Light bulb picture Alessandro Bianchi via Unsplash
Light bulb picture Alessandro Bianchi via Unsplash

Alliander and Radboud University

By better connecting education, research and the daily practice, energy network company Alliander and Radboud University aim to contribute to the energy transition. The transition to more sustainable energy use calls for strategic cooperation.

ondertekening intentieverklaring Alliander en Radboud Universiteit

'Our collaboration enables students to make an impact now and in the future on a major societal and technological challenge: the energy transition.'
Rinke van de Rhee, Director Business Digitalisering and ITa. i., Alliander

'By working together, we want to make an additional contribution to the energy transition with our education and research.'
Daniel Wigboldus, head of the executive board of Radboud University

News

hoogspanningsmast foto via pxhere

Data scientists help find space on crowded power grid

Data scientists from Alliander and Radboud University worked together on a system to better map where and when there is still space to be found on the energy grid. They published about it in Sustainable Energy Grids and Networks.

Netbeheerder Alliander

New curriculum for smart approach to overcrowded energy grid

Radboud University, together with grid operator Alliander, is marketing a new course program to tackle energy grid problems together.

Dr. Yuliya Shapovalova

Yuliya solves societal issues with AI and machine learning

Yuliya Shapovalova is a researcher and assistant professor in Data Science and uses machine learning and AI assist to find solutions for societal issues.

Radboud en Alliander heffen glas op verlenging samenwerking 2024-2027

Collaboration Radboud and Alliander extended

The strategic partnership between Alliander and Radboud University, which started in March 2022, was extended for another three years on 29 February 2024.

Feiten en cijfers samenwerking Alliander en Radboud Universiteit stand van zaken oktober 2023

Interim results of cooperation between Alliander and Radboud University

The strategic cooperation between Alliander and Radboud University has been active for a year and a half. On 10 October 2023, we presented the interim results of our work.

Themes

We work together in four project teams. Would you like to know more or participate? Then please get in touch with the contacts at Alliander or Radboud University listed with each project.

AI & Data Science

The data that Alliander has and is able to use is currently not giving them all the information they need to operate the energy grid as optimal as possible. Putting AI to work and doing data science on the available data can give Alliander more insights in the workings and capabilities of their grid. This can help them to faster and/or more adequately resolve (or even avoid) outages due to extreme scenarios or maintenance. 

Improved STORM algorithm

Data scientists from Alliander and Radboud University are working together on a system that will allow better mapping of whether there is still space on the power grid.

Alliander and Radboud University collaborate on energy transition

Improved Pulse Program

In this project, researchers are working on the further development of Alliander's PULSE Program. Through this work, they are contributing to improving daily network management and making the power grid future-proof.

CHARGE: course for data professionals in the energy transition

Data experts from Alliander and Radboud University have jointly developed a postgraduate course for data professionals working in energy transition.

hoogspanningsmast foto via pxhere

What is the influence of cable temperature on the possible load of the electricity network?

What is the influence of temperature (think of heat pumps and airconditioning) on the possible load on the electricity network?

ICAI Lab: AI for Energy Grids

With students in the fields of AI and data science, Radboud University and Alliander are working on optimal use of existing grid measurement data.

Graph Neural Networks – PhD

PhD project on redirecting power in situation concerning maintenance and outage of the energy grid. Research is done by using graph neural networks.

ELLIS Excellence Fellowship

The ELLIS Excellence Fellowship is an opportunity for excellent students who want an extra challenge.

PhD internship: Detection Algorithms

Alex Kolmus, PhD in the Applied Mathematics group of Gabriel Lord (Radboud University), was given the opportunity to work on an Alliander cases for three months.

Load on low voltage grid

A Data Science Master student has started his thesis at Alliander. The goal is to be able to describe load and dependencies in the low voltage grid based on Gaussian mixture models.

Accounting

The practice for accountants and controllers shows an evolution from standard financial reporting to a more proactive role in managing an organization's environmental and social performance, in addition to its financial performance. On the technological front, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise precisely within this profession. Data analysis and decision support are increasing in importance. The cooperation between Alliander and Nijmegen School of Management (NSM), Chair of Accounting is intended to enable us to study and influence these developments up close. Involved business unit Alliander: Internal Audit. Involved Faculty of Radboud University: Nijmegen School of Management, Chair in Accounting. 

Session on sustainability and non-financial side of annual reporting

Session on sustainability and non-financial side of annual reporting

Modules about Alliander at Master Accountancy

Modules about Alliander at Master Accountancy

Cyber security

This collaboration theme focuses on two different aspects of cyber security, namely: the digital security of systems itself and human behaviour leading to security issues. Barry Pouwels (Alliander) is in the lead of both, working together with two faculties: Faculty of Science with Erik Poll as theme lead for Radboud University, and Faculty of Social Sciences with Wolter Pieters.

Computing science students visit Alliander

Students from the Radboud University, studying Computing Science, will be visiting the headquarters of Alliander.

Internship possibilities at Alliander for students Faculty of Science

Internship opportunities at Alliander are shared with the Faculty of Science for its students.

Internship possibilities at Alliander for students Social Sciences

Internship opportunities at Alliander are shared with the Faculty of Social Sciences for its students.

Cultural change: a more succesful approach to phishing mails

Labor and organization expert Wolter Pieters (Radboud University) shared knowledge on how Alliander employees can best detect phishing emails. Reward rather than punishment works better.

Phishing emails pose serious digital security threat

Barry Pouwels, head of the Digital Security department at Alliander, gave a guest lecture on the consequences and effects of human behavior on cyber security.

Guest lecture on ISO 27001

Barry Pouwels, head of the Cyber Security department of Alliander, together with Erik Verheul gave a guest lecture to students of the Master Information Sciences on the topic of ISO 27001.

Energy and Spatial Planning

The data that Alliander has and is able to use, is currently not giving them all the information they need to operate the energy grid as optimal as possible. Putting AI to work and doing data science on the available data can give Alliander more insights in the workings and capabilities of their grid. This can help them to faster and/or more adequately resolve (or even avoid) outages due to extreme scenarios or maintenance. Theme leads: Henk-Jan.Kooij [at] alliander.com (Henk-Jan Kooij), Lars.deLaat [at] alliander.com (Lars de Laat) (Alliander), Martijn Gerritsen

Make the NET a little better

How can Alliander encourage people to 'smartly' charge their cars to convert peak loads to a more distributed load on the grid? Radboud Honours students investigated that question.

Physical modelling

This theme is about physical modelling of the energy grid. The goal is to better understand the phenomena that occur, as well as their effects on the physical condition of the assets in the grid such as cables and transformers. This enables Alliander maximize the transport of energy to customers while ensuring that het grid stays safe and reliable.

Math students using modelling on Alliander case

Every year, student mathematicians will work on real life cases from companies. Alliander always brings at least one case to the course.

PhD project “Uncertainty quantification of models for temperature of power cables”

For underground power cables, the maximum current is determined by the cable temperature. The current method of determining this maximum is overly conservative.

PhD internship on Uncertainty Quantification

Wouter van Harten, PhD at Radboud University, was given the opportunity to work fulltime on an Alliander case: estimating the soil properties surrounding cables in the ground based on temperature measurements.

Alliander cases at mathematical PhD modelling camp

In the PhD Modelling camp, PhD students and Postdocs from various backgrounds work for a week on problems posed by industry.

Statistics

The use of statistics can be very useful to optimally use the current grid capacity to solve the problem the full energy grid in the Netherlands. The current, but also slightly old, calculation rules which are used to determine the capacity of the energy grid, and consequently, the number of connections or size of connections to the grid that are allowed are very conservative and not perfectly adjusted to the new energy market. Energy grid operators make use of worst case scenarios to make the energy grid trust worthy, but adding probabilities to worst case scenarios can create a more optimal use of the energy grid. See below about specific research projects.

Math students using modelling on Alliander case

Every year, student mathematicians will work on real life cases from companies. Alliander always brings at least one case to the course.

PhD position – Risk Based Investment & Operation

In this PhD project the focus is on uncertainty quantification in grid calculations.

Contact

Want to know more about the strategic cooperation between Radboud University and Alliander? Please contact Jon Feenstra or Iris van Veghel from Research & Impact, Radboud University.