The Center for Energy and Processes (CEP), which was set up in 1976, is a joint research center MINES ParisTech - ARMINES, one of the main research laboratories in France on Energy Efficiency and Future Energy Systems. It is run by Didier MAYER. It currently has a staff of around 160, and more than 100 students, spread over for locations: Paris, Palaiseau, Fontainebleau and Sophia Antipolis.

RESEARCH

The CEP has developed skills in many fields that are useful for studying the transformation of matter and energy. Attention focuses on complex energy systems, particularly in transient conditions, and on controlling their emissions. This thematic diversity enables the Centre to carry out its training and research tasks, and the dissemination of the latest technological developments in all sectors of activity.

Each of the Center’s four sites conducts research in the following three main areas:

1 : Industrial processes and energy
2 : Energy infrastructures
3 : Nanomaterials and energy

In Sophia Antipolis, there are about sixty staff and thirty students at CEP. The Deputy director is Thierry RANCHIN. The research activities are divided among the following four teams:

enr

EnR – Renewable Energy (head of the group: Georges KARINIOTAKIS): Wind power: resource prediction and integration into an electricity-free market – Hybrid, mini-grid and smartgrids systems: sizing, performance analysis, energy management, operational optimisation, demand side prediction – Energy planning.

emp

EM&P – Energy, Materials & Processes (head of the group: Arnaud RIGACCI): Development of materials with energy application and structural characteristics: silica or carbon aerogels and xerogels; organic, inorganic and hybrid (transparent insulation, superinsulation, electrode materials) – Processes for the storage and conversion of energy: hydrogen industry, direct photo-production of hydrogen by photolysis and photo-electrolysis of water based on titanium dioxide (TiO2), fuel cells, super-capacities, lilthium-ion batteries, new techniques for storing and fuel re-forming (non-polluting vehicles, co-generation for stationary applications, portable applications).

plasma

Plasma – Plasma conversion processes (head of the group: Laurent FULCHERI): Development of thermal and non-thermal plasma processes for energy and environmental issues - Fuel Conversion (fossil and biomass) : reforming, gasification, Gas to Liquid transformation - Gas phase synthesis of nanomaterials (Carbon canotubes, fullerenes and TiO2) oriented towards energy related applications.

omd

OMD – Observation, Modeling, Decision (head of the group: Philippe BLANC): Development and application of methods for estimating geophysical parameters and other information, for renewable energy (i.e., solar, wind, on-shore and off-shore) – Geophysical and meteorological parameters databases for solar and wind energy – Dissemination of sets of information through a one-stop shop (www.soda-is.com, www.dataforwind.com) – Environnemental impacts and Life Cycle Analysis of energy uses – Representation of spatial information (GIS: geographical information systems).

TEACHING - STUDIES

CEP SOPHIA is actively involved in training the state technical corps engineers as well as MINES ParisTech Civil Engineers: Common-core syllabus – Specialized teaching – “Machines and Energy” Option – Personalized teaching: general integration modules (MIG). The Center carries out TPES (specialized teaching practical work) in its own laboratories during both the ATHENS-ParisTech European events and option periods.

Post-Master degree:

CEP SOPHIA oversees the following two specialized courses:

Renewable energies (EnR)

with EUREC Agency (EUropean Renewable Energy Centres) and several european universities: Loughborough, Saragosse, Oldenbourg, Newcastle, Athens, Kassel.
Internet : http://www.eurec.be/

International Energy Management «ALternatives for a sustainable Energy Future » (ALEF)

with INSA Lyon (France) and Tsinghua University (Beijing, China).
Internet : http://www.am2e.ensmp.fr

PhD studies :

The PhD students are enrolled either at the “Energy conversion” (run by Lucien WALD) or “Chemical engineering” (run by Dominique RICHON) speciality, in the doctoral school SMI « Sciences des Métiers de l’Ingénieur » n° 432 commune à commune à Arts et Métiers ParisTech (ENSAM, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers) et à MINES ParisTech (ENSMP, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris).

Training :

Individually designed training sessions for companies are also organized on a regular basis, in the form of specialized weekly courses (e.g. on GIS).

A teaching coordination unit (“Cellule Coordination Enseignement”: CCE – manager: : François-Pascal NEIRAC) is responsible for coordinating CEP SOPHIA’s teaching activities.

Website: http://www-cep.cma.fr/

Welcome to CEP in Sophia Antipolis

RESEARCH

TEACHING - STUDIES

Training :

Update : 03/11/2010