MSc Renewable Energy Engineering

Overview

This is an advanced, specialist course in the rapidly expanding area of renewable energy engineering with a clear Mechanical Engineering focus. The course is aimed at students wishing to develop critical understanding of the significant changes afoot in the energy system due to the development and integration of wind, marine, biomass and solar technologies. The course will enable graduates to develop and implement creative solutions to the problems encountered in renewable energy capture, conversion, storage and management.

Students will gain the knowledge and skills to assess renewable energy resources, design appropriate renewable energy systems, evaluate the performance of these systems and assess the wider impacts of renewable energy development. The course provides introductory courses to fundamental energy science and current energy issues, while the project-led courses focus on the design of renewable energy systems. The course concludes with a research-led dissertation in the summer.

Renewable energy research focuses on six main areas:

• Photovoltaics and Solar Energy
• Wind and Marine Energy
• Renewable Energy Systems
• Minimising CO2 Emissions
• Biofuels
• Wind and Marine Energy

The aims of the course are to enable the students to:

• develop detailed knowledge and critical understanding of the core skills in renewable energy resources, converters and systems
• develop and use a significant range of principal and specialist skills, techniques and practices in renewable energy
• be able to apply this knowledge directly to complex applications
• critically review existing practice and develop original and creative solutions to problems within the domain
• communicate and work effectively with peers and academic staff in a variety of tasks, demonstrating appropriate levels of autonomy and responsibility, and
• plan and execute a significant project of research, investigation or development in a specialist area within the renewable energy arena, demonstrating extensive, detailed and critical understanding of that specialism.

Students will also achieve PGDip and PGCert awards in this course.

Students should have a first or second class honours degree in a suitable subject with a numerate background. Equivalent overseas qualifications will also be considered.