Thesis Work – Local Energy Resilience Hubs During Crises

Are you a student looking to apply your knowledge to real-world solutions that support the energy transition? With us, you will have the opportunity to complete your thesis project close to the business, working alongside experienced specialists and tackling challenges where your ideas and perspectives can make a real difference. 

About the thesis project

At Digital Energy Solutions, we develop Vattenfall’s digital solutions that enable more efficient, flexible, and secure energy systems. This thesis project, conducted in collaboration with the Church of Sweden and Uppsala University, explores how selected church properties can function as local energy and resilience hubs during power outages and other disruptions.

The project will investigate how churches can provide essential services such as heating, lighting, communication, charging, and safe gathering spaces, while identifying the technical, organizational, and financial conditions needed to make such solutions feasible.

The thesis may include

• Mapping the needs and incentives of key stakeholders, such as parishes, municipalities, energy companies, grid operators, and local communities.
• Evaluating business and collaboration models for resilience hubs.
• Conducting interviews, surveys, and workshops.
• Assessing critical electricity loads and the potential role of batteries and bidirectional electric vehicle charging.

Research question

How can selected church properties function as local energy and resilience hubs during electricity outages and other disruptions, and what technical, business, and collaboration arrangements are needed to enable and operate such solutions?

Expected outcome

The thesis aims to identify practical business and collaboration models and provide recommendations for implementing and scaling church-based resilience hubs.

Scope

• Master's thesis (30 ECTS credits)
• One master’s student

We are looking for student(s) who are about to complete their academic studies and are eager to apply their knowledge in a real-world setting through a thesis project at Vattenfall. You are someone who shares our values and identifies with our principles: Active, Open, Positive and Safety. 

• Master’s student in Energy Systems, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
• Interest in energy resilience, flexibility, distributed energy resources, and local energy systems.
• Interest in business models, stakeholder collaboration, and sustainable energy solutions.
• Ability to combine qualitative analysis with quantitative assessments.
• Experience with interviews, surveys, workshops, or case study research is meritorious.
• Knowledge of batteries, electric vehicles, bidirectional charging, flexibility services, or energy communities is meritorious.
• Strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to work across disciplines.
• Master's thesis (30 ECTS credits).
• Fluent in Swedish and English, both written and spoken.

• Start date: Mid of January 2027, exact starting date is by agreement.
• Location: Solna, Stockholm, with possible visits to selected church properties and participating organizations.
• Application – one file containing both your CV and a copy of your transcripts.
• Application deadline: 2026-10-18, the hiring process is ongoing, therefore please apply as soon as possible,
• Contact person and supervisor at Vattenfall: Omar Zabian, omar1.zabian@vattenfall.com.

Diversity and Inclusion – In Everything We Do 

At Vattenfall, we value being Active, Positive, Open, and Safety-conscious. We are looking for employees who share our vision and can contribute to strengthening our company culture. We believe that diversity helps build a more successful and attractive company, and we strive to be role models in diversity and inclusion. Vattenfall actively works to ensure that all employees have equal opportunities and rights, regardless of age, ethnic or cultural background, gender identity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or disability. Read more about how we work with diversity and inclusion here. 

Vattenfall is part of Sweden’s critical infrastructure, and many of our positions are therefore classified from a security perspective. If this position is security-classified, a security screening will be conducted prior to employment in accordance with the Swedish Security Protection Act. 

Vattenfall is a leading European energy company serving approximately 12 million customers and employing around 21,000 people. We believe there is a way to build a future where everyone can choose fossil-free ways to move, make, and live.