Internship / Master Thesis - Profitability and System Value of Flexible Assets in European Power Markets
At Institute of Climate and Energy Systems - Energy Systems Engineering (ICE-1), we develop advanced models and algorithms for the simulation and optimization of integrated multi-energy systems. As renewable generation, electrification, and sector coupling increase, energy systems are becoming more complex and volatile. To address these challenges, we are building a next-generation, high-performance simulation platform for large-scale energy grids, leveraging modern HPC architectures and advanced parallelization techniques. As part of our team, you will contribute to cutting-edge software solutions that enable robust and data-driven decision-making for the energy systems of the future.
Your Job
The increasing share of renewable energy sources and the transition of European electricity markets toward higher temporal resolution are fundamentally changing price dynamics and system operation. In this context, flexible assets such as battery energy storage systems (BESS), electric vehicle (EV) aggregators, and electrolyzers play a key role in providing system flexibility and capturing arbitrage opportunities. At the same time, there is a growing need for transparent and extensible open-source tools to analyze these effects.
Within this project, you will contribute to the development and application of PowerMarketSim, an open-source electricity market simulation framework, to assess the profitability and system value of flexible assets under evolving market conditions.
The work is structured into the following tasks:
* Contribute to the development and extension of the open-source market model PowerMarketSim, with a focus on integrating flexible asset representations
* Design and implement simulation scenarios and perform large-scale simulations
* Evaluate profitability and utilization of flexible assets in the day-ahead market
* Assess system-level impacts and derive insights for future market design
Your Profile
You are currently enrolled in a Master’s program in engineering, energy systems, industrial engineering, or a related field.
You are also characterized by:
* Strong interest in electricity markets, energy systems, and the energy transition
* Solid understanding of electricity market mechanisms
* Proven experience in energy system modeling and optimization methods
* Strong programming and data analysis skills in Python, or other programming languages
* Independent and structured way of working
* Very good command of English
Our Benefits for You
We work on the very latest issues that impact our society and are offering you the chance to actively help in shaping the change! We support you in your work with:
* Meaningful Tasks: Your thesis deals with a future-oriented, socially relevant topic with direct practical relevance in an international environment
* Practical relevance: With us, you will gain valuable practical experience alongside your studies and actively participate in interdisciplinary projects
* Scientific environment: You can expect excellent scientific equipment, modern technologies, and qualified support from experienced colleagues
* Personal responsibility: You organize your tasks independently—from preparation to implementation
* Onboarding & teamwork: You can look forward to working in a dedicated, international, and collegial team. It is important to us that you quickly settle into the team and are given structured training for your tasks. We also support you from the very beginning and make your start easier with our Welcome Days and Welcome Guide
* Work-life balance: We offer flexible working hours to help you balance your professional and personal life. You also have the option of flexible working (in terms of location), which is generally possible after consultation and in line with upcoming tasks and (on-site) appointments
* Flexibility: Flexible working hours make it easier for you to balance work and study
* Perspective: If you have the appropriate qualifications and funding is available, the institute offers the opportunity to do your PhD after completing your master's thesis
* Fair remuneration: We will pay you a reasonable remuneration for your thesis
In addition to exciting tasks and a collegial working environment, we offer you much more:
https://go.fzj.de/benefits
We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, e.g. in terms of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation / identity, and social, ethnic and religious origin. A diverse and inclusive working environment with equal opportunities in which everyone can realize their potential is important to us.
The following links provide further information on diversity and equal opportunities:
https://go.fzj.de/equality
and on specific support options: https://go.fzj.de/womens-job-journey
Place of Employment: Jülich
Start Date: To the next possible date
Salary: We will pay you a appropriate remuneration for your thesis
Application Deadline: The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled
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