From static to dynamic energy modelling - Adapt and apply an energy pathway model for Québec energy transition

Master Thesis
Energy System Modeling
Environmental and Economic Analysis

What?

Master thesis work

Where?

In CIRAIG’s lab (Montréal, Canada) or remotely from IPESE lab (Sion, Switzerland)

When?

From September 2025 to February 2026

Context

The government of Québec has set ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets for 2030 and 2050. Planning energy transition is a complex task that requires systemic tools to identify optimal scenarios and related economic and environmental trade-offs and support decision-making. Optimization models are useful energy planning tools, due to their ability to assess the penetration of new technologies in the energy market and identify optimal transition pathways respecting GHG reduction objectives.

EnergyScope is an optimization-based energy system model that has recently been adapted to Québec context. EnergyScope is working as a snapshot (picture of the energy system at a given time) and with a monthly time resolution. However, improving the time resolution towards the hourly level, and considering the energy transition within dynamic modelling are key to better capturing energy system behavior, such as energy storage dynamics. In addition, as prospective data is subject to significant uncertainty, a stochastic perspective should be taken to improve the results robustness and reliability.

As a starting point, prospective data, including demands, costs, and environmental impacts have been generated/collected for the use case of Québec. This data should now be included in a transition pathway model, namely EnergyScope Transition, and adapted to a hourly time resolution.

Project objectives and tasks

  • Generate hourly data for energy demands and load factors in the case of Québec
  • Adapt the EnergyScope Transition framework to the Québec context
  • Compare the monthly and hourly time resolution results in the case of Québec
  • Identify decisive uncertain parameters and run uncertainty analyses

Skills and Background

  • a strong understanding of energy modelling, and energy conversion & storage technologies in general
  • robust coding skills (Python)
  • ability to gather information from literature and process it to build models

Supervision and conditions

The master thesis is performed within the CIRAIG’s international consortium and could be located at Polytechnique Montréal or at IPESE lab in Sion.

The project is supervised by:

  • François Maréchal, Pr at IPESE-EPFL at Energypolis, Sion. francois.marechal@epfl.ch
  • Manuele Margni, Pr at Polytechnique Montréal and HES-SO Valais Wallis at Energypolis, Sion. manuele.margni@hevs.ch.
  • Coaching team: Matthieu Souttre CIRAIG-Polytechnique Montréal and Jonas Schnidrig CIRAIG-HESSO-EPFL

In case the selected location is Montréal, CIRAIG will support the following costs:

  • Trip (e.g., plane tickets) charges are taken in charge by CIRAIG within a limit of 1500 CAD.
  • Housing charges are taken in charge by CIRAIG within a limit of 1000 CAD per month.

Application: Interested students must send an application file including a CV, a transcript (bachelor and master) and a cover letter to matthieu.souttre@polymtl.ca and jonas.schnidrig@epfl.ch. The position remains open until a suitable candidate is found.