Advancing Energy Research

MAN Energy Solutions and ETH Zurich, a public research university in Zurich, Switzerland, have launched a strategic partnership to advance research in sector coupling and energy-system modeling. The collaboration aims to address one of the biggest challenges of the energy transition, namely the seamless integration of electricity, heating, and cooling networks.

The partnership comprises funding for six postdoctoral researchers at the ETH Foundation to develop artificial intelligence-powered energy-system models that will enable deeper technical and economic analysis of European energy markets and infrastructure. The research will also focus on optimizing existing models by reducing computational demands, ultimately leading to more efficient and sustainable solutions. A key aspect of the work will involve combining hardware and software innovations to enhance energy-system performance. Research activities will be coordinated by ETH’s AI Center and Energy Science Center.

“We are excited to join forces with ETH Zurich to shape the future of sustainable energy. True innovation happens when we break down silos and approach electricity, heating and cooling as a unified system,” said Patrik Meli, managing director of MAN Energy Solutions Switzerland. “Artificial intelligence opens up new possibilities to better understand and optimize these interactions – opportunities we must embrace with boldness and vision. Collaborations like this are key to turning groundbreaking research into real-world solutions.”