On November 3rd, 2025, Maxime Vrain successfully defended his PhD thesis titled “What place will district heating networks have in the 2050 European energy system?”
The work was carried out at PERSEE – Mines Paris – PSL, under the supervision of Robin Girard and in collaboration with Réseau de Transport d’Électricité under the Dispositif Cifre.
His research examines the role of District Heating Networks (DHNs) in Europe’s energy transition, proposing new methods to model their operation and integration within multi-energy systems. The results show that electrified DHNs could help reduce system costs, limit reliance on green methane, and enhance flexibility in the power sector.
A heartfelt thank you to the jury members for their time, insightful feedback, and valuable contributions to the defense:
Congratulations to Maxime!