𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 (SERG) is dedicated to develop energy models for sustainable energy transitions. The team includes over 10 postgraduate researchers focusing on:
- Renewable energy integration
- Power-to-X systems (including multi-energy and green hydrogen)
- Energy transitions modelling
- System resilience
- Solar engineering
- Energy storage
- Carbon-negative systems
Explore our research initiatives and get to know our team members. Looking to do a PhD or a research project with us? Get in touch and let's shape the future of sustainable energy together!
Our team
Leads: Rebecca Peer and Jannik Haas
Associate academics:
- Grant Read, Power Economics, Adjunct Professor, Electrical Engineering, UC
- David Dempsey, Carbon Systems, Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, UC
- Allan Scott, Green Cement, Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, UC
Researchers:
- Francisco Astorga (PhD researcher): social and environmental impacts of energy futures
- Sameen Bushra (PhD researcher): co-optimization of water-energy infrastructures
- Rafaella Canessa (PhD researcher): energy transitions for New Zealand including green hydrogen applications
- Akash Handique (PhD researcher): energy transitions for the Pacific Islands
- Stella Steidl (PhD researcher): urban energy hubs with green hydrogen
- Karan Titus (PhD researcher): carbon-negative geothermal energy
- Hadi Vatankhah (PhD researcher): sustainable energy hubs
- Madison Zegeer (PhD researcher): robust decision-making for energy futures
- TBA (PhD researcher): long-term storage with hydrogen
- TBA (PhD researcher): resilience of future energy systems
- TBA (PhD researcher): optimization of CO2 capture and storage systems
- Francisco Flores (international PhD researcher from Uni. Catolica Valparaiso): energy transitions for South America including international trade
- Patrick Martin (international PhD researcher from Uni. Stuttgart): smart water-energy systems
- Matias Paredes (international PhD researcher from Uni. Chile): deep uncertainty decision-making for energy transitions
Collaborating academics:
- Mehdi Ekbatani, Transportation Systems, Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, UC
- Markus Pahlow, Water Systems, Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, UC
- Fabian Dunker, Inverse Problems, Mathematics and Statistics, UC
- Alaa Alhamwi, Energy Systems Analysis, German Aerospace Centre, Germany
- Christian Breyer, Solar Economy, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT, Finland
- Felipe Feijoo, Electrical Power Systems, Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, Chile
- Hans Christian Gils, Energy Systems Analysis, German Aerospace Centre, Germany
- Pierluigi Mancarella, Chair Of Electrical Power Systems, University of Melbourne, Australia
- Wided Medjroubi, Energy Systems Analysis, German Aerospace Centre, Germany
- Rodrigo Moreno, Institute of Complex Engineering Systems, University of Chile, Chile
- Wolfgang Nowak, Stochastic Simulation and Safety Research for Hydrosystems, University of Stuttgart, Germany
- Rodrigo Palma, Energy Center, University of Chile, Chile
- Rachel Wagner, Saint Francis University, U.S.
- Manuel Wetzel, Energy Systems Analysis, German Aerospace Centre, Germany
Visiting researchers (sorted by date):
- Sven Teske (incoming visiting professor from the University of Technology Sydney, Australia): future energy vectors.
- Pierluigi Mancarella (incoming visiting professor from the University of Melbourne, 2025): future power systems.
- Rodrigo Palma (incoming visiting professor from the University of Chile, 2025): solar energy systems.
- Alice Bennett (incoming visiting researcher from Cambridge, 2025): hydrogen technologies modelling.
- Andre Cabrera (incoming visiting professor from Cambridge, 2025): energy systems.
- Alicia Pilsl, Michael Kasenbacher, Simon Stuber (visiting interns from the University of Regensburg, Germany, 2024): energy futures.
- Juan Carlos Osorio-Aravena (visiting senior researcher from the Solar Energy Research Center, Chile, 2024): future energy sector demands for New Zealand.
- Leon Schumm (visiting researcher from the University of Regensburg, Germany, 2024): PyPSA for New Zealand
- Ali Torkayesh (visiting researcher from the RWTH Aachen University, Germany, 2024): social preferences on future energy systems
- Manuel Wetzel (visiting researcher from the German Aerospace Centre, Germany, 2024): hydrogen infrastructure planning for NZ and Germany
- Patrick Martin (visiting researcher from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, 2024): smart water-energy systems
- Neven Duić (visiting professor from the University of Zagreb): how to build 100% RES energy systems
- Melissa Ale (visiting researcher from the University of Chile, Chile, 2023): resilient planning for NZ's energy system
- Ashish Gulagi (visiting senior researcher from the Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT, Finland, 2023): multi-sector planning for NZ
- Will McNeil (visiting researcher from University of California Berkeley, U.S., 2023): sustainable heavy-truck transport
- Rachel Wagner (visiting professor from Saint Francis University, U.S., 2023): co-impacts of energy transitions
- Christina Benighaus (visiting senior researcher from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, 2023): social risk communications of energy transitions
- Carlos Alvear (visiting researcher from the University of Chile, Chile, 2022): strategic hydrogen reserves for NZ and Chile
Our projects
- 2025-2029 Derisking Carbon Dioxide Removal at Megatonne Scale in Aotearoa. Dempsey D, Peer R, Haas J et al. NZ MBIE Endeavour.
- 2024-2027 Comprehensive zero-carbon strategy for South America: Advancing energy equity and green hydrogen. Haas J, Peer R. UC’s SDG projects.
- 2023-2026 Adaptive decision-making tool for multi-source water and energy infrastructure optimisation. Pahlow M, Haas J. UC’s SDG projects.
- 2022-2025 New Zealand-German platform for green hydrogen integration (HINT). Haas J, Peer R et al. German BMBF and NZ MBIE.
- 2022-2025 Methods for the coordinated optimization of water supply systems with evolving energy systems under deep climatic uncertainty. Nowak W, Haas J [international collaboration with the University of Stuttgart]. German DFG.
- 2022-2027 Pūhiko Nukutū: a green hydrogen geostorage battery in Taranaki. Nicol A, Dempsey D, Adams M et al. (with Peer R). MBIE Endeavour.
- 2022-2025 Enhancing risk assessment by understanding cascading failures. Logan T, Peer R, Zorn C. Te Hiranga Rū QuakeCoRE.
- 2022-2025 Pathways to net-zero carbon buildings and communities. Bellamy L, Peer R, McNabb S. BRANZ.