PhD Defence: Edmund Schaefer

On 15 October 2025, our colleague Edmund Schaefer successfully defended his PhD thesis titled "Energy Storage in Flexible Microgrids".

Supervised by Johann Hurink and Gerwin Hoogsteen, his thesis investigates how various flexibility assets—such as energy storage systems, electric vehicles, and heat pumps—can mitigate grid congestion, introducing a novel analytical tool, ESSKit, for sizing storage systems under operational and grid constraints. Several case studies, including an off-grid military base, an EV charging hub at a parcel distribution centre, and the Aardehuizen energy community in Olst, illustrate how smart control of flexible devices influences storage requirements and grid dependence.

Congrats, Dr. Edmund, and all the best for what's next!