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What type of small modular reactor would be best suited for Finland? How can we analyze the lifecycle emissions of nuclear plants? How to optimize hydrogen production facilities? How will new investments in flexible heat production impact the electricity system? 

Students in the Aalto University's Advanced Energy Project course have been solving these intriguing, current, and challenging questions since 2018. The course is attended by master's students in the final stages of their studies and also by some doctoral students.

According to the course coordinator Samuel Cross, the aim of the course is to offer students an insight into what kind of matters interest companies and, concurrently, develop their professional / work-life skills and establish connections with potential employers.

“It’s also rewarding for the instructor to see how well the students perform and how much they enjoy the project,” says Cross, who is the originator of the course concept.

Energy sector research spans all six schools of Aalto University.  The AEP course is part of the interdisciplinary Advanced Energy Solutions master’s programme, which represents a collaboration between the schools of Engineering, Electrical Engineering & Chemical Engineering.

In the latest Fall 2024 course, student Fanni Säämäki led a team investigating the impact of increased heat production using electric boilers on the entire energy system for the Finnish Energy. Säämäki is in her final year of the Advanced Energy Solutions master's program.

“Although I have worked in energy sector companies during my studies, the curriculum hasn’t included many courses where one would work directly with companies. I was interested in solving a more concrete, real-world problem,” explains Säämäki.

“Leading the team taught me a lot”

Säämäki's group also partnered with AFRY, whose energy system modeling software the group used under a student license.

“The AFRY software was an interesting and valuable addition to the work, but it also introduced contractual matters that delayed the schedule. Leading the team taught me a lot about communication, organization, and scheduling – including how to manage when things don’t go according to the original plan.”

Many partner organizations have been involved for several years. For example, Mikko Vuorenmaa, Senior Advisor at Finnish Energy, participated in the course in 2020 as a student and this year guided Säämäki’s group’s project as a representative of the partner organization.

“Mentoring was rewarding; it enables good discussions with students. We only provide certain guidelines, and they independently move the project forward. They have to search for and discover information themselves,” Vuorenmaa describes.

Results presented to collaborating organizations

The contributions of the AEP teams are presented at the course's final gala and documented in reports for the collaborating organizations. Vuorenmaa notes a distinct improvement in the presentation aspect compared to when he took the course. Säämäki also finds the final event valuable from the students’ perspective.

“It was great to see the results of other teams' projects; their presentations were also very educational,” says Säämäki.

Using the modeling software, Säämäki's group explored various scenarios for integrating more wind power and electric boilers into the energy system. They found that electric boilers could add flexibility to the electricity grid: with increased boilers, more wind power can also be added.

“We are very pleased with the work; I’ve already used its results in a couple of different presentations,” says Vuorenmaa from Finnish Energy.

Projects for companies often do not reach broader publicity, but Finnish Energy operates differently. It usually publishes an open report on the work done and widely utilizes the new information within the organization.

“Motivation is the greatest strength”

Long-term partners also include VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Olli Soppela, the partner contact at VTT, is an alumnus of the course's first iteration. He worked elsewhere in the energy sector before joining VTT as a Research Scientist. What benefits does the research institution see in students’ investigative work?

“Students have up-to-date knowledge, the latest statistics, and research methods fresh in their minds. They are passionate and interested because they have their first opportunities to impress potential employers – their greatest strength is motivation,” explains Soppela.

He also highlights the value of diversity and interdisciplinary perspectives. Students with international backgrounds bring a variety of viewpoints and familiarity with different cultural environments.

VTT has previously used AEP student groups for sparring and validating their own research findings. This motivation drove the analysis of lifecycle emissions of nuclear power plants. In another joint project, students investigated small nuclear reactor options suitable for Finland, which serendipitously became a recruitment channel.

“We found a few interested and capable employees who wanted to continue working on the topic. It was easy to recommend them when our partners were looking for new employees,” says Soppela.

In the latest AEP course, two groups focused on optimizing hydrogen production: one on hydrogen produced with small nuclear reactors and the other on hydrogen produced with renewable energy.

“The final results were fascinatingly different. It was very educational for us to see the groups' different approaches to the topic.”

Soppela was particularly impressed by the small reactor group, which concentrated on technical optimization and created a computational algorithm that accommodates various input data.

“The groups produced high-quality results. We can utilize these in EU projects, where the research results go for further development." 

Text: Heidi Hammarsten