Support for academic research essential to achieve carbon neutrality

The REN Award, one of the oldest scientific prizes in Portugal, was presented yesterday to Leonardo Fernandes, student at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), for his master’s thesis, “Simulation of flow conditions for natural gas and hydrogen blends for different points of the distribution natural gas network”.

At the 28th REN Award ceremony, held in the Ballroom of the Ritz Hotel in Lisbon, Maria João Pereira, the Secretary of State for Energy, emphasized the importance of such initiatives to drive the energy transition forward.

“Having started as an award geared towards students of electricity systems and networks, it now encompasses the energy system as a whole, in its various facets, with candidates from diverse fields. This is extremely relevant, considering that, to overcome the challenges of the energy transition, it will be necessary to develop and apply multidisciplinary solutions that extend beyond electricity systems”, stated the Secretary of State for Energy. “The involvement of academia and studies such as those behind today’s winning theses is essential to accelerating the learning curve of these technologies, thereby contributing to a more sustainable energy transition”, she added.

Rodrigo Costa, the CEO of REN, also highlighted the importance of the REN Award in supporting young people who study and develop solutions in the field of the energy transition. “You never know; we might be looking at the next engineer or economist for REN” for REN, he noted, as several Award winners have gone on to join the company. The CEO of REN further highlighted the progress made in decarbonisation, expressing his confidence in the future: “I am certain we will meet the goals that lie ahead”.

The need to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2050 was the foundation of the winning master’s thesis, which simulated the blending of hydrogen with natural gas under three distinct conditions, analysing the behaviour of the gases and the introduction of a static mixer in the pipelines. The three cases were analysed for hydrogen injection percentages of up to 20% in a full-scale pipeline, connecting the transmission line to the distribution line with pressures around 18 bar.

The master’s thesis that came in second place is also focused on hydrogen. Authored by Luís Rodrigues, a student at FEUP, titled “A techno-economic feasibility analysis of a hydrogen power plant in a market environment”, this work focuses on the study and simulation of the operation of a hydrogen power plant for energy generation and supply to various customers.

In third place was the thesis “Modelling Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Flexibility for Long- Term Distribution Network Planning” by António Jerónimo from the Instituto Superior Técnico.

The master’s theses “Estudo do recurso eólico usando OpenFOAM com condições de fronteira de modelos de mesoescala” (Study of Wind Resources Using OpenFOAM with Boundary Conditions from Mesoscale Models) by Henrique Monteiro (Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto), “Optimizing Circular Renewable Energy Communities for Agriculture: A Comprehensive Framework” by Pedro Guimarães (FEUP), and “Pricing Renewable Energy Certificates” by Vasco Capela Tavares (Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão) were recognized with Honourable Mentions.

For the fourth consecutive year, REN awarded the REN – Ciência LP – FCT Medals of Scientific Merit, a result of a partnership between REN, Centro Ciência LP and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, recognising the work of young individuals from Portuguese-speaking African countries in the field of energy.

In the Women Researchers category, the winner was Célia Domingas Artur with her doctoral thesis “Evaluation of the potential of solar thermal systems for domestic water heating applications in urban and peripheral urban areas of Mozambique: a case study of Maputo city". Second place was awarded to Loide Matias da Silva with the master’s thesis titled “Can standardization assist in ensuring consumer welfare? A deductive analysis of protection of consumer welfare in the h2 fuel cell car industry through standardization and the applicability of article 101(3) of the TFEU”.

In the Students and Researchers category, the winner was Salomão Muquepe Palanga Joaquim with his thesis titled “Estudo do Potencial de um Sistema Híbrido de Energia Renovável: Caso de Estudo da Região Litoral do Lobito” (Study of the Potential of a Hybrid Renewable Energy System: A Case Study of the Coastal Region of Lobito). Silvestre Vieira Batista was also recognised for the doctoral thesis titled “Integração de Sistemas Híbridos Fotovoltaico e Biogás no Planeamento Energético em Cabo Verde – Caso da Ilha de Santiago” (Integration of Hybrid Photovoltaic and Biogas Systems in Energy Planning in Cape Verde—The Case of Santiago Island).

Every two years, the REN Award recognises the best doctoral thesis, and the winner receives a cash prize of €30,000. The top three master’s theses are awarded annually, with the first place receiving a prize of €25,000, second place awarded €15,000, and third place €10,000. Each Honourable Mention receives a prize of €2,500. The first-place winner in the REN – Ciência LP – FCT Medals of Scientific Merit receives €5,000, while second-place winner is awarded €2,500.