabling water utilities to adapt to climate and energy targets.
3. Transport: transitioning to decarbonised multi-modal transport and renewable energy use in a fair way.
4. Cities & Communities: enabling communities to become inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
5. Offshore Wind: reducing lifetime cost and risk of offshore wind technologies.
Interested in joining the NexSys team?
Energy Systems
The purpose of this strand is to determine how energy systems should evolve to have more renewable electricity towards 2030 and subsequently get to the net zero carbon goal by 2050.
Strand Leaders:
Dr Muireann Lynch (ESRI), Assoc. Prof Terence O’Donnell (UCD)
Academics from across NexSys are leading work packages and projects below
Work Packages |
Explanation |
| ES1 Roadmap – Modelling & Data Coordination | Align solutions from all NexSys projects into a roadmap |
| ES2 Power System Operation, Adequacy, Balancing & Markets | Provide solutions and metrics for load balancing on the power system |
| ES3 Dynamics of Grid Edge and Low-inertia Power Systems | Exploring the impact of increased renewable generation on the dynamics of the power system |
| ES4 The Future Energy Economy | Integrate a detailed representation of the energy and electricity systems into an Irish macroeconomic model |
| ES5 Distribution Networks & Devices | Integrate distributed resources into the electrical distribution network |
| ES6 Gas Networks & Hydrogen (Utilisation, Storage and Transport) | Investigate the feasibility of hydrogen as an energy source to deliver net zero |
| ES7 Finance, Just Transition & Social Justice | An empirical assessment of how the Just Transition impacts disadvantaged groups and how it can be financed. |
| ES8 Future Renewable Energy Sources and Stochastic Scheduling | Develop a model to quantify and map renewable generation potential from onshore wind, offshore wind and solar generation out to 2050. |
Cities and Communities
The purpose of this strand is to enable local and national authorities, communities and businesses to make their cities inclusive, resilient and sustainable so as to become carbon-neutral cities.
Strand Leader:
Prof Francesco Pilla (UCD)
Academics from across NexSys are leading work packages and projects below
Work Packages |
Explanation |
| CC1 Sustainable Urban Energy Solutions | Deliver innovative solutions across different scales of the urban energy landscape including at scales of the neighbourhood, collectives of large municipal buildings, new and retrofit housing and data centres |
| CC2 Earth Observation Big Data | Deliver algorithm and tool to identify energy that can be reused from different consumer groups |
| CC3 Energy Flexibility Harnessing at Community, District and City Scale | Analyse energy flexibility models to lead communities to net zero |
| CC4 Energy Justice: addressing transport & residential energy deprivation | Poverty-proofing next-generation energy systems by identifying at-risk groups and developing case studies to address energy deprivation |
Transport
The purpose of this strand is to i) investigate the critical infrastructure, behavioural and policy challenges of transitioning to decarbonised multi-modal transport and renewable energy use in a fair way, and ii) identify tangible evidence-based solutions via engagement and collaboration of key stakeholders tasked with implementing them.
Strand Leader:
Dr Páraic Carroll (UCD)
Academics from across NexSys are leading work packages and projects below
Work Packages |
Explanation |
| TR1 Modelling the Transportation network with increased electric vehicle penetration Scenarios | Predict future electric vehicle usage patterns to determine energy grid and charging needs |
| TR2 Travel behaviour shift for short & first and last mile trips | Test incentives and develop a model to encourage alternatives to cars (active & micro mobility) for short journeys |
| TR3 Transition to commercial vehicle electrification policy | Develop a database of commercial traffic across Ireland and survey SMEs on attitudes to electric vehicles |
| TR4 Decarbonising freight traffic sector | Review international and European best practices and benchmark the Irish freight fleet against other countries, assess barriers and incentives to improve the energy efficiency of Irish freight |
| TR5 Greening the Shared On-demand Mobility Fleet | Define business models for shared electric vehicles and design a charging network |
Water
The purpose of this strand is to enable water utilities adapt to climate and energy targets in the following ways:
- provide key services in terms of enabling a more efficient energy sector.
- be more resilient in the context of climate-driven hazards and events.
- uptake new technology to enable efficient energy use in the water sector.
- provide for more efficient water management at building and industry scale
- understand the social and political contexts that are needed to underpin these changes
Strand Leaders:
Dr Eoghan Clifford (NUI Galway), Prof Eoin Casey (UCD)
Academics from across NexSys are leading work packages and projects below
Work Packages |
Explanation |
| WA1 Wastewater Infrastructure: Climate change, risk analysis and demand response | Develop models which support adapting wastewater infrastructure to future climate risks and demographic contexts |
| WA2 Exploring the Interactions of Quadruple Elements of Sustainability: Water, Resources, Energy and Politics | Improve current understanding on how politics and society can frame improved water management. Develop technology and models that can support improved water management and infrastructural operation |
Offshore Wind
The purpose of this strand is to reduce the lifetime cost and risk of offshore wind technologies and operations for reliable, long-life, cheaper, hazard-aware and resilient electricity.
Strand Leader:
Assoc. Prof. Vikram Pakrashi (UCD)
Academics from across NexSys are leading work packages and projects below
Work Packages |
Explanation |
| OW1 Reliable Forecasts; Downtime Detection & Classification for Offshore Wind | Forecast short-term wind power more accurately |
| OW2 Nonlinear and Dynamic Challenges in Offshore Wind | Develop models to estimate the lifetime of offshore wind turbines |
| OW3 Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and System Identification (SI) of Floating Wind Turbines with extensions to Tidal turbines | Develop data-driven systems to measure and monitor wind turbine performance |
| OW4 Multi-Objective Control for Offshore Wind Turbines | Create a model for control systems for floating wind turbines |
| OW5 Development of Interconnected Offshore Grids | Develop a model to integrate offshore wind into the national grid and analyse the public acceptance of offshore wind farms |