Dr. Bert Kruyt
Fonction
chercheur invité
Contact
Institut fédéral pour l'étude de la neige et des avalanches SLF
Flüelastrasse 11
7260 Davos Dorf
Site
Davos Da B 2 13
Links
About
Experience
2019 - now: Postdoctoral researcher, WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), Snow Hydrology Group.
Aug. - Sept. 2019: Visiting scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO.
2019: Postdoctoral researcher, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).
2014 - Jul. 2019: Guest scientist: WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), Team Snow Processes.
Dec. 2014 – Mar 2019: PhD researcher: École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Laboratory for Cryospheric Sciences CRYOS. Supervisor: Prof. Michael Lehning.
2013 - 2014: Programmer: Utrecht University. TIMER model / Integrated assessment of global environmental change.
2010 - 2013: Consultant: Ernst & Young Cleantech and Sustainability Services. (2010-2012: Beco).
2009: Programmer: Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Dept. of Climate and Global Sustainability.
2007: Intern Energy Research Center of the Netherlands (ECN) & Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL)
Education
PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Defence: 8th March 2019. Thesis "Potential and Uncertainty of Wind Energy in the Swiss Alps". Supervisor: Prof. M. Lehning.
MSc in Energy Science at Utrecht University (2006-2008).
BSc in Physics and Astronomy at Utrecht University (2001-2005). With distinction.
Projects
(H)ICAR
The Intermediate Complexity Atmospheric Research (ICAR) model , developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), is being modified for applications at very high (sub-km) resolutions in complex mountainous terrain. Amongst others, this entails a new vertical grid structure (SLEVE) and modified wind solvers.
Model Intercomparison
The CCAMM model intercomparison project aims to compare models of varying complexity in their ability to downscale meteorological data to sub-km resolutions. We downscale data from the 1.1km COSMO-1 model to 250m and 50m resolutions with the Intermediate Complexity Atmospheric Research (ICAR) model ; the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and Toposcale.
The animation below shows a simulation of a snow event across a ridge for the first three models mentioned. (click to play).
Past Projects
Wind resource assesment in complex terrain
Using a variety of methods, a in-depth assessment of the wind resource in the Alps was undertaken. WRF simulations of select domains were validated against measurements at wind turbines and statistical analysis of Swiss-wide wind speeds provided valuable insights into the potential and stability of Swiss wind power.
It could be shown that high elevation 'alpine' locations contribute significantly to overall stability, as they are less prone to long periods of low winds. Moreover, these locations provide a larger share of their power during winter, when electricity from hydropower is sparse.
1. Kruyt, B., Lehning, M. & Kahl, A. Potential contributions of wind power to a stable and highly renewable Swiss power supply. Appl. Energy192, 1–11 (2017).
2. Kruyt, B., Dujardin, J. & Lehning, M. Improvement of Wind Power Assessment in Complex Terrain: The Case of COSMO-1 in the Swiss Alps. Front. Energy Res.6, 102 (2018).
3. Kruyt, B. Potential and uncertainty of wind energy in the Swiss Alps. (PhD Thesis, EPFL, 2019).
The video below shows the wind speed and direction in an alpine valley in summer. Such long valleys typically display a strong diurnal cycle, where during the day, air is warmed and starts moving upvalley. Nighttime sees a reversal of this effect as can be seen in the simulation below.