Connecting the Dots: People, Data, Digitalisation and Net Zero

People, data and digitalisation play essential roles in the energy sector to meet our net zero target by 2050. To reach this goal, millions of low-carbon technologies have been connected to our energy systems, creating an abundance of smart assets such as electric vehicles, solar panels and heat pumps. The challenge at hand is to understand how people and communities can use these technologies today, in 2030, 2050 and beyond to reduce our carbon footprint. Data-driven methods in tandem with digital technologies can help us unlock the value from both industrial and domestic assets, ranging from a Tesla Megapack to your neighbour’s Nissan leaf.

In this lecture, I will talk about the multidisciplinary challenge of achieving net zero which has energy justice, socio-economic and technical implications in addition to environmental benefits. Together, we will look at some of interesting insights and methodologies that emerged from my research, using some real-life case studies.

Biography:

Dr Desen Kirli is an Elizabeth Georgeson fellow in “Data and Digitalisation for Net Zero”. She holds award-winning Master of Engineering and PhD degrees from the School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh.

As a sustainable energy engineer and researcher, her ambition is to bridge the gap between academic research and implementation in the industry to accelerate the decarbonisation of energy systems. Her research involves the use of data-driven and digital smart grid solutions and state-of-the-art technologies such as digital twin modelling, smart contracting, and AI as well as niche market mechanisms including smart local energy markets and flexibility trading.

Prior to this fellowship, she worked on the DISPATCH Project towards multi-vector net zero heating and cooling solutions. Currently, she is the principal investigator on the D-RES Project, co-investigator on the VPP-WARD, DISPATCH and T-ENDURE projects, improving the climate resilience and carbon footprint of energy communities and systems. Last year, she won the Scottish Renewables Young Professionals Green Energy Award for her work on data-driven decarbonisation of local energy systems.

The School of Engineering created the Elizabeth Georgeson Fellowship – named after Scotland’s first female engineering graduate to encourage talented postdoctoral researchers from underrepresented groups to pursue careers in engineering academia.

Registration

The Elizabeth Georgeson Inaugural Lecture of Dr. Desen Kirli, Elizabeth Georgeson Fellow in Data and Digitalisation for Net Zero will be held at 5.30pm on Wednesday, 26 June 2024 in Lecture Theatre 2, Hudson Beare Building, King’s Buildings, University of Edinburgh.

All are welcome to attend. You can register to attend in person via email Louise.Farquharson@ed.ac.uk or online for the Teams webinar.