NexSys

Renewable energy system showing solar panels and wind turbines

What is NexSys?

Energy decarbonisation will play a vital role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change. But the societal and technical challenges inherent in decarbonisation are set to endure into the mid-21st century and will require a whole-of-society approach encompassing academia, industry, government, and citizens.

Launched in January 2022, NexSys is a SFI Strategic Partnership Programme which brings together expertise from academia and industry, while also facilitating engagement with society and policy makers, with the aim of guiding Ireland to a net zero carbon by 2050 by tackling the many challenges associated with decarbonisation of energy. NexSys is the first ever second-term award to be funded under the SFI Strategic Partnership Programme, building on the deep expertise and strong stakeholder collaborations developed through the previous Strategic Partnership award, ESIPP (Energy Systems Integration Partnership Programme).

What is the challenge, and how is NexSys meeting it?

Energy decarbonisation is one of the world’s most pressing challenges. NexSys seeks to support the transition to a Next Generation Energy System, enabling the delivery of decarbonised energy for the benefit of society, de-risking the transition through the development of low carbon technology pathways and building climate hazard resilience, while nurturing future key talent and providing an evidence base for policy and a just transition. The partnership aligns with key government priorities in the area of carbon reduction, as outlined in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020, where Ireland commits to becoming a climate neutral economy by 2050 following on from the European Green Deal.

“NexSys is about the future of our energy system and the urgent decisions and actions to be taken to accelerate the transition to net-zero, with a credible evidence base borne out of partnership. By 2027, NexSys envisages that we will have identified credible and accelerated pathways for a just, net zero energy system, and we will have developed technologies and talent needed for the energy transition.”
Professor Andrew Keane, Director of NexSys and the UCD Energy Institute

Who is involved in NexSys?

NexSys is hosted by the UCD Energy Institute. The consortium is comprised of 9 academic partners and 9 industry co-funding partners. The academic partners are UCD, DCU, ESRI, Maynooth University, NUI Galway, Queen's University Belfast, Trinity College Dublin, UCC and Ulster University. The industry co-funding partners include EirGrid, ESB, Gas Networks Ireland, SSE, RWE, Davy, EPRI, Atlantic Hub and CIÉ. In addition, NexSys has an extensive network of collaborating partners, which will be essential in providing an evidence base for policy and delivery of services.

Graphic showing the logos on academic and industry partners

NexSys Projects

Energy Systems research is at the core of NexSys programme, and it is linked to four research strands. The research strands are Cities and Communities, Transport, Water, and Offshore Wind. Four cross-cutting themes of Data, Society, Finance and Climate are also woven throughout the programme. The NexSys programme also comprises of ‘Hub’ and ‘Targeted’ projects, with fundamental and applied research of the highest academic standards.

Partners include EIRGRID, RWE, EPRI, CIE, Gas Networks Ireland, DAVY, ESB, SSE.

How do industry partners benefit from the partnership?

The partnership directly supports industry in preparing for and transitioning to a low carbon economy. Four industry partners were previously part of ESIPP and have doubled their financial commitment to NexSys, a clear indication of the benefit to industry from the partnership with SFI.

NexSys (and previously ESIPP) is helping ESB and EirGrid to deliver the infrastructure needed for a safe and secure grid with increasing levels of renewable generation.

“ESB is a founding member of the original partnership (ESIPP) with UCD and industry and we are very pleased to continue that partnership through NexSys. Over that time, we have gained huge insights from our involvement with UCD Energy Institute on the many challenges of moving to a de-carbonised energy system. We expect the NexSys programme to provide further learnings and opportunities for engagement with all of the stakeholders involved.” - Marguerite Sayers, Deputy CEO, ESB

“As a founding industry partner of this exciting programme, EirGrid is delighted to work with others as we try to solve this challenge of decarbonisation. This programme exemplifies the best practice of utilising our collective resources – financial and intellectual – and increasing the potential of finding a solution to an issue that will improve the lives and outcomes of everyone in the country.” - Mark Foley, CEO, EirGrid

Gas Networks Ireland, the operator of Ireland’s €2.7bn, 14,664km national gas network is another continuing NexSys industry partner.

The CIÉ Group also plays a critical role in reducing emissions from the transport sector. NexSys aligns to the company’s sustainability plans and priorities and will contribute greatly to addressing the key challenges in decarbonising the transport fleet across the Group.

“CIÉ Group is working to deliver decarbonisation of the transport sector and stimulate large-scale modal shift to sustainable transport modes. Achieving this goal necessitates evidence-led research, planning and decision making. The NexSys programme brings together industry and academic experts to deliver cross-sectoral solutions to our challenges.” - Caoimhe Donnelly, CIÉ Group Sustainability Officer

How do academic partners benefit from the partnership?

By working with industry, academic partners can design and develop their research to maximise the possibility of harnessing the knowledge into actionable intelligence and implementation. Through the partnership, early career researchers also benefit by gaining experience and training in education and public engagement, research communication and other industry-relevant skills.

“A big all-island research programme can achieve so much more than any single institution - diversity among disciplines, institutions, and culture is a key strength and multidisciplinary research reflects the nature of the multifaceted, real-world issues we address in the energy transition."
Professor Lisa Ryan, Co-PI, Society Theme Lead , NexSys

Research Impact

NexSys will answer some of the fundamental research questions when it comes to the transition to net zero. In its aim to contribute to the development of a sustainable, just and economical energy transition in Ireland, where all citizens have secure, reliable and affordable renewal energy supplies, NexSys directly aligns with key government priorities in the area of carbon reduction. The increasing importance of citizen participation in the transition to a low carbon economy is highlighted in the Climate Action Plan.

One of the overarching themes of NexSys is society, the objective of which is to understand the social implications of the clean energy transition and how to engage different publics in the transition. Ultimately, building on past successes, NexSys aims to have identified credible and accelerated pathways for a net zero energy system by 2027, as well as technologies and talent needed for the energy transition.