"I have been working on personal projects of this kind since I was a child, and I'm very glad that I was able to develop one of them to the point where it could be used as part of the practical section of my master's thesis. Without my team and this award, I certainly wouldn't have had as much motivation. Thank you," says Jiří Horák.
Energy storage is one of the key topics in the energy sector today. As the share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix increases, so does the need to store energy when there is a surplus and use it when demand is higher.

In his thesis, Jiří focused on the design and implementation of an intelligent thermal energy storage control system based on spot electricity prices. The system uses an ESP32 microcontroller to autonomously retrieve hourly electricity prices from OTE, schedule heating during the cheapest hours, and adapt its operation according to the current temperature. Thanks to its low-cost components, the solution can, according to the author, achieve a return on investment within just a few months of operation.

"The student demonstrated his ability to navigate the current issues surrounding energy storage, legislation, ancillary services, and consumption management. I particularly appreciate the connection between the theoretical part and the practical implementation of a functional system," says the thesis supervisor, Libor Hrdina.
Jiří Horák will also build on the experience gained during his studies in his professional career. He already worked for the design company during his studies and will now continue there, focusing on the development, design, and implementation of charging station control systems.

"I am now working for a design company where I already worked during my studies at FEI. I focus on developing control systems for charging stations, as well as their design and implementation," says Jiří.