Department of Mechanical Engineering

Energy Technology

The mission our group is to advance heat & flow technologies for energy and high-tech applications. This mission encompasses the scientific development of new methods and tools (science); optimizing advanced systems (technology); transferring knowledge to application partners (valorization); and educating and challenging future generations of engineers (education).

RESEARCH THEMES AND STUDENT INFORMATION

Research for advancing the energy transition

One of today’s most prominent societal challenges is the energy transition. Within the upcoming ten years our society will have to meet stringent CO2 emission targets in order to mitigate climate change. We believe that the solution largely lies in improved storage technologies to cope with diurnal and seasonal renewable energy variations.

Darcy Laboratory

The ETFD group manages the Darcy laboratory. This laboratory is equipped with state-of-the art CT and MRI scanning instruments to probe the transport of moisture and ions in porous materials. The Darcy laboratory is jointly operated by the ETFD group and the Transport in Permeable Media group of the Department of Applied Physics of the Eindhoven University of Technology.

Our research themes

Research in our group is focussed in three research themes.

Thermal Energy Storage

Fluid-solid interactions

Cooling and Separation

In the media

Oftentimes our group appears in the media to explain and interpret scientific discoveries. Follow the link below for the latest instances we appeared in the media.

Design-driven research on photovoltaic applications

Angèle Reinders research focuses on the integration of photovoltaic (PV) solar energy technologies in mobility, buildings, infrastructures and our environment by applying a design-driven approach. In it, she combines technical research with other relevant disciplines (such as industrial design and socio-economics) to create products and systems that people actually can and like to use. Reinders strongly believes that the sustainable energy revolution can only be successful if engineers take into account human factors, societal context, financial aspects and design and styling.

At present her design-driven research has three core pillars: (1) luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) technologies, (2) performance and reliability assessments of solar systems and (3) solar powered mobility. Her applied research on innovative colored LSC devices ranges from roof tiles to advanced geometrical designs, which have both great design features (color, transparency, form) and high efficiency. The performance of these and other integrated PV modules are tested in the TU/e’s large area solar simulator.

Working together with more than 250 researchers from 37 countries across Europe, she investigates the long-term yields of PV systems in different climates and in various hybrid system contexts, using big data analytics, simulations and machine learning techniques.

Her research on PV-powered mobility focusses on solar-powered electric cars and solar charging stations. In this research she works together with Lightyear, Toyota, TNO, IM Efficiency and Forschungszentrum Jülich. More details about Reinders’ work can be found here. Or check out her recent book Designing with Photovoltaics (2020).

Student Opportunities

The Energy Technology group is responsible for several Bachelor courses in Mechanical Engineering. Also, several minor projects and bachelor final projects are also offered by the group. The group participates in three Master programs/tracks, which are closely related to the research activities of the group. Several Master courses are taught in these programs. Please click the following links for more information.

Meet some of our Researchers

Full Professor

Harald van Brummelen

Associate Professor

Jacques Huyghe

Scientific Advisor

Dick van Campen

Full Professor

Hans van Duijn

Assistant Professor

Maja Rücker

Full Professor

David Smeulders

Associate Professor

Michel Speetjens

Assistant Professor

Azahara Luna Triguero

Assistant Professor

Silvia Gaastra-Nedea

University Lecturer

Henk Ouwerkerk

University Researcher

Michael Boot

Assistant Professor

Arjan Frijns

Full Professor

Herbert Zondag

Full Professor

Herman Wijshoff

Full Professor

Rick de Lange

Associate Professor

Clemens Verhoosel

Full Professor

Jacques Dam

Testimonials

Many students have succesfully completed their internships, bachelor and master theses. Click on the following link to read the testimonials of an associate professor and two former students.

Recent Publications

Our most recent peer reviewed publications

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