Heriot-Watt University's School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences has been awarded a significant grant by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
The grant forms part of a wider effort by the University's Dr Stan Zachary and Professor Serguei Foss to set up a laboratory looking at the mathematics of energy systems.
Areas currently being explored include challenges in the generation and distribution of non-fossil-fuel electrical power and market forces.
The EPSRC is the main UK government agency for funding research and training in engineering and the physical sciences. It currently invests more than £850 million a year.
Dr Zachary also gained a related Scottish Funding Council SPIRIT grant earlier this year, entitled 'Mathematical Methods for the Integration of renewables into the Electricity Network'. This forms part of a two-year Knowledge Exchange programme with the major energy utilities, in particular National Grid and Scottish and Southern Energy.