The European Union aims to become climate-neutral by 2050, which requires major changes in how energy is produced, used, and managed. During her PhD, Sina Kalweit studied two key parts of this transition: how cars should be powered in a climate-neutral future, and how to deal with carbon dioxide emissions that cannot be fully avoided. Using an open-source model of Europe’s energy system, her research shows that switching to electric cars as quickly as possible is the most cost-effective way to cut emissions from road transport. However, some emissions will remain, especially from sectors like aviation and industry. Sina Kalweit therefore also studied different ways of managing carbon dioxide, either by reusing it to produce climate-neutral fuels or by storing it safely for the long term. 

The PhD study was completed at the Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday, 20^th February at 13:00
Place: Building 5335, room 016, (Peter Bøegh Auditoriet), Aarhus University, Helsingforsgade 12, 8200 Aarhus N
Title of PhD thesis: Pathways to Net-Zero: Land Transport Decarbonization and the Role of Carbon Management in the European Energy System
Contact information: Sina Kalweit, e-mail: sk@mpe.au.dk
Members of the assessment committee:
Senior Researcher Mirko Schäfer, INATECH University of Freiburg, Germany
Associate Professor Jakob Zinck Thellufsen, Department of Sustainability and Planning, Aalborg University, Denmark
Assistant Professor Ulrich Doll, Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Aarhus University, Denmark (chair)
Main supervisor: Associate Professor Marta Victoria, Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor: Gorm Bruun Andresen
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.