DrChiara Candelise

Research interests:

Techno-economic analysis of energy technologies (focus on PV technologies)
Grid integration of distributed generation
Energy access and rural electrification (focus on PV minigrids)
Energy communities
Energy crowdfunding


Research Projects:

2025/2027 - UKRI Ayrton Challenge Programme "Moving Impact" project, exploring sustainable implementation in Sub-Saharan Afria of solar mini-grids intergrated with EV charging infrastructure and agricultural productive uses and support various community needs. Co-I lead of techno and socio-economic work package aiming at: techno-economic assessment of sustainable integrated mini-grids business models; survey based evaluation of mini-grids community and socio-economic impacts.

2023/2025 - Horizon Europe "MASTERPIECE" Project: Multidisciplinary Approaches and Software Technologies for Engagement, Recruitment and Participation in Innovative Energy Communities in Europe, studying innovative integrated tools for the development of energy-smart communities. Developed a survey on barriers and impacts of energy communities. Development of methodologies for impact (economic, environmental and social) assessment of energy communities.

2019/2022 - Co-I of H2020 project "COMETS - COllective action Models for Energy Transition and Social Innovation" - studying the role and contribution of citizen-driven Collective Action initiatives (e.g. energy communities, cooperatives, purchasing groups) to the EU energy transition.

2017/2022 - "Joint UK-India Clean Energy Centre - JUICE" - Co-I of WP4, Economic Value. JUICE is a joint virtual centre to solve the integration of intermittent renewable energy with energy storage for grid and isolated communities in India and UK with a view to grid connectivity.

2018 - "The use of crowdfunding as novel financial tool for district heating investments", research study under H2020 project TEMPO (Temperature Optimization for Low Temperature District Heatung across Europe).

2017 - "HiQStep project: Building Solar PV Study – High Quality Studies to Support the activities under the Eastern Partnership". Developing cost-benefit analysis for the staged development of building PVs and to formulate recommendations on how to enhance PV penetration in Eastern Partner countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine).

2014/2016 - 'LocalEnergy'. Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship. Interdisciplinary investigation into emerging and innovative business models for the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency, with a focus on community projects and shared ownership approaches. Woldwide review and analysis of the use of crowdfunding in the energy sector.

2013/2016 - 'PV2025 - Potential Costs and Benefits of Photovoltaics for UK-Infrastructure and Society'. EPSRC funded academic consortium to explore potential and implication of high penetration of PV in the UK energy system.

2013 - UK National Grid, Research Project. Review of evidence and methodologies for Impact Assessment of socioeconomic impacts of gas transportation and electricity transmission infrastructure.

2012/2013 - 'The potential of photovoltaic technologies for rural electrification and carbon emission mitigation in developing countries'. Imperial College led EPSRC Pathways to Impact project for the evaluation of the potential of emerging novel PV technologies to accelerated PV deployment in developing countries, with focus on India.

2012/2013 - 'Transformation of Top and Tail of Energy Networks'. Imperial College led collaborative project of 8 Universities funded by the EPSRC Grand Challenge Programme, focusing on the physical infrastructure change in energy networks required to move the UK to a low carbon economy, and achieve the Governments 2050 reduction in CO2 emissions target.

2012 - 'On picking winners'. Imperial College London/WWF research project aimed at exploring relative role of carbon tax versus target support to renewables in a portfolio of energy policies.

2011/2012 - UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), Technology and Policy Assessment (TPA) Electricity Cost Estimates Methodologies Project: assessment of methodologies employed in estimating future costs in the UK electricity generation sector and of generation technologies cost reduction potential

2009/2011 - PV Supergen Consortium - PV Materials for the 21st century. Techno-economic and market assessment of thin film PV technologies as part of an academic and industrial consortium developing and testing innovative thin film materials and design concepts.

2010/2011 - 'Expanding biomass and solar heating in public and private buildings via the energy services approach'. Intelligence Energy Europe (IEE), EU Commission BioSolEsco Project

2009 - ESRC-SSRC Collaborative Visiting Fellowship at 1. PPE Department, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro; 2. LABSOLAR and LabEEE, UFSC, Florianopolis, Brazil

2008 - UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), Energy 2050 project, London, UK. Responsible for the photovoltaics Advanced Technological Development scenarios and analysis.

2008 - UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) Energy Technology Learning Rates and Learning Effects project. Analysis of innovation processes (or 'learning effects') for emerging energy supply technologies.