Facing the urgent need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, district heating and cooling networks are a key lever for urban energy transition. However, their optimization and integration of renewable energies require new skills. The European project SHaKE, a collaboration between Mines Paris – PSL, the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), and the Universitat Jaume I de Castellón, addresses this need by offering six free educational modules in English.
These modules, stemming from European cooperation and funded by Erasmus+, cover the entire energy systems chain: from introductions to heat and cold networks, to building demands, sustainable production sources, cold networks, advanced systems, and the renovation of existing infrastructure. They are designed for students, doctoral candidates, teachers, and industry professionals.
The objective is to pool knowledge and enhance skills for the design and operation of more efficient and sustainable networks. Urban energy systems are becoming increasingly complex, integrating diverse energy sources, including renewables and waste heat, and requiring constant optimization of control to minimize losses and ensure proper functioning.
The modules, developed by experts such as Pascal Stabat, Antoine Fabre (Mines Paris – PSL), Balazs Bokor (BME), and Adrián Mota Babiloni (Universitat Jaume I), address various issues reflecting diverse European contexts. They include practical aspects like assessing needs, sizing equipment, and data analysis for fault detection.
Beyond producing educational materials, the SHaKE project also organized a week of international blended mobility in Spring 2026 at Mines Paris – PSL. This initiative allowed students and doctoral candidates from the three institutions to work on concrete case studies, including a technical visit to a district heating network in Bagneux, further reinforcing the practical application of the teachings.
These educational resources are made freely available in open access, aiming to widely disseminate the skills needed for evolving energy systems. The ambition is to train engineers capable of designing, sizing, operating, and improving tomorrow's networks, thereby actively contributing to the energy transition.
