Academic Content & Certificates

The academic content of this Summer School is taught by two visiting professors of TH Bingen, the E.ON Energy Research Center and the Institute of Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Building of RWTH Aachen University, as well as the Institute of Energy and Climate Research of Forschungszentrum Jülich. This threefold approach to teaching is unique among all of our Summer Schools.

This Summer School introduces the mathematical and physical basics of building energy performance modeling and simulation, implementation of models using computer-based numerical methods, computer algebra systems and object-oriented modeling language Modelica. The following topics will be covered:

Energy Basics & Methods for Energy Supply for Buildings
After a short review of energy basics, the lecture will present different methods of heat production in buildings as heat pumps, solar thermal energy, photovoltaic and fuelless energy sources. It describes how energy is used and can be used in buildings.

The Campus Cube
The Campus Cube is a hypothetical university building that (as an example) will be used to calculate the peak heating demand and the annual heating demand. After calculating the demands, it will be the students’ assignment to develop ideas and equip the Campus Cube with an energy efficient technology.

Energy Management and Trading
After a general introduction into energy management, trading and plant operation, the focus will be laid on the electricity trading and a plant operation simulator. In small teams the students are going to learn how to operate a single power plant and a power plant portfolio using an online simulator. Trading will take place on a single market but also in a cross-border environment.

Demand Side Management
This course will give an introduction to buildings and building energy systems and their impact on the overall energy system as well as monitoring systems, control methods, energy efficiency and maintenance.

Building Performance Simulation
This course introduces the mathematical and physical basics of building energy performance modeling and simulation, implementation of models using computer-based numerical methods, computer algebra systems and the object-oriented modeling language Modelica. For this purpose, a detailed introduction into relevant individual aspects will be given.

Power to X
The terminology “Power-to-X” is thus introduced to generalize the transformation of renewable energy, where X may stand for various transformation products such as chemical energy (power-to-gas, power-to-liquids, power-to-chemicals), obviously with the formation of syngas as intermediate product. This concept promises a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and simultaneously ensuring a safe energy supply using renewable power generation.

High Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
This course will give an insight into the Solid Oxide Fuel Cells technology along with deep materials and electrochemical aspects. Fuel cells have attracted great attention during the past several decades as an alternative way for clean power generation with very high efficiency, almost negligible emission, minimal noise and excellent modularity.