Master Thesis - Policy Instruments for the scale-up of Direct Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide

The energy transition is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. At the Institute of Climate and Energy Systems – Jülich Systems Analysis (ICE-2), we develop strategies for renewable and cost-optimized energy systems of the future. To do this, we use powerful energy system models with a wide range of spatial resolutions and modeling focuses to perform realistic analyses. If you would like to support us in this endeavor, join our Energy System Transformation team at the Institute of Climate and Energy Systems – Jülich System Analysis (ICE-2) and make an important contribution to our research with your master`s thesis.

Your Job

Negative emissions will play a key role in achieving global carbon neutrality and limiting global warming. Direct Air Capture (DAC) is a promising carbon dioxide (CO2) removal technology that captures CO2 directly from the atmosphere. It is highly scalable, can be deployed in a wide range of locations, and enables accurate monitoring of the removed CO2. When combined with permanent geological storage, DAC can provide long-term negative emissions. However, DAC is currently associated with high investment costs and substantial energy demand, making the cost of CO2 removal very high. Policy support is therefore essential to accelerate deployment, reduce costs through technological learning and enable the transition from first-of-a-kind (FOAK) to nth-of-a-kind (NOAK) systems.

The objective of this master thesis is to evaluate the economic impact of different policy instruments on DAC economics. You will review existing policies for DAC and model the impact of these on the cost of CO2 capture and economic feasibility. In addition, your analysis will compare support requirements for FOAK and NOAK systems to assess how policy needs may evolve over time.

The thesis work will include the following tasks:

• Review of existing, planned, and proposed policy instruments for DAC
• Development of a cash flow model in Python to model the policy impacts
• Assessment of policy support levels and types for enabling DAC scaling
• Comparison of policy requirements for FOAK and NOAK DAC systems

Your Profile

• Very good academic performance in a master’s program in engineering or economic disciplines
• Experience with Python programming and Microsoft Excel
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken
• Strong interest in energy technologies, climate policy, and carbon dioxide removal
• Highly motivated with the ability to work independently and analytically
• Strong organizational, self-management, and time-management skills

Our Benefits for You

We work on the very latest issues that impact our society and are offering you the chance to actively help in shaping the change! We support you in your work with:

• Meaningful Tasks: Your thesis deals with a future-oriented, socially relevant topic with direct practical relevance in an international environment
• Scientific environment: You can expect excellent scientific equipment, modern technologies, and qualified support from experienced colleagues
• International Team: A pleasant working environment within an international team at one of the most prestigious research facilities in Europe
• Flexibility: Organize your working hours flexibly and take advantage of the opportunity to work successfully from home
• Fixed-Term: The position is limited to 6 months
• Fair remuneration: We will pay you a reasonable remuneration for your thesis
• Perspective: If you have the appropriate qualifications and funding is available, the institute offers the opportunity to pursue a doctorate after completing your master`s thesis. In addition, there is the option of publishing the results in a scientific journal as a co-author

In addition to exciting tasks and a collegial working environment, we offer you much more: https://go.fzj.de/benefits

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, e.g. in terms of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation / identity, and social, ethnic and religious origin. A diverse and inclusive working environment with equal opportunities in which everyone can realize their potential is important to us.

The following links provide further information on diversity and equal opportunities: https://go.fzj.de/equality and on specific support options for women: https://go.fzj.de/womens-job-journey