E. Kükrer

Dr. Ergin Kukrer is a mechanical engineer with a background in heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and energy systems. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at TU Delft, where he investigates the integration of thermal storage into energy infrastructures to support the energy transition.

Ergin Kukrer’s research focuses on system integration in thermal energy infrastructures, with a particular interest in how storage technologies can enhance the flexibility, resilience, and sustainability of heating and cooling systems.

His work spans multiple scales — from individual buildings to district-level networks — and involves the integration of various energy system components such as thermal storage, heat pumps, building demand, and geo-energy resources. He develops and applies dynamic modeling frameworks to assess long-term system performance and control strategies under real-world operating conditions.

He contributes to several interdisciplinary research projects funded by the European Union and the Netherlands, including:

• PUSH-IT – Storing excess heat from geothermal wells in high-temperature aquifer systems (HT-ATES) to better align supply and demand in district heating networks.
• TRIPLET – Designing autonomous heating and cooling systems based on innovative triple well ATES configurations and integrated energy supply.
• Energy Quay Wall Projects – Designing and assessing system configurations that integrate surface water heat extraction into quay wall infrastructure, with a focus on energy performance, spatial integration, and urban decarbonization.

Through these projects, Ergin bridges components of energy systems across subsurface, surface, and urban infrastructure domains, supporting the development of scalable and low-carbon energy solutions.