MechE Seminar: Coupling transportation and energy systems: How humans can shape infrastructure needs
Event details
| Date | 11.02.2025 |
| Hour | 12:45 › 13:45 |
| Speaker | Dr. Christine Gschwendtner, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, MIT |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Abstract: The increasing adoption of low-carbon technologies may couple previously separated systems and strain certain system components. Both the resulting adverse consequences and potential solutions could lie in other system components. An important example of these interconnections is the transition to electric vehicles, which can increase peak energy demand if left unmanaged. These peaks may strain electric grids and necessitate costly expansions of energy supply. A potential solution to reduce these infrastructure investments is to align energy demand with supply or grid constraints. However, evaluating this potential for demand-side management requires an understanding of the interactions between humans and technologies. This presentation will discuss findings that quantify the possible impact of human-technology interactions on charging demand and demonstrate how they can be accounted for in energy systems modeling. Specifically, this presentation will provide insights from three studies investigating how plug-in decisions, charging processes, and price signals affect the potential to reduce infrastructure needs.
Biography: Christine Gschwendtner is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society at MIT. Her research integrates infrastructure systems across the transportation and energy sectors and investigates the impacts of human-technology interactions and industrial processes on those systems. One of her key goals is to develop sustainable and resilient systems in the context of climate change and digitalization. She was previously a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University, received her PhD from ETH Zurich, and graduated with an MSc from the University of Oxford.
Biography: Christine Gschwendtner is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society at MIT. Her research integrates infrastructure systems across the transportation and energy sectors and investigates the impacts of human-technology interactions and industrial processes on those systems. One of her key goals is to develop sustainable and resilient systems in the context of climate change and digitalization. She was previously a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University, received her PhD from ETH Zurich, and graduated with an MSc from the University of Oxford.
Practical information
- General public
- Free