Past Thesis Topics

Lisa Mangertseder (2023):

Investing in Carbon Dioxide Removal Startups: Private market investors’ risk perception of carbon dioxide removal startup investments

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) needs to be scaled-up at unprecedented speed to reach climate goals. Funding from private market investors is a critical lever to overcome the commercialisation hurdle. However, high investment risks hinder mobilising funding at the current development stage. Lisa investigated the perception of risk investments for CDR through 26 semi-structured interviews with private market investors from Europe, and found that a majority of interviewed investors are including investments in the CDR ecosystem, mostly driven by their expectation that CDR will become a “trillion dollar market”. Their investment decisions were affected by several risk categories, primarily technological risk, followed by market, impact, policy and societal risks. As the risk perception differed strongly per CDR method, de-risking needs to be specific to the CDR method. Based on the results, Lisa suggested that policy makers can help with de-risking investments by creating demand certainty. CDR startups can de-risk by providing certainty on technological development and proving that their methods have no adverse impacts.

Mikel Liu (2022):

Policy recommendations toward the decarbonization of the Swiss energy system

This Master thesis explored the synergies between decarbonization technologies and energy policies to achieve Switzerland’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. It employed the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), which is a systems dynamics model that represents all energy sectors of a country and evaluates the effects of more than 60 climate policies on various policy-relevant metrics. The EPS was adapted to the Swiss case and various policy mix scenarios were examined in terms of their potential to reduce emissions. The results showed that net-zero goals by 2050 cannot be achieved under the current climate policies. A comprehensive policy mix with a focus on electrification for transport and buildings and efficiency improvements for all sectors can reduce emissions by almost 75%. Nevertheless, as industry and agriculture remain challenging sectors to decarbonize, additional support for carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) and negative emission technologies (NET) is needed to reach net-zero emissions.

Gudrun Thorsdottir (2022):

Dynamic Pricing Optimization for the Collection of PET Bottles and Collection Potential for Other Material Streams

Efforts towards plastic packaging circularity involve increasing recycling rates and recycled content in packaging, but the major challenge lies in the limited capacity of the End-of-Life (EoL) management system. Gudrun’s thesis centered on the first and the most costly phase in the EoL system, the collection phase, which largely impacts costs and quality at later EoL stages. The thesis aimed to shed light on the largely unexplored realm of collection costs and optimal pricing methods for plastic packaging collection.

In her research, Gudrun proposed a dynamic pricing model factoring in both volume and economies of scale. This model was applied to a case study, using PET bottle collection data from Switzerland. Through analyzing the same dataset, the research uncovered information about collection costs in

general, enabling a comparison with rPET market prices. Furthermore, the thesis presented scenarios for expanding current collection strategies to include the collection of other plastic packaging material streams.

Alicia Lerbinger (2021):

Optimal decarbonization strategies for existing districts considering both energy systems and retrofits

This Master thesis focused on optimal decarbonization strategies for existing districts. A mixed-integer linear optimization model was presented that considered building-level investment decisions in retrofits and energy systems, as well as the option to expand existing district heating networks and install carbon capture and storage systems to reduce the network’s emissions. The model incorporated a long-term, multi-year horizon with multiple investment stages, allowing it to optimize the timing of investment decisions. The model was then applied to two urban districts in Chur, Switzerland. Results showed that retrofitting was a significant cost driver, while energy system choices and district heating played key roles in emissions reduction and cost-effectiveness.