This project focuses on energy-efficient and cost-effective utilization of renewable energy as well as industrial waste-heat for district heating through the use of large-scale, seasonal thermal storage solutions. The objective of the PhD project is to use and expand building energy simulation methods and software for robust optimization under uncertainty in view of design and operational support.

A-state-of-the-art district heating system fed by industrial waste-heat and solar thermal energy and coupled to a large underground storage, situated in Chifeng city in Inner Mongolia, will be the project pilot demonstration. The project will be carried out in collaboration with Tsinghua University and Dutch and Chinese industry partners.

The research will be embedded in the Computational Building Performance Simulation (CBPS) group of the unit Building Physics & Services (BPS) in the Department of the Built Environment. Research and teaching in BPS aim to realize and maintain a sustainable, healthy, comfortable and productive indoor environment. The focus lies on physical aspects and processes including heat and mass transfer in the indoor and outdoor built environment, indoor air quality, lighting, acoustics, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning.