Get to know Thomas Geury from VUB!
Thomas is a senior researcher at the EPOWERS research group within the MOBI research centre at the VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), with a background in power electronics and smart grids.
He is the project manager for iSTORMY.
What was your original motivation to become a researcher/project manager?
I was involved in the proposal preparation for iSTORMY, and I was really enthusiastic about contributing to the realization of the work we had defined. I thought the combination of battery, power electronics and grid-related topics was really interesting and I was willing to investigate the subjects further, also considering the good discussions we had at the proposal stage.
What is your (main) research area today?
My main research area is on power electronics for different applications, including the automotive and stationary sectors. That includes electric vehicles charging and powertrain, stationary energy storage systems, grid integration of renewable assets, etc.
What is the main focus of your team in iSTORMY?
Our VUB team has focused on the co-design optimization of the whole storage system, including battery packs and power electronics interface configuration. Currently, we are finalizing the digital twin modelling of the power electronics interfaces and the self-healing energy management for the whole system.
Could you describe your favourite moment/satisfaction when working for the project and – more in general – for your organisation?
The main technical satisfaction came at the moment of finalizing the design optimization for the whole system, finally reaching an optimal system configuration and solving the constraints that had been the focus of long discussions between partners. And of course the first face-to-face meeting at the GA in Mondragon, Spain 😊
How do you expect iSTORMY results will affect your organisation and the energy storage sector?
iSTORMY is our flagship project for self-healing EMS and digital twin activities so we expect to build a solid base for future EU projects with advanced modelling and control activities, which we believe will be crucial in the next few years for the power electronics and the stationary storage sectors.
Which partner would you like to nominate next for this coffee break?
TNO.