The Departments of Solar Power Systems and Energy System Analysis at the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) have a vacant PhD research fellowship focused on modelling how increasing photovoltaic (PV) generation affects Norwegian power grids. The position is part of the KSP project Solvar and the Norwegian PV Research Centre (FME SOLAR) and combines regional PV production modelling with power system analysis to support safe and cost-effective integration of solar power.
The Departments of Solar Power Systems and Energy System Analysis at IFE conduct research on PV systems analysis (including performance and forecasting of PV plants), and energy system modelling (including techno-economic modelling and power flow analysis). The candidate will be supervised by a team of researchers from IFE and the University of Oslo with strong competence in the generation and distribution of electricity. The PhD will be affiliated with the Department of Technology Systems at the University of Oslo.
The PhD candidate will work on robust power grids and regional PV production profiles. The research will develop realistic regional PV models adapted to Norwegian conditions and integrate them into power system models of selected real use cases in the distribution grid. Particular attention will be given to spatial smoothing, simultaneity and ramping of distributed PV, reliable grid integration of PV, as well as the interaction between PV, wind power and run-of-river hydropower. The results will help grid operators assess hosting capacity, operational risks and suitable measures for integrating more PV. The work will combine physical grid and PV modelling, data analysis and selected data-driven methods. Regional PV profiles may be investigated for spatial scales ranging from individual transformers and feeders to larger regions. Validation will use measured and historical PV data, irradiance data, building information and grid data made available through the project and open data sources.
In addition to being integrated into internationally leading research groups at IFE, the candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with other world-class research communities, e.g., through the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme Task 16 & 19, and through contributions to the Pan-European Climate Database.
We are looking for a candidate with an education in electrical engineering, physics, energy technology or similar. The candidate should have strong competence in energy systems, have experience with PV or power systems modelling from before and be highly proficient in spoken and written English. It is also an advantage if the candidate has experience of working with Norwegian PV or grids and is proficient in a Scandinavian language.
We seek a candidate with a positive attitude and good communication skills, who can work independently, but also participate actively in the research group. The position will be in a expanding research field with many actors, requiring an ambitious candidate with strong collaborative qualities. The candidate will work in an active and growing research field at IFE, in a young and social work environment. The start date is flexible and can be agreed upon with the successful candidate, with the possibility of starting as late as August 2027.
IFE is subject to the Security Act, which includes requirements for the organisation’s management of critical national information, as well as other relevant legislation concerning the management of sensitive information. On this basis, it is a prerequisite for employment that the applicant is suitable from a security perspective. Note that relevant applicants will be asked questions that are necessary to ascertain this. This includes questions about any ties to countries that the PST has classified as a ‘high-risk country’ in its open threat assessment. Background checks are performed as part of our recruitment process.
We view diversity as a strength in our work. We therefore encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion and ethnic background. We place great emphasis on your personal suitability for the position.