January nanoTalks: Energy

Talk 1: Real-time decision-making in power systems

Presented by Marc Hohmann, Engineer at Swissgrid

New faster power plants, renewable energy and increasing international exchange bring new challenges for transmission system operators. To alleviate congestions and guarantee the security of the transmission network, grid interventions become necessary more often. Finding a good intervention such as a change in power generation or in grid topology in real-time is not an easy task. In this talk, the complexity of current and future real-time decision problems encountered in power systems and beyond are discussed.

Talk 2: Nuclear Energy – stone age technology or high tech?

Presented by Lukas Robers, PhD Candidate at the Laboratory of Nuclear Energy Systems, ETH Zurich

To supply the world with energy for thousands of years, producing practically no waste and with almost no risk of accidents? This is precisely the promise of the latest generation of nuclear power plants. But then why aren't these power plants being built everywhere? What are the open problems and unresolved questions? With the help of a brief history of nuclear energy, we will look into this issue and think about what the future could bring.