About

Dr. Mashael Yazdanie is a Scientist and Group Leader of Macro-Energy Systems at the Urban Energy Systems Laboratory. She has a background in engineering and over 15 years of experience in energy systems modeling and analysis, including applications in solar, ocean, wind, and biogas energy, electric mobility, decentralized generation, and local energy systems planning. She has collaborated with leading institutes on sustainability and climate resilience issues, including the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability. In her latest work leading the MEASURES project, she worked with research institutes in Ghana (KNUST and UENR) to improve energy system modeling for the Global South. Mashael is driven by her desire to do meaningful, collaborative work towards a sustainable and equitable energy future for humanity.

Feel free to reach out to join forces!

 

Areas of Interest

  • Energy systems modeling and analysis (primarily optimization modeling)
  • Energy systems planning (from the local to the international scale)
  • Interdisciplinary and international collaboration (as a firm believer that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts)
  • Nature-based solutions
  • Energy sufficiency and its role in climate change mitigation and adaptation
  • The intersection of energy planning and societal well-being, including consideration of planetary boundaries, decent living standards for all, and the doughnut economy
  • Energy policy
  • Open-access science and public communication

 

Educational Background

  • Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada
  • Master of Energy Science and Technology, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
  • Doctor of Sciences (Thesis Title: "The Role of Decentralized Generation, Storage, and Local Energy Resources in Future Communities"), ETH Zurich, Switzerland

 

Select Publications & Projects

SNF SPIRIT MEASURES project, Project Lead and Lead Researcher, 2020-2023

Yazdanie, M., Dramani, J. B., & Orehounig, K. (2025). Strengthening energy system resilience planning under uncertainty by minimizing regret. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition, 6, 100093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rset.2024.100093

Yazdanie, M., Frimpong, P. B., Dramani, J. B., & Orehounig, K. (2024). The impacts of the informal economy, climate migration, and rising temperatures on energy system planning. Energy Reports, 11, 165–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2023.11.041

Yazdanie, M., Frimpong, P. B., Dramani, J. B., & Orehounig, K. (2024). Depreciating currency impacts on local-scale energy system planning: The case study of Accra, Ghana. Energy Strategy Reviews, 53, 101362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2024.101362

Yazdanie, M. (2023). Resilient energy system analysis and planning using optimization models. Energy and Climate Change, 4, 100097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egycc.2023.100097

Yazdanie, M., & Orehounig, K. (2021). Advancing urban energy system planning and modeling approaches: Gaps and solutions in perspective. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 137, 110607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110607

Yazdanie, M., & Orehounig, K. (2023). A Review and Analysis of Energy Systems Planning Models and Tools for Renewable Energy Integration in Cities. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2600(4), 042007. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2600/4/042007

Chen, Y., Schnyder, E., Potter, J., & Yazdanie, M. (2020). Rise of Renewables in Cities: Energy Solutions for the Urban Future. International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). https://www.irena.org/publications/2020/Oct/Rise-of-renewables-in-cities

Chen, Y., Yazdanie, M., Zhou, C., Li, W., Xi, W., Zhu, C., Marquant, J., & Miorelli, F. (2022). Net-Zero Pathways for Cities: The Case Study of Wuzhong District, Suzhou, China. International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). https://irena.org/publications/2022/Mar/Net-Zero-Pathways-for-Cities-The-Case-Study-of-Wuzhong-District-Suzhou-China

Siabi, E. K., Awafo, E. A., Kabo-bah, A. T., Derkyi, N. S. A., Akpoti, K., Mortey, E. M., & Yazdanie, M. (2023). Assessment of Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) climate scenarios and its impacts on the Greater Accra region. Urban Climate, 49, 101432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101432

Siabi, E. K., Awafo, E. A., Kabobah, A. T., Derkyi, N. S. A., Akpoti, K., Anornu, G. K., & Yazdanie, M. (2024). Quantifying future climate extreme indices: Implications for sustainable urban development in West Africa, with a focus on the greater Accra region. Discover Sustainability, 5(1), 167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-024-00352-w 

Yazdanie, M., Densing, M., & Wokaun, A. (2018). The nationwide characterization and modeling of local energy systems: Quantifying the role of decentralized generation and energy resources in future communities. Energy Policy, 118, 516–533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.02.045

Yazdanie, M. (2018). Achieving CO2 Emission Reductions Through Local-Scale Energy Systems Planning: Methods and Pathways for Switzerland. In G. Giannakidis, K. Karlsson, M. Labriet, & B. Ó Gallachóir (Eds.), Limiting Global Warming to Well Below 2°C: Energy System Modelling and Policy Development (pp. 407–423). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74424-7

Yazdanie, M., Densing, M., & Wokaun, A. (2017). Cost optimal urban energy systems planning in the context of national energy policies: A case study for the city of Basel. Energy Policy, 110, 176–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.08.009

Yazdanie, M., Densing, M., & Wokaun, A. (2016). The role of decentralized generation and storage technologies in future energy systems planning for a rural agglomeration in Switzerland. Energy Policy, 96, 432–445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2016.06.010

Yazdanie, M., Noembrini, F., Heinen, S., Espinel, A., & Boulouchos, K. (2016). Well-to-wheel costs, primary energy demand, and greenhouse gas emissions for the production and operation of conventional and alternative vehicles. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 48, 63–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2016.08.002

Yazdanie, M., Noembrini, F., Dossetto, L., & Boulouchos, K. (2014). A comparative analysis of well-to-wheel primary energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions for the operation of alternative and conventional vehicles in Switzerland, considering various energy carrier production pathways. Journal of Power Sources, 249, 333–348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.10.043

 

Awards

Swiss Association for Energy Economics Ph.D. Award (outstanding Ph.D. thesis), ETH Zurich

Anna Barbara Reinhard Prize (outstanding master's degree performance), ETH Zurich

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Graduate Scholarship (waived)

Dean’s Honors List (outstanding bachelor's degree performance), University of Waterloo

Sandford Fleming Foundation Senior Design Competition Award, University of Waterloo

Douglas T. Wright Award, University of Waterloo

W.W. King Exchange Fellowship Scholarship, University of Waterloo

University of Waterloo Engineering Entrance Scholarship, University of Waterloo

Governor General’s Academic Medal, Canada

 

Teaching

Building Control and Automation (co-lecturer; teaching energy systems modeling), ETH Zurich