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Energy Space Time

The Energy Space Time group carries out research into the design and application of sustainable energy systems, whole system integration in space and time.

Our activities range from theoretical investigations to implementation research, and the development of in-house models. Some of these models are commercialised and licenced to users, including National Grid and Western Power Distribution.

Our research activities and capabilities include:

  • energy space and time modelling of city, national and international scale energy systems
  • whole systems integration: electricity, thermal, fuel systems, energy storage
  • reliability and security of coupling gas and electricity networks
  • data and modelling: programmes for collation and processing of diverse datasets for input to models and for validation. The use of GIS for modelling, data management and display
  • bespoke software for optimisation, simulation
People

Faculty 

Dr Mark Barrett
See Mark's profile
Send Mark an email

Dr Catalina Spataru
See Catalina's profile
Send Catalina an email

Researchers 

  • Omotela Ayisat Adeoye
  • Priscila Lapa Villas Boas Da Carvalho
  • Joel Guiilbaud
  • Theodore Semertzidis
  • Ed Sharp
  • Dina Subkhanlukova
  • Trevor Sweetnam
  • Peter Warren
  • Yunyang Wu
  • Eleni Zafeiratou

Collaborators within UCL – research and teaching:

  • Prof Raimund Bleischwitz
  • Dr Olivier Dessen
  • Dr Paul Dodds
  • Paul Drummond
  • Dr Ian Hamilton
  • Dr Francis Li
  • Prof Robert Lowe
  • Prof Tadj Oreszczyn
  • Dr Marianne Zeringer 
Projects

SiCEDS (Future Cities Stakeholder Interactive City Energy Demand Simulator)

This project investigates the economic, energy and environmental impact of moving to a more local architecture of energy supply with city/community boundaries. It helps city authorities to build value by optimizing their energy infrastructure.

Funded by Innovate/TSB.

Energy Storage and Demand Side Response

This project is part of DECC Science and Innovation.

ESPRC RESTLESS (Realising Energy Storage Technologies in Low-Carbon Energy Systems)

A UK consortium that aims to assess the integration of technological, economic and social insights into holistic, self-consistent scenarios for energy storage that are informed by soft-linked energy system models.

National Grid EDAM2: Electricity System Modelling at DNO/Grid Supply Level in collaboration with EST and National Grid

The UCL team developed a dynamic model for National Grid called DEAM. It explores scenarios and constructs databases of two Grid Supply Points each with some 100,000 consumers for model input and comparison with half-hourly GSP transformer loads.

CEDS (City Energy Demand Simulation)

This project engages with stakeholders and creates scenario plans for energy projects so that approved schemes best meet each city’s unique visions and objectives.

Funded by Innovative/TSB.

Energy Solutions for Ukraine and partnership solutions with EU and Russia

An international collaboration to design and create a roadmap of solutions for reliability and energy security within Europe, with the main focus on the route Russia-Ukraine-EU.

Energy Modelling and Data Analysis at Distribution Network Operators

This project aimed to inform network distributor operators on the type of investments they should make and at what point in the grid by modelling electricity load profiles and assessing a number of scenarios.

PEB D3 (People, Energy and Buildings: Distribution, Diversity and Dynamics)

A large UK and France research initiative to develop and integrate different systems components to analyse the impact of people, energy and buildings within the whole energy system approach.

B-PAS (Blackouts prevention through multi-disciplinary techniques)

A multi-disciplinary consortium to review research methods from medicine, biology, economics and power engineering.

ENP2050 (Common Road to 2050: Energy Networks and Policy design)

This project analyses the main barriers to plan and implement a long-term strategy for use of different resources to achieve environmental commitments, as well as energy security.

Impact

The Energy Space Time team engages with industry, consultancy companies and policy groups on a number of energy-related topics.

Examples include contribution to worldwide reports:

Other engagements include:

  • Journal peer reviewer
  • Numerous presentations to academic conferences, research institutes, academic consortia, government departments and industry groups
  • Public engagement
Outputs

For a comprehensive list of publications please use UCL Discovery

Spataru, C., Barrett, M. A scalable dynamic energy model for demand and supply, IEEE UKSIM-AMSS 17th International Conference on Modelling and Simulation, Cambridge UK March 2015.

Kreuder, L., & Spataru, C. (2015). Assessing demand response with heat pumps for efficient grid operation in smart grids. Sustainable Cities and Society, 19, 136-143. doi:10.1016/j.scs.2015.07.011

Barrett, M., Spataru, C., Dynemo: A dynamic energy model for the exploration of energy, society and environment, EEE UKSIM-AMSS 17th International Conference on Modelling and Simulation, Cambridge UK March 2015.

Sharp, E., Dodds, P., Barrett, M., & Spataru, C. (2015). Evaluating the accuracy of CFSR reanalysis hourly wind speed forecasts for the UK, using in situ measurements and geographical information. Renewable Energy, 77, 527-538. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2014.12.025 

Spataru, C., Drummond, P., Zafeiratou, E., & Barrett, M. (2015). Long-term scenarios for reaching climate targets and energy security in UK. Sustainable Cities and Society, 17, 95-109. doi:10.1016/j.scs.2015.03.010

Senger, M., Spataru, C. Water-Energy-Land Nexus – Modelling long-term scenarios for Brazil. 9th IEEE European Modelling Symposium on Mathematical and Computer Simulation, Madrid, Spain, October, 2015 

Spataru, C., Koch, A., & Bouffaron, P. (2015). Multi-Scale, Multi- Dimensional Modelling of Future Energy Systems. In A. Vesco, F. Ferrero (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Social, Economic, and Environmental Sustainability in the Development of Smart Cities. USA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-8282-5.ch007 

Ouriachi, A., Spataru, C., Integrating regional electricity markets towards a single European market IEEE 12th International Conference on European Energy Markets, 2015, doi: 10.1109/EEM.2015.7216603, IEEEXplore http://uksim.info/ems2015/data/0206a266.pdf 

Barrett, M., & Spataru, C. (2013). Optimizing Building Energy Systems and Controls for Energy and Environment Policy. In Anne Håkansson, Mattias Höjer, Robert J. Howlett, and Lakhmi C. Jain (Eds.) (Ed.), Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies, Sustainability in Energy and Buildings (pp. 413-425). Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.  

Sweetnam, T., Spataru, C., Cliffen, B., Zikos, S., & Barrett, M. (2013). PV system performance and the potential impact of the green deal policy on market growth in London, UK. Energy Procedia, 42, 347-356. doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2013.11.035

Barrett, M., & Spataru, C. (2013). Storage in energy systems. Energy Procedia, 42, 670-679. doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2013.11.069

Lenaghan, D., Dolan, B., Franklin, P., Beevor, J., Danner, G., Barrett, M., & Spataru, C. (2015). Investigating the potential impact of new energy technologies on the shape and scale of electricity demand in the UK Project Closure Document.

Latest

17 July 2015

New UCL-Energy research group, EnergySpaceTime, experiences great success

12 November 2015

UCL-Energy researchers work with Energy Savings Trust to develop model for National Grid