Network structures and development dynamics - from the Industrial Revolution to the Energy Transition
Networks are crucial components of complex societies and underlie successful climate-energy strategies. Nevertheless they remain relatively understudied and insufficiently understood in their dynamics as well as in their relation to resource consumption and economic prosperity.
In this doctoral project, several historical cases of physical network will be explored from an industrial ecology standpoint and in relation to energy consumption. The project will address complexity in sociotechnical network structures and uses based on a complex systems modelling approach associating statistical physics (graph theory), geography and economic history. The project will mainly focus on the transportation and energy networks and their entanglement.
A first target will be railway networks that progressively grew during the 19th century in relation to coal extraction, trade and use. Railway networks are intertwined with early-industrial sociotechnical development and paved the way to the development of road networks in the 20th century in particular on the basis of complex oil networks. The study will address the dual role of railways and road networks in the transportation of both passengers and freight of energy and materials. The growth rates, interconnections and key metrics of these networks will be jointly analyzed and compared to an equivalent analysis of electricity grids which are currently under study by members of the PhD proposal team.
Systemic conditions for the development of the battery industry in Europe: public policies, industrial ecosystem, and geoeconomics.
As a global leader in carbon neutrality, Europe bases its development model on energy transition and has developed decarbonised technological solutions in many areas. However, this political lead has not always translated into industrial competitiveness in the global market, despite efforts to innovate. An industrial decline has been observed, leaving Europe in a weak position in international markets.
The European Union’s objective of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 requires a profound overhaul of the energy system, which will mobilize a range of technologies. This transition will bring technical, economic, and social challenges.
Recent geopolitical upheavals, such as trade tensions and supply chain volatility, have increased uncertainty in the global geo-economic landscape. Faced with these challenges, decision-makers are seeking to broaden their strategic vision. The EU has recognized the need for strategic autonomy in a fragmented world, where access to certain resources and equipment is becoming more difficult and could be used as a geopolitical weapon.
Gaining control over European supply chains to ensure stable access to energy and critical resources in a context of global competition has now become a political priority. This includes establishing production capacities for low-carbon technologies within Europe. All of these objectives can only be met by combining a wide range of policy measures, striking a balance between energy, environmental and industrial policies. However, some of these measures could come into conflict with the policies implemented over the last few decades to build the European energy market, as well as those underpinning trade and investment relations.
In this context, this thesis proposes a theoretical framework for analysing the systemic conditions for the development of the European battery industry, integrating the dimensions of public policy, industrial sovereignty and geo-economic issues. It will be carried out within the Energy Markets Regulation and Organization (ROME) research unit of the CEA's Institute for Research and Studies in Energy Economics (I-Tésé), in academic partnership with the University of Paris Dauphine-PSL.
Synthesis of organic aerogels from polydicyclopentadiene derivatives
The study of inertial confinement fusion of the deuterium + tritium (DT) mixture has long been a research focus at the CEA. Experiments related to this topic, carried out within the Laser Mégajoule (LMJ) facility, require the use of materials with specific properties. This includes, among others, polymer foams (organic aerogels) used as pre-ignition targets. Such materials must combine very low density with sufficient mechanical strength to be compatible with the preparation process employed.
In this context, the objective is to develop CHx polymeric aerogels based on polydicyclopentadiene (pDCPD) and other polymers derived from ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP), in order to produce materials that are (i) of low apparent density (target value in the project: below 50 mg/cc), (ii) homogeneous, (iii) exhibiting fine (open) nano-porosity, and (iv) machinable.
The proposed PhD work would focus on three main areas:
1. The synthesis of new (co-)monomers
2. The preparation of organic aerogels
3. The exploitation of data using AI (opportunity)