Integrated Systems Analysis (Junior Research Group)

Exploring how iron and its oxides can be used as a carbon-free carrier of renewable energy is a complex undertaking in technical, economic, and political terms. Therefore, realizing Clean Circles requires integrating various perspectives from different disciplines. Identifying and integrating these various perspectives for multi-criteria systems analysis and optimization is a particular innovation of the project.

The Junior Research Group spearheads this effort by leading the interface management between Research Areas 3 (Thermodynamic-mathematical Analysis) and 4 (Socio-economic Modelling). The group identifies economic and political criteria, and translates these into relevant variables and indicators, which can be integrated into the thermo-dynamic-mathematical model. This includes, among others, political strategies and public funds as well questions of sustainability, economic growth, and regional development. The result of this cooperation between Research Areas 3 and 4 is an integrated model that describes all relevant energy conversion and mass transfer processes as well as political and economic options and allows evaluating trade-offs between conflicting goals.

Scientific challenges:

Identification of relevant political and economic factors for multi-criteria systems analysis
Quantification of factors and integration into the thermodynamic-mathematical model
Approaches for weighting criteria with a view to evaluating trade-offs between conflicting goals