From energy research to decision-ready solutions
What is ENERGY SYSTEMS ANALYTICS all about?
- Optimising complex energy systems for flexibility, reliability and cost-effectiveness.
- Assessing environmental, economic and social impacts across technologies and value chains.
- Advancing sustainable mobility, battery management and digital energy solutions.
- Informing policy, regulation and market design for a fair and effective energy transition.
Energy systems analytics
Energy Systems Analytics accelerates the clean energy transition through the intelligent integration of complex energy systems. Combining modelling, optimisation, sustainability assessment and economic analysis, the department develops tools, methods and evidence to improve system performance, reduce risks and support better decisions for industry, policymakers and society across the entire energy value chain.
Intelligent energy systems integration
Advanced solutions for the optimisation and control of integrated energy systems, including flexibility management, digital twins and system planning, supporting the grid integration of distributed and renewable energy resources.
Sustainable mobility and battery management
Smart and bidirectional charging solutions for electric mobility, combined with battery modelling, state-of-health estimation and second-life approaches for more efficient transport and storage systems.
Energy economics, social and regulatory assessment
Techno-economic feasibility analysis, business model evaluation, regulatory frameworks and social dimensions — including energy poverty and consumer behaviour — informing inclusive and effective energy policies and market design.
Life cycle sustainability and circularity
Integrated LCA, life cycle costing and social LCA methodologies supporting eco-design, circularity and battery passport frameworks aligned with Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles and emerging sustainability regulations.
Our activity at a glance
The department brings together a multidisciplinary team of researchers and specialists working across its core research areas. Our work combines fundamental research, technology development and applied validation, engaging with academic institutions, industry partners and public bodies to generate knowledge and solutions with real-world impact.
A department expert team
Our research lines
Research lines
- Energy Systems Integration
- Energy Economics, Social and Regulatory Impact Assessment
- Energy Technology LCA and Sustainability
Energy Systems Integration develops intelligent energy management solutions for flexible and connected systems. Its work spans optimisation methods — LP, MILP and stochastic approaches — AI and machine learning for forecasting, digital twins for system planning, battery state estimation and smart bidirectional charging. By combining modelling with experimental validation in the IREC SmartLab, the group helps industry and grid operators reduce operating costs, improve asset utilisation and accelerate the integration of renewables and storage into the energy system.
Focused on the interface between energy systems, markets, regulation and society, this group conducts techno-economic assessment, evaluates business models for aggregators and energy communities, and analyses social acceptance, energy poverty, equity and consumer behaviour. Its regulatory analysis and scenario modelling help policymakers, developers and investors design fair and viable pathways for the deployment of innovative energy technologies.
This group develops methodologies and digital tools to minimise the environmental and social footprint of energy technologies throughout their life cycle. Expertise covers integrated LCA, LCC and social LCA aligned with Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles, prospective assessment, eco-design, circularity and battery passport development for batteries, hydrogen and electronics, serving companies and public administrations seeking to assess and reduce the impact of their activities.
People
A skilled team dedicated to advancing the energy transition.
Projects
Competitive and industrial projects from lab to real-world scale.
Publications
Peer-reviewed outputs at the forefront of energy research.
Facilities
Facilities
The department’s experimental infrastructure centres on the IREC SmartLab, a flexible shared environment for testing and validating integrated energy solutions under realistic operating conditions. It brings together microgrid and grid emulation capabilities, battery characterisation and testing benches, EV charger and V2G equipment, and SCADA and energy management systems.
Digital infrastructure supports modelling and sustainability assessment across the energy value chain. This includes the CTHULHU high-performance computing server, GAMS optimisation licences, and Ecoinvent, GaBi and Brightway licences for life cycle assessment.
Tech Transfer
Energy Systems Analytics combines applied research with strong transfer potential, turning models, methods and digital tools into practical solutions for industry and public stakeholders. Its outcomes include the CASE software platform, transferred to Bamboo Energy — an IREC spin-off commercialising energy management and storage dimensioning tools — and battery health and remaining-life estimation tools delivered to SEAT and Nissan. Vehicle-to-grid integration solutions and a state-of-charge algorithm licensed to Cellect reflect the range of its transfer activity.
Researchers from the department contribute to standardisation bodies and European regulatory working groups on battery reuse, digital product passports and the UNE 0075:2023 standard for the reuse of mobility batteries in stationary applications, reinforcing ESA’s role as a reference in sustainable energy technology transfer.
News
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IREC strengthens international collaboration on the life-cycle impacts through the IEA
IREC has contributed to the recently completed IEA TCP on Electric Vehicles Task 46, a global initiative assessing the full life-cycle environmental impacts of electric trucks, buses, specialised vehicles and V2X services. The project, led by Joanneum Research (Austria), brought together partners from Austria, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the UK,…
Read more: IREC strengthens international collaboration on the life-cycle impacts through the IEAPablo Fernández Martínez
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A plan to adapt schools to climate change was presented today
A report prepared by a group of experts from the climate, health, social and education fields warns about the growing impact of heat in classrooms and states that, from 2030 onwards, there could be up to 65 days during the period school with temperature and humidity conditions that exceed heat index of 27°C — nearly…
Read more: A plan to adapt schools to climate change was presented todayPablo Fernández Martínez
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IREC researchers participate at the XI 10alamenos9 Festival
IREC is proud to take part in the 11th edition of 10alamenos9 Festival, the National event of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, held this year on Saturday, 9 May 2026 at the Museu de la Ciència CosmoCaixa in Barcelona. The festival, which gathers some of Spain’s leading research centres and universities working in nanotechnology, is designed for family audiences and recommended for…
Read more: IREC researchers participate at the XI 10alamenos9 FestivalPablo Fernández Martínez
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