Alexander Moses, USA
Sustainable Energy Engineering, 2016 - 2018
Tell us a little bit about yourself before Iceland School of Energy.
I grew up in between the United States and Iceland, but not in the ocean.
All jokes aside, I went to the University of Maryland College Park were I graduated with a B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering degree in 2014. Afterwards I went on to work as an automation engineer in the Mass and Force Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology . There I worked on streamlining the process of high precision mass calibration.
Any fun facts or hobbies we should know about?
Last week the singer Björk decided to sit next to me at the Seltjarnarness swimming pool , so that was cool. Also, I'm a master rock skipper.
Why did you choose ISE?
I was looking for a program focused on power and energy systems because I knew that power grids around the world needed to evolve to accommodate the growing share of renewable intermittent energy. Furthermore, I knew that I wanted to build my career in Iceland. While learning about ISE, I really liked that it was a mixture of international and Icelandic students. It seemed to fit my profile very well.
How was your ISE experience?
My program track at ISE was the sustainable energy engineering program where I focused on power systems. My master's thesis project was titled "Deep Learning for Power System Restoration". I really loved that I had the freedom to create my own thesis topic which I designed around the topics and tools that I wanted to get proficient with, namely machine learning, optimization, and power systems. A huge help during this process is that I had access to great thesis advisors.
My favorite nerdy memories where eureka moments in various classes and during my thesis, usually where I was tasked with implementing some cool optimization algorithm. Also, I really enjoyed hanging out with the close friends I made in the program.
What have you been up to after graduating from ISE?
I worked at Veitur ohf, the electricity distribution system operator in Reykjavík as a power system modeling engineer for about 2 years. In February 2021, I left Veitur to start an electricity supply company, Straumlind, with my fellow ISE alumnus Símon Einarsson. We were quick to see a business opportunity in the electricity market where we could utilize our skillsets.
Can you tell us a little about Straumlind?
Straumlind is an electricity sales company and our goal is to offer our customers (companies, households and electric car owners) the most favorable price for electricity in Iceland.
To achieve this goal, we use proprietary software, artificial intelligence and automation. Our vision is to make the electricity system "smarter". Data science and the use of artificial intelligence can maximize utilization within the electricity system, minimize costs and promote energy balance. At Straumlind we look optimistically to the future and see various opportunities in energy exchange and with the rapid adoption of electric cars in Iceland.
Looking back, how did ISE help you achieve your academic and career goals?
I enjoyed the freedom in course and thesis work as I could really focus on my interests. ISE is a great platform for building connections in the Icelandic energy industry and I have also benefited greatly from the growing ISE alumni network in Iceland.
