Course 5 2021 - Let's save! Simulations for the energy transition
Even in times of Corona, we all know that energy supply for a growing population is one of the biggest future challenges. Our task in this course is to find out how we can use what we learned in coures on numerical mathematics, scientific computing, simulation or optimization to approach this question. However, we are going to use the particular potential of Ferienakademie (plenty of hike & discuss options; lots of energizing food, coffee and wine; small mixed groups) to go beyond purely mathematical or technical aspects and also include the definition of suitable target functions of the underlying optimization. Sure, we all want to save energy, but what does 'save' mean and what is the 'price' that we have to take into account?
More specifically, we are going to consider a small example were we have to make decisions on the heating / cooling infrastructure with particular focus on geothermal energy for a couple of new building (let's say near Munich). One of the buildings could be a supercomputing center, the others student apartments. We provide a subsurface groundwater simulation tool for the target area taht we can use to asses the 'interaction' between our planned geothermal energy systems via groundwater heating and cooling. Your task is to work together in small groups to enhance this tool by a suitable optimization program and come up with an optimized infrastructure planning. We are curious to find out, how many different ideas about target functions, constraints, use of environmental, demographic, and cost data, and about suitable optimization methods we are going to have in the end. And how similar or different the solutions will be and why.
The format of this course will be a mix of short presentations, group discussions, project work in small teams (and hiking in groups of at least three;))
Find out more about a 'real' related project here.