UC Davis – Danish Universities: Advancing a Resilient Green Transition
 

In 2023, UC Davis launched a renewed partnership with Denmark’s leading technical universities—Aalborg University (AAU) and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU)—through a collaborative initiative titled ARGTREE (Advancing a Resilient Green Transition by Research, Education & Entrepreneurship). This initiative is part of the Global Innovation Network Programme (GINP), funded by the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science. The partnership is designed to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration in the areas of energy resilience, decarbonization, circular economy, and sustainable infrastructure development.

The ARGTREE initiative builds upon a rich history of collaboration between UC Davis and Danish institutions, dating back to 2008. After reestablishing connections in 2021, the current two-year grant was awarded in December 2022, setting the stage for a series of research, educational, and innovation-driven activities throughout 2023 and beyond. 

Collaborative Class Projects

In Spring 2023, UC Davis students worked directly with faculty and students from AAU and DTU through the “Path to Zero Net Energy” course, taught by Dr. Kurt Kornbluth. Two interdisciplinary projects emerged:

• AAU Collaboration – Power-to-X Mapping in Norway
  This project conducted geospatial and financial analyses of current and planned Power-to-X (PtX) infrastructure across Norway, offering insights into renewable energy development and fuel conversion technologies.
• DTU Collaboration – Smart EV Charging in Danish Homes
  Focused on modeling future electricity demand in Denmark, this project explored smart charging strategies to reduce peak loads, emissions, and consumer costs through flexible EV integration.

Graduate Delegation to Denmark

In September 2023, two UC Davis graduate students, Vedant Sinha and Brianna Dooley, traveled to Denmark to deepen the collaboration. Their visit included:

• Participation in the 9th International Smart Energy Systems Conference in Copenhagen, where they engaged with global experts on topics including dynamic pricing, thermal storage, district heating digitalization, and PtX on energy islands.
• Field research on the island of Bornholm, a model for decentralized renewable energy systems. The students met with the local energy company BEOF, visited thermal energy storage facilities, and studied the integration of EV infrastructure and district heating.
• Visits to DTU and AAU campuses, where they explored future collaboration areas such as smart and autonomous EV charging, cement decarbonization, and power grid balancing technologies. 

Outcomes and Future Directions

The first year of the ARGTREE initiative led to strengthened academic ties, high-impact student research, and the establishment of shared priorities for ongoing work. Planned next steps include:

• Continuing and potentially expanding joint student projects in 2024
• Facilitating Danish student exchanges or internships at UC Davis in summer or fall 2024
• Submitting research abstracts to the 2024 Smart Energy Systems Conference
• Advancing collaborative research in Power-to-X technologies, electrification of transport, and energy equity

The collaboration demonstrates the value of combining academic rigor, international exchange, and real-world systems thinking to address the global climate and energy challenges of the 21st century.