European Physical Society Energy Group 2011 meeting
The Energy Group of the European Physical Society [EPS] held its 2011 meeting in Oslo, on 6-7 October this year. As is traditionally the case, the meeting served two purposes: to hold the meeting of the Board of the Energy Group and to present and discuss scientific issues around energy technologies.
In a half-day seminar, the topic of radioactive waste disposal was covered, with contributions dealing with basic issues and reports on the situations in the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Another topic dealt with the energy situation in meeting’s the host country, Norway. This included reports on thorium reactors, which utilise an element Norway is rich in; on the carbon capture and storage experience gained from the operation of the Sleipner gas field and on hydroelectricity production and storage.
In the final scientific presentation Thomas Hamacher, of TU-Munich, proposed his project, ‘A New European Power Network: Student Power’. With this project, a programme is being launched to establish a network between Bachelor and Master’s degree students, in physics, who focus on energy. The goal is to develop a common picture of the future of European energy and the electricity system. Candidates will need to be supervised by a local professor, to assure the quality standard of the university.
Possible subjects are:
- How do we expect solar energy be best utilised in the future?
- What are the limits of the future electricity transport system?
- The future of home appliances;
- How can wind velocities be extrapolated, from a few measurement points at a fixed height to a complete area?
- Can one understand the correlations between wind and solar power on a European scale?
- Correlations between economic performance and energy and electricity demand;
- Understanding the diffusion of new technologies.
Interested professors working in the energy field are welcome to contribute to the project and bring in their ideas and suggestions. To contribute – and for more information – please contact Thomas Hamacher thomas [dot] hamacher [at] tum [dot] de.
The Board of the European Physical Society Energy Group dealt with the following topics:
- Reports on the development of the national energy groups;
- How to increase the membership of the Energy Group;
- The development of the E2C-2012 energy conference, to be held in Maastricht, the Netherlands.
- The organisation, by the European Physical Society and the Società Italiana di Fisica [SIF], of the first course of the joint EPS-SIF International School on Energy, to be held in Varenna, Italy, on 30 July – 4 August 2012.
The local arrangements for this year’s Energy Group meeting were kindly made by Jon Samseth, of the Hoegskolen i Akershus, Norway.
