Conferences

Young
Energy
Researchers 2026

24 February 2026
in Wels

Programme

Register now!

Young Energy Researchers Conference

DATE

Tuesday, 24 February 2026

VENUE

Stadthalle, Pollheimerstraße 1,
4600 Wels/Österreich

LANGUAGE

English

What is it all about?

A conference that presents the work and achievements of young researchers in the fields of energy efficiency and biomass. It offers participants the opportunity to interact with researchers and industry experts from all over the world and build-up a peer network!

REGISTER NOW

Find out more!

Conference Fees

  • 65 Euro for the Young Energy Resarchers Conference (24 February)
  • further details on conference fees

All fees include an entrance ticket to the tradeshow and conference documentation. All fees plus 10 % VAT.

Young researchers (born after 1990) were invited to submit contributions.
Deadline: 10 October 2025.

A high-level scientific committee selects papers for oral or poster presentation. The organiser of the WSED, the OÖ Energiesparverband, covers the costs of accommodation, meals, participation and local transport (4 conference days) for up to 60 selected participants. Submissions are invited from any scientific field (e.g. technology, engineering, economics, social sciences, architecture, law, arts) and must be in English only. The 2 best contributions are honoured with the awards "Best Young Energy Efficiency Researcher" and "Best Young Biomass Researcher" and receive 1,000 Euro each as prize money. The Young Energy Researchers Conference builds upon over more than ten very successful events (held from 2012 to 2025), each of them attracting contributors from more than 50 countries.

PROGRAMME

Tuesday
24 February

Morning
session

09.00 Young Energy Efficiency Researchers Conference

This conference presents the work and achievements of young energy efficiency researchers from all over the world.

  • Opening and welcome
    • Volker Schaffler, Federal Ministry of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure, Austria
    • Christiane Egger, OÖ Energiesparverband, Austria
       
  • Using real-world data to improve predictions of building energy modelling
    Mojtaba Khastar, University of Ottawa, Canada
     
  • Neighbourhood-scale decarbonisation in the United States
    Zoë Cina-Sklar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
     
  • Embodied carbon versus operational carbon: Have we gone too far insulating buildings?
    Ben Taylor, AECOM / University of Sheffield, UK
     
  • Robust buildings: optimising energy efficiency, reducing performance gaps
    Lukas Lauss, TU Munich, Germany
     
  • Machine Learning with knowledge discovery in databases for retrofit decisions
    Rafael Oliveira Rodrigues, D4P, Portugal
     
  • Energy efficient construction with green PCMenhanced mortars
    Fatemeh Rabiei, University of Genova, Italy
     
  • Carbon fibers for enhancing shape stability and efficiency of PEG PCMs  
    Golnoosh Abdeali / Sahel Saberi, Technological University of the Shannon, Ireland
     
  • Corncob ash for sustainable cementitious applications
    Francis Okeke, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK
     
  • Optimising of amorphous carbon films for renewable energy technologies
    Manuel Schachinger, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria
     
  • Western Balkan: automated approach to cost-optimality and the definition of notional buildings
    Arvjola Myrtaj, Fraunhofer IBP, Germany
     
  • Assessing 5th generation district heating and cooling with CATHeaPS
    Orestis Angelidis, University of Glasgow, UK
     
  • Feedstock in energy system model: defossilisation of the chemical industry
    Md Anik Islam, University of Stuttgart, Germany
     
  • Inequalities in housing energy efficiency in Estonian cities 
    Kirils Gončarovs, University of Tartu, Estonia
     
  • Weather routing based on a multi-energy ship microgrid
    Zhineng Fei / Zhengmao Li, Aalto University, Finland
     
  • Cost allocation systems in energy efficiency: tenant preferences in Germany
    Linus Hübner, University of Kassel, Germany
     
  • Digital twin for efficient waste handling in waste-to chemical facilities
    Camilla Cordero di Montezemolo / Gianluca Espositom, MyRechemical, Italy
     
  • A decision-support dashboard for energy community optimisation
    Diogo Couceiro / João Victor Costa, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
     
  • Bivalent heating with a hybrid heat pump supported by a biomass boiler
    Jaka Bizjak, Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia


Chairperson:
Gerald Steinmaurer, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria

Conference lunch and networking

Poster Presentations Energy Efficiency

  • Quantum computing in weather influenced energy systems
    Hao Chen / Yucheng Lyu, University of Twente, The Netherlands
     
  • Inside one-stop shop (OSS) models: insights from 57 EU OSS
    Ifrah Shaukat, Energy Cities, France
     
  • Carnot's efficiency epoch ends: inspecting the physics of energy transitions 
    Ella Jennings, University of Cambridge, UK
     
  • German residential energy consumption: a classification of building profiles
    Francisco Carracso, TH Köln, Germany
     
  • Discussing Antwerp's district heating future: a workshop for efficient solutions
    Isaura Bonneux / Houssam Matbouli, University of Antwerp, Belgium
     
  • Climate change impacts on operational energy emissions from housing in Mexico
    Luis Roberto Hernández Nájera, CIMAV, Mexico
     
  • How well can the UCB model evaluate scenarios with asymmetric thermal radiation? 
    Birke Schröter, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, Germany
     
  • Demand response in a new Nordic apartment building with a hybrid system
    Jiayi Liu, Aalto University, Finland
     
  • Evaluation methodology and tool for climate-neutral building renovations
    Mirna Kirigin / Vedrana Vidiček, REGEA, Croatia
     
  • Improving building energy predictions with training data features
    Xiaolei Yuan, Aalto University, Finland
     
  • Bridging the energy performance gap in educational buildings
    Sarah Khraimech, University of Luxembourg
     
  • Replacing heating systems: factors influencing German homeowners
    Johanna Holzberg, University of Kassel, Germany
     
  • Energy solutions in buildings and transports: a case study of Guimarães
    Ricardo Oliveira, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
     
  • EV charging patterns at the Newcastle Helix Charging Hub
    Shouai Wang, Newcastle University, UK
     
  • Interactive AI dashboard for urban EV charging planning
    Marek Miltner / Jakub Zika, Stanford University / CTU Prague, USA / Czech Republic
     
  • System analysis of the energy transition in a region of North Rhine-Westphalia
    Ievgeniia Morozova, Hamm-Lippstadt University, Germany
     
  • Positive energy districts
    Carla Scordamaglia, RSE, Italy
     
  • Energy-efficient retrofit strategies for heritage sites
    Eseroghene Urhiafe, Ulster University, UK
     
  • Energy efficient management tool for public and private sector buildings
    Ella Jollands / Ana Marija Spindler, e7 / Jožef Stefan Institute, Austria / Slovenia
     
  • Deep reinforcement learning for cost-efficient energy management
    Mohamed Yassine Ben Zekri / Dimeth Nouicer, University of Carthage, Tunisia
     
  • Scaling up CO2 electroreduction for industrial energy storage
    Jose Antonio Abarca / Guillermo Diaz-Sainz, University of Cantabria, Spain
     
  • H2 microgrid design and assessment platform
    Mary Esther Ascheri, Fraunhofer IWU, Germany
     
  • Assessing energy use drivers in Indian manufacturing
    Chalantika Chakraborty, IIT Mandi, India
     
  • Solar power forecasting in Austria using a API-based real-time cloud index from EUMETSAT
    Mufaddal Kapasi, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria
     
  • Optimising solar panel cleaning schedules via simulation
    Bilge Sıla Çevik / Can Burak Turcan, Sakarya University, Türkiye
     
  • Schemes to ease congestion and extend network lifespan
    Hugo Andreu Oliver, IREC, Spain
     
  • Experimental analysis of a dew point cooler with TPMS geometry
    Salvatore Cristiano, UNIMORE, Italy
     
  • Valorising industrial residues: green extraction of bioactives for eco-innovation
    Ioanna Kosma, CERTH, Greece
     
  • Efficient lithium recovery from black mass in end-of-life lithium-ion batteries
    Zeki Tarık Ünlü / Talha Kuru, Selçuk University, Türkiye
     
  • Effluent polishing with algaepearls: from polluted water to circular resources
    Bas Emaus / Ricardo Guenella, JiTiBa / HAN University, The Netherlands
     
  • Green hydrogen planning under water constraints: A Brandenburg case study
    Sadi Faiz / Tripti Pandey, BTU, Germany
     
  • Eco-friendly extraction of polyphenols from barley waste
    Bojana Bradić / Alina Kalyniukova, CZU, Czech Republic

Afternoon
session

14.00 Young Biomass Researchers Conference

This conference presents the work and achievements of young biomass researchers from all over the world.

  • Opening and welcome
    Gerhard Dell / Christiane Egger, OÖ Energiesparverband
     
  • Optimising a pellet-based cookstove 
    Akshansh Kataria, EcoSense Appliances, India
     
  • The contribution of bioenergy to defossilising the Austrian energy system
    Doris Matschegg, BEST, Austria
     
  • Environmental preferences for HVO: a discrete choice experiment in Italy
    Davide Ricci Focaia / Luca Mariani, IUSS Pavia / Università degli Studi di Perugia, Italy
     
  • Climate impact of bioenergy and wood: new emission factors  
    Stefan Füchsl, TU Munich, Germany
     
  • Biomass characterisation using physics-informed neural networks
    Aleix Fornieles, Eurecat, Spain
     
  • Investigation of process routes for biomass utilisation as biofuel platform
    Stefanie Mörth / Christoph Markowitsch, Technical University of Leoben, Austria
     
  • Trade-offs between hydrogen demand, carbon and energy efficiency in biofuels
    Ebru Işık, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
     
  • Exploring a potential power to methane plant in the northeast of Austria
    Helena Katzenberger, BOKU University, Austria
     
  • Biogas upgrading experiment from a CH4 + CO2 gas mixture via clathrate hydrate 
    Meku Maruyama, Keio University, Japan
     
  • AAIL as catalyst for direct transesterification: RSM, kinetics and thermodynamics
    Jivana Parameswaran, University of Petronas, Malaysia
     
  • Boosting biohydrogen production via coupled dark fermentation and MEC
    Soumyajit Chandra, Sharda University, India
     
  • Activated carbon and improved energy efficiency in biomass gasification
    David Gurtner, MCI Innsbruck, Austria
     
  • H2 production via biological CO shift reaction in a reactor and H2 separation
    Muhammad Maaz / Jonas Vogl / Maximilian Hettler, Hochschule Landshut, Germany
     
  • Hydrogen production from biomass/MSW via BECCS
    Akshay Bagde, University of Glasgow, UK
     
  • Enhancing biohydrogen production from agricultural waste in dark fermentation
    Jayen Aris Kriswantoro, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia
     
  • Co-digestion of brewer's spent grain pulp and duckweed
    Jessica Di Mario / Alberto Maria Gambelli, University of Perugia, Italy
     
  • Tapping into rice straw's biomethane potential with hydrothermal pretreatment
    Pankaj Garkoti, IIT Bombay, India
     
  • Softwood lignin via GVL: high-purity recovery, ß-O-4 retention & trade-offs
    Medya Hatun Tanis, Lund University, Sweden
     
  • Hydroponics effluent to biochemical-rich biomass via microalgal photogranules
    Harshit Tiwari, Indian Institute of Technology, India
     
  • Biomass influence on fast pyrolysis products at 900° C for bio-based chemical looping
    Alice Wittmann / Guillaume Gerandi, Université de Haute-Alsace, France
     

Chairperson:
Elisabeth Wopienka, BEST, Austria

Conference dinner

Poster Presentations Biomass

  • Pellet combustion: strategies for the reduction of pollutant emissions
    Julien Cottineau / Julie Schobing, Université de Haute-Alsace, France
     
  • Ionic liquid-derived lignin pellets for clean combustion
    Marcell Gyurkač, National Institute of Chemistry, Slovenia
     
  • Biochar production and characterisation by pyrolysis of oil palm biomass
    Heidi Teran Pradilla / Akshkay Bagde, University of Glasgow, UK
     
  • Urban biomass to biochar: effect of sludge pyrolysis on phosphorus leachability
    Stella Špirochová, UCT Prague, Czech Republic
     
  • Techno-economic analysis of TAD of napier grass
    Gaganpreet Kaur / Rakesh Godara, NIT Jalandhar / SSS-NIBE, India
     
  • Interactions between natural hydrogen and natural gas hydrates
    Meku Maruyama, Keio University, Japan
     
  • Size effects of TMDs in electrocatalytic N2 reduction to NH3
    Yiğit Osman Akyıldız / Emre Aslan, Selçuk University, Türkiye
     
  • Pollutant and GHG quantification in tractors via thermal imaging processing
    Gabriel Juraski, State University of Campinas, Brazil
     
  • Advancing the water-energy-food nexus through tannery wastewater biorefineries
    Philadelphia Ngobeni / Ashton Mpofu, University of Cape Town / AfriVolve Group, South Africa
     
  • Biomass-based green H₂ via pyrolysis and photocatalysis
    Buket Güntay / Remzi Mısırlılar, Konya Science Center, Türkiye
     
  • Bio-energy management from a micro-algae biocomputational based reactor
    Maryam Roohabadi, University College Dublin, Ireland
     
  • A novel microalgae based pyrolysis route for enhanced methanol production
    Tuğçe Özcan / Oğuzhan Kaya, ERCET, Türkiye
     
  • Biomass interaction with NTP for syngas synthesis
    Wondmagegn Wonago Kululo, Wolkite University, India

Interested?

Mark your calender, register today and come join us at the Young Energy Researchers Conference 2026!

REGISTER NOW

The sole responsibility for the content of this webpage lies with the authors. It does not represent the opinion of the European Communities. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained there in.