Grant for Saeed Peyghami’s important Pro-Risk project

Denmark is a pioneer within the green transition, and the Danish Energy Islands are the world’s first of its kind. They are to operate as green power plants at sea and exploit offshore wind power while connecting the energy produced here with the surrounding energy systems.

The use of energy islands also faces various challenges, the main challenge being the weather dependency, which leads to system risks consisting of production irregularity, unknown errors, and increased complexity.

The challenges also include increased unpredictability from the demand side as well as uncertainties regarding the new technologies. New technologies and devices are being explored, but the failure characteristics of these devices are still unknown. All of these challenges need to be managed in order to guarantee security of electricity supply with an acceptable level of risk, and Saeed Peyghami’s project is aiming to do exactly this.

The Pro-Risk project aims to introduce a new gray-box method for green energy systems that allows model-based design and operation optimization. Through designing models rather than full size products, the costs can be controlled, and risks can be foreseen. The project is about modelling risks on a large scale in order to help with optimal design and more reliable power systems.

The project works to assess the risk level and hence being able to cope with the high-risk factors. The first step is to assess and then test the hypothesis. If the hypothesis is proven, it can then be used as a novel method for risk assessment and then be implemented as a way of managing uncertainties on a larger scale in various systems. The basis of the project is power systems, but further down the road, the method can be used also regarding e.g., Power-to-X and hence make a big difference in the green transition.

The Pro-Risk project has received a grant from DFF on 2,88 million Danish kroner and runs over the course of 3 years. The first part of the project regarding risk assessment is in collaboration with Professor Jovica V. Milanović from University of Manchester, and the part about assessing the method is in collaboration with Professor Antonello Monti, RWTH Aachen University, Germany.

The Independent Research Fund Denmark has also given grants to AAU Researchers Associate Professor Theresa Scavenius from Department of Planning and Associate Professor Mads Koustrup Jørgensen from Department of Chemistry and Bioscience.