Interview of Prof. Dr Michael Schmidt – Coordinator of WP13

Published on May 14, 2025

Project ASIMUTE is a European multidisciplinary research project that gathers women and men from various walks of life. Their experiences may be different but the people involved in the project are committed to the advancement of science. Let’s learn about their personal paths and motivations through a series of portraits.

For this second installment, WP13 coordinator, Pr. Michael Schmidt, saved us some time in his busy schedule to answer our questions.

For this second installment, WP13 coordinator, Pr. Michael Schmidt, took some time in his busy schedule to answer our questions.

Michael Schmidt

INES - Institut für Nachhaltige Energiesysteme

Question 1: What is your personal path ? What led you to have a scientific career ?

Prof. Schmidt: My journey into science wasn’t a straight line but a winding road with unexpected turns. I started in mathematics, drawn to its elegance and logic, but soon realized I wanted to apply my knowledge to real-world challenges. That led me to industry, where I chose to work in energy—a sector that powers so much progress yet, at the same time, poses one of the greatest threats to our planet due to the way we produce and consume it. That’s why I joined GE Global Research, where I led the Renewable Energy and Powers Systems group, focusing on energy systems and sustainability.

After five years in industry, I discovered that my real passion lies in academia. The freedom to explore complex questions, combined with the opportunity to inspire and shape the next generation of engineers, is an unbeatable mix.

Question 2: Why did you choose this area of research ?

Prof. Schmidt: Energy systems—especially energy management and smart grids—are fascinating because they bring together many challenges, real-world impact, and cutting-edge technology. Our power grids are the largest machines ever built by humans, yet we must transform them while they are running—like trying to upgrade an airplane mid-flight. This transformation is about more than just physics and engineering. It involves huge investments, massive markets, human behavior, and new technologies like data science, AI, and modern communication networks. Everything is connected. The challenge of making these systems smarter, more efficient, and future-proof is what makes this field so exciting to me.

Our goal is to simplify and improve coordination, making energy systems more flexible and resilient

Question 3: How is your area of research related to the project ?

Prof. Schmidt: Microgrid and prosumer optimization, along with their coordination, has been a long-term focus of our research group. With our own research microgrid, we explore how decentralized energy systems can operate efficiently. A key challenge is interoperability—many coordination methods are complex and require extensive communication, making real-world implementation difficult. In ASIMUTe, particularly in WP13, we aim to develop robust decentralized energy management approaches that require minimal data exchange while ensuring high interoperability. Our goal is to simplify and improve coordination, making energy systems more flexible and resilient.

Question 4: What was the initial question you asked yourself at the beginning of the project ?

Prof. Schmidt: The big question was: How can decentralized energy systems coordinate effectively without excessive communication overhead? We know that smart local energy management can bring enormous benefits, but many existing approaches are either too complex or too dependent on centralized control. So, the challenge was to find a way to keep microgrids and prosumers flexible, efficient, and resilient—without drowning in data exchange.

Question 5: Have you answered this question so far?

Prof. Schmidt: We’re making great progress, but the journey isn’t over. We’ve identified promising decentralized strategies that minimize communication while maintaining efficiency. Inspired by Dynamic Operating Envelopes from Australia, we see great potential in adaptive grid constraints, where local energy management optimizes within dynamic limits. This approach enhances grid stability while maximizing flexibility use, but refining it for practical, scalable implementation in EU remains a key challenge.

Question 6: What can you share with us about your current findings without revealing too much?

Prof. Schmidt: We have promising first results based on real grid data from our close collaboration with grid operators. Our findings are shaping up, and we’re currently preparing our first publications—stay tuned, they’ll be out soon!

Question 7: Looking forward to them! When and why did you start working on environment-related projects ?

Prof. Schmidt: My interest in sustainability started during my mathematics studies at TU Berlin, where my minor was in Technical Environmental Protection. Later, at GE Global Research, I worked on renewable energy integration, which deepened my focus on sustainable energy systems. Since then, making energy smarter and greener has been a key part of my research.

No matter how smart or efficient a solution is, it will only succeed if people and markets embrace it

Question 8: Have you worked or are you working on other environment-related projects? And, if so, would you mind telling us about their goals and/or results?

I’ve worked on many, many projects in the past and continue to do so—too many to describe them all! But they all share a common goal: making the most of the least resources. My work spans prosumer flexibility, industrial flexibility, smart charging, energy monitoring and data analysis, and distribution grid simulation and optimization. One exciting project I’m currently working on is GrECCo, where we explore how energy communities can actively contribute to grid stability while maximizing their own renewable energy use. These projects involve many industrial and international partners, aiming to push the boundaries of efficiency, sustainability, and grid resilience.

Question 9: Why is energy optimization important on a European scale ?

Prof. Schmidt: Europe’s energy system is highly interconnected, and optimizing it is key to ensuring stability, affordability, and sustainability. With growing shares of renewables, efficient coordination across borders allows us to balance supply and demand and enhance grid resilience. Smart optimization also helps reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports, making Europe more energy-independent and climate-friendly. In short, a well-optimized energy system is essential for achieving Europe’s ambitious climate and energy goals while keeping the lights on everywhere.

Question 10: Are you excited about other projects, be they yours or somebody else’s ?

Prof. Schmidt: Absolutely! I’m particularly excited about developments in AI-driven energy management, battery storage innovations, and bidirectional charging. These technologies have huge potential, but the real challenge isn’t just technical—it’s economics and, most importantly, public acceptance and support. No matter how smart or efficient a solution is, it will only succeed if people and markets embrace it. Science needs to play a stronger role, not just in developing new technologies, but also in addressing these real-world bottlenecks and shaping policies that make sustainable energy solutions viable at scale.