Max Langtry

Research interests

My research interests focus on how design strategies for future zero-carbon energy systems can be optimised to manage the challenges of integrating variable renewable generation into the supply mix, whilst minimising the cost of providing energy to users. In particular, my work explores how robust computational methods can be developed to provide insight into the nature of supply-demand matching under variable and uncertain renewable power generation in national scale integrated energy systems. These insights can then be used to evaluate the effectiveness of high-level strategies for managing this variability, such as generation portfolio selection, energy storage, demand-side response, and sector-coupling, and hence enable the design of secure, robust, and crucially low cost, decarbonised energy systems.

Background

My academic background is in optimisation, statistics, and computational science. I hold an MEng degree in Information & Computer Engineering from Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in which I achieved a double First. My Master’s thesis developed a convex method for optimising the siting and sizing of energy storage assets in a fully renewable power grid, accounting for the full complexity network physics over multiple time instances.

Outside of academics I am an avid hill walker, keen cyclist, and occasional fell runner, though I have a deep love for cake and thoroughly enjoy the results of my baking.

Publications