Thomas Deetjen, Ph.D.

Position: Research Associate

Biography

Dr. Thomas Deetjen has 10 years of experience in technoeconomic system modeling for both industry and academic research projects. He uses computational modeling techniques to explore issues at the intersection of technology, policy, environment, and economics.

Thomas’ work focuses on energy topics with particular interest in renewables integration, building energy efficiency, thermal energy storage, and hydrogen economies. Currently, he is developing a model of the Texas Gulf Coast hydrogen economy to support the UT-CEM’s efforts on a Department of Energy H2@Scale award. This project will study the opportunities for expanding Texas’ existing hydrogen markets and networks.

Education

• Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 2018
• B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 2010

Current Projects

• H2@Scale demonstration and framework for Texas and Beyond
• Decarbonization Scenarios for Texas
• Assessing the Value of Flexible Electric Heating

Research Areas

• Energy systems modeling
• Power sector: renewables integration, power plant dispatch, capacity expansion
• Building sector: thermal energy storage, electrification, energy management
• Cross-sector energy systems: industrial ecology, urban energy systems, hydrogen economy

About Me

• Board game enthusiast
• Independent author

Selected Publications

1. Deetjen, T. A., Azevedo, I. L. (2020) Climate and health benefits of rapid coal-to-gas fuel switching in the U.S. power sector offset methane leakage and production cost increases. Environmental Science & Technology. (In Press) https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b06499
2. Deetjen, T. A., Azevedo, I. L. (2019) A reduced-order dispatch model for simulating marginal emissions factors for the U.S. power sector. Environmental Science & Technology 53, 10506-10513
3. Deetjen, T. A., Vitter, J. S., Reimers, A. S., Webber, M. E. (2018) Optimal dispatch and equipment sizing of a residential central utility plant for improving rooftop solar integration. Energy 147, 1044-1059
4. Deetjen, T. A., Reimers, A. S.,Webber, M. E. (2018) Can storage reduce electricity consumption? A general equation for the grid-wide efficiency impacts of using cooling thermal storage for load shifting. Environmental Research Letters 13.2, 024013
5. Deetjen, T. A., Rhodes, J. D., Webber, M. E. (2017) The impacts of wind and solar on grid flexibility requirements in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Energy 123, 637-654