Dr Hongyu Zhang (张宏宇)

Hongyu Zhang (张宏宇, Richard)

Bio

I am a Researcher at the Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management (IØT).

Research interests

I am interested in developing algorithms for solving large-scale optimisation problems and applying stochastic programming in energy systems research.

Professional appointments

  • IØT, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Trondheim, Norway, 2023-)

    • Researcher (permanent position)
      • Projects: NordicH2ubs (lead WP4: energy system modelling); iDesignRES (integrated energy system modelling and optimisation); PowerDig; Prodigi (electricity multi-trading platform); quantum computing and optimisation

Education

  • PhD, Operational Research, IØT, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Trondheim, Norway, 2020-2024)

  • MSc, Operational Research with Data Science, School of Mathematics, The University of Edinburgh (Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 2019-2020)

    • Classification: Distinction (average: 77.8%)
    • Dissertation: “A multi-stage multi-area integrated energy system operational and investment planning model”, extending energy system investment planning and operational model to include gas network, hydrogen use and supply, power generation and carbon capture, electric vehicle demand and use for storage and district heating (part of CESI – Centre for Energy System Integration, computing language: Julia, solver: Gurobi)
    • Supervisors: Professor Ken McKinnon (main), Dr Nicolò Mazzi
    • Personal tutor: Professor Chris Dent
  • BSc, Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, School of Mathematical Sciences, Huaqiao University (Quanzhou, China, 2015-2019)

    • Cumulative GPA: 4.3/5 (top3); Overall Average: 86.3%
    • Dissertation: “Polar coordinate representation and estimation of discrete selection model parameters” (grade: 90/100, programming language: Eviews)
    • Supervisor: Professor Mingxin Chen
    • Honours:
      • Huaqiao University 2019 Outstanding Graduates (top 1.6% at the Faculty)
      • Merit Student of Huaqiao University (top 1.6% at the Faculty, 2016-2017)
      • Scholarship of Huaqiao University (top 1.6% at the Faculty, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018)

Financial support secured

Scholarships

  1. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology Foundation (6,000 €, 2021-2023)
  2. Bernt Fossum’s Fund for Applied Technical-Economic Research at NTNU (6,000 €, 2021-2023)
  3. The Research and Teaching Foundation in Trondheim (1,000 €, 2021-2023)
  4. Norwegian Hydro’s Research Fund at NTNU (3,000 €, 2021-2023)

Grants

  1. PhD project grant, The Research Council of Norway (61,500 €, 2020-2023)

Research visits

  1. 15-16 May 2023: Visiting PhD candidate, Department of Integrated Systems Engineering, The Ohio State University, USA, visit Professor Ramteen Sioshansi’s group.
  2. 27 March 2023 - 31 March 2023: Visiting PhD candidate, School of Mathematics, The University of Edinburgh, UK, visit the Edinburgh Research Group in Optimisation (ERGO).
  3. 21 - 24 March 2023: Visiting PhD candidate, Department of Computing, Imperial College London, UK, visit the Computational Optimisation Group (COG).
  4. 15 September 2022 - 30 June 2023: Visiting PhD candidate, Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, USA, work with Professor Ignacio E. Grossmann.

Publications

International peer reviewed journals

  1. G. Durakovic, H. Zhang, B. R. Knudsen, A. Tomasgard, and P. C. del Granado. Decarbonizing the European energy system in the absence of Russian gas: Hydrogen uptake and carbon capture developments in the power, heat and industry sectors. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2023
  2. F. A. Quinton, P. A. S. Myhr, M. Barani, P. C. del Granado, and H. Zhang. Quantum annealing for optimisation: Applications, challenges and limitations. Under reivew, 2024.
  3. H. Zhang, I. E. Grossman, and A. Tomasgard. Decomposition methods for multi-horizon stochastic programming. To appear in Computational Management Science, 2024
  4. H. Zhang, I. E. Grossman, B. R. Knudsen, K. McKinnon, R. G. Nava, and A. Tomasgard. Integrated investment, retrofit and abandonment planning of energy systems with short-term and long-term uncertainty using enhanced Benders decomposition. Under review, 2023
  5. H. Zhang, K. McKinnon, R. G. Nava, N. Mazzi, and A. Tomasgard. A stabilised Benders decomposition with adaptive oracles applied to investment planning of multi-region power systems with short-term and long-term uncertainty. Under review, 2022.
  6. H. Zhang, A. Tomasgard, B. R. Knudsen, H. G. Svendsen, S. J. Bakker, and I. E. Grossmann. Modelling and analysis of offshore energy hubs. Energy, 2022.

Conference proceedings

  1. Offshore energy hubs in the decarbonisation of the Norwegian continental shelf, ASME 41st International Conference on Ocean, Offshore & Arctic Engineering (OMAE 2022), Hamburg, June 2022.

Popular scientific articles

  1. H. Zhang, Offshore energy hubs: a useful tool to decarbonise the Norwegian continental shelf’s energy system, SINTEF Energy Blog, 2021.

Presentations at conferences and workshops

  1. Integrated investment, retrofit and abandonment planning of energy systems with short-term and long-term uncertainty using enhanced Benders decomposition, 2023 XVI International Conference Stochastic Programming, Davis, California, USA, 24-28 July 2023.
  2. Investment planning of multi-region power systems with uncertainty using stabilised Benders decomposition with adaptive oracles, 2022 INFORMS Annual Meeting, Indiana, USA, 16-19 October 2022.
  3. The impact of decarbonising offshore fields on investment planning of the North Sea energy system, 43rd IAEE International Conference, Tokyo, Japan, 31 July - 4 August 2022.
  4. Investment planning of multi-region power systems with uncertainty using stabilised Benders decomposition with adaptive oracles, European Conference on Stochastic Optimization & Computational Management Science Conference 2022 (ECSO-CMS 2022), Venice, Italy, 29-30 June - 1 July 2022.
  5. Offshore energy hubs in the decarbonisation of the Norwegian Continental Shelf, ASME 41st International Conference on Ocean, Offshore & Arctic Engineering (OMAE 2022), Hamburg, Germany, 5-10 June 2022.
  6. Stabilised Benders decomposition with adaptive oracles, TACEMM Winter School Workshop “Planning Under Uncertainty in Energy Markets”, Oppdal, Norway, 28 February - 4 March 2022.
  7. Decarbonised offshore energy hubs: modelling, optimisation and sensitivity analysis, the Norwegian Operations Research Society Annual Conference (NORS), Bergen, 17-18 November 2021.

Invited seminars

  1. Modelling and algorithms for energy system investment planning under uncertainty, Sustainable Reaction Engineering group, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge; Invited by Dr Zhimian Hao; 11 March 2024.
  2. Modelling and algorithms for energy system investment planning under uncertainty, Princeton ZERO Lab (Zero carbon Energy systems Research and Optimization Laboratory), Princeton University; Invited by Dr Filippo Pecci and Assistant Professor Jesse D. Jenkins; 10 January 2024.
  3. Oil and gas infrastructure in the European energy transition, The LowEmission Centre; Invited by Dr Harald G. Svendsen; 17 October 2023.
  4. Investment planning under uncertainty of energy systems: modelling and algorithms, Department of Integrated Systems Engineering, The Ohio State University; Invited by Professor Ramteen Sioshansi; 15 May 2023.
  5. Investment planning under uncertainty of energy systems: modelling and algorithms, EMESP (IEL) and BEDØK (IØT) research groups, NTNU Energy Transition Initiative (NETI) and SINTEF Energy Research; Invited by Dr Steffen J. Bakker; 31 March 2023. video
  6. Investment planning under uncertainty of energy systems: modelling and algorithms, ERGO, The University of Edinburgh; Invited by Professor Miguel F. Anjos and Dr Stefano Cipolla; 29 March 2023.
  7. Investment planning under uncertainty of energy systems: modelling and algorithms, COG, Imperial College London; Invited by Dr Calvin Tsay; 24 March 2023.
  8. Offshore energy hubs in the decarbonisation of the Norwegian Continental Shelf, The LowEmission Centre; Invited by Dr Tore Lyngås Føyen; 23 June 2022.
  9. Modelling and analysis of offshore energy hubs, EMESP (IEL) and BEDØK (IØT) research groups, NTNU Energy Transition Initiative (NETI) and SINTEF Energy Research; Invited by Dr Steffen J. Bakker and PhD candidate Emil Dimanchev; 25 March 2022. video
  10. Modelling and analysis of offshore energy hubs, Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management, NTNU; Invited by Dr Ruben van Beesten; 02 November 2021.

Teaching

PhD level

  1. Advanced process systems engineering (06-720), Carnegie Mellon University, Spring 2023. (teaching assistant)

Master level

  1. Industrial optimisation and decision support (TIØ4150), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Spring 2024. (2 hours lecture on Benders decomposition)

Guest lecture

  1. Gas systems modelling and optimisation, NordNET autumn school, Gothenburg, Sweden, 21-24 October 2024. (3 hours lecture, upcoming)
  2. Advanced stochastic optimisation, Nordic courses in stochastic programming, 4-8 December 2023. (7 hours lecture)
  3. The European energy transition, NorRen summer school to PhD students, 21-25 August 2023. (2 hours opening lecture)

Research mentoring for graduate students

Master students

  1. Asbjørn Nisi and Erlend Heir, master thesis AØO13, Integration of natural gas, hydrogen and renewables in the European energy system, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2023. (co-supervisor)
  2. Kristian Ørndal Drillestad, Halvor Nymoen Winberg and Elin Ulsaker, master thesis AØO14, Dynamic management of energy storages in a large-scale energy system model, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2023. (co-supervisor)
  3. Frederik Løkka Hansen and Eivind Falk, master thesis AØO43, Short-term optimisation in energy systems with hydrogen production, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2022 (co-supervisor)

Professional service

Conference and seminar organisation

  1. Organise NTNU energy systems seminar, 2024 -.
  2. Organise Managerial Economics, Finance and Operations Research (BEDØK) section seminar series, 2024 -.

Sessions chaired at international conferences

  1. Session Chair, Stochastic programming in energy systems: modelling and algorithms, 2023 XVI International Conference on Stochastic Programming, Davis, California, USA, 24-28 July 2023.
  2. Session Chair, Stochastic programming in energy systems, European Conference on Stochastic Optimization & Computational Management Science Conference, Venice, Italy, 29-30 June - 1 July 2022.

Peer review

European Journal of Operational Research, Energy Systems, Computational Management Science, Energy

Courses and workshops

  1. Workshop “Robustness and Resilience in Stochastic Optimization and Statistical Learning: Mathematical Foundations", Erice, Italy, 19-25 May 2022
  2. Trans-Atlantic Cooperation on Energy Market Modeling (TACEMM) PhD short-course on “Flexibility in Energy Markets”, Helsinki & Stockholm, Finland & Sweden, 8-12 November 2021