Sustainable Electrical Power MSc

About the Course

This MSc programme meets the industrial demand for the training and education of both existing and future engineers in the advanced concepts of sustainable electrical power and energy generation. It aims to produce graduates of the highest calibre with the right skills and knowledge who will be capable of leading in teams involved in the operation, control, design, regulation and management of the power systems and networks of the future.

It will meet the demand for the research and development of sustainable electrical power and the demand for training and education of existing and future power engineers in the advanced concepts and understanding of sustainable electrical power and energy.

This programme also aims to provide graduates with the ability to critically evaluate methodologies, analytical procedures and research methods in:

• Power system engineering - using state-of-the-art computational tools and methods;
• Design of sustainable electrical power systems and networks;
• Regulatory frameworks for, and operation of, power systems and electricity markets.

See what the students have said about this course.

Aims

This newly designed MSc programme is appropriate for those seeking an in-depth knowledge of sustainable electrical power including:

• Graduates in power or electrical engineering, physical sciences, or related disciplines who aspire to work in the electrical power industry;
• Industrially experienced graduate engineers and managers who recognise the importance of developing new analytical and critical skills, and state-of-the-art methodologies associated with the development sustainable electrical power systems.

Enquiries

Marketing and Recruitment Officer
School of Engineering and Design
Email sed-pg-admissions@brunel.ac.uk
Tel +44 (0)1895 265814/266633

Course Director: Dr Gary Taylor

Related Courses

• Sustainable Energy - Technologies and Management MSc
• Building Services Engineering with Sustainable Energy MSc

Special Features

The Brunel Institute of Power Systems is an internationally leading research group specialising in the optimal design, operation and modelling of power systems, as well as in the economics of electricity markets.

Our high performance computing capability is considerable including a recently installed grid-enabled cluster of processors consisting of 20 dual processor nodes with dual Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. ETAP Enterprise Solution Electrical Software tools are available for use in the power systems computing laboratory. Other power systems analysis tools that are available include: DIgSILENT PowerFactory, IPSA+, PowerWorld Simulator.

Such tools will give all students enrolled in the course the opportunity to develop real-world skills with the best globally available cutting edge power analysis software and tools. The course is also supported by a wide range of application oriented power engineering experiments carried out in a modern well-equipped practical power systems laboratory.

Accreditation

Sustainable Electrical Power is accredited by both the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the Energy Institute (EI).

Course Content

Modules (all core)

Energy Economics and Power Markets

• Principles, objectives, regulation, computational methods, economic procedures, emissions trading, and operation of electricity markets.
• Restructuring and deregulation in generation, transmission, and distribution.
• Concepts of transmission congestion and demand side management.

Power System Operation and Management

• Business drivers and technical requirements for operational management.
• In-depth knowledge of operational management software.
• Energy balance and intermittency in sustainable electrical power system operation and management.

Power Electronics and FACTS

• Practical understanding of how to design advanced power electronic circuits.
• Modern power electronic integration techniques and state-of-the-art Flexible AC Transmission Systems.
• Capabilities and limitations of different power electronic circuits.
• Integration of power electronic circuits into Flexible AC Transmission Systems.

Power System Analysis and Security

• Capabilities and limitations of modern power systems design.
• Accurate use of power systems modelling and analysis of secure operation.
• Computational techniques for power systems modelling, optimal power flow, mathematical programming, heuristic methods, artificially intelligent methods.

Sustainable Power Generation

• Generation costing of solar, geo-thermal, bio-mass, wind, hydro, tidal, and wave.
• Storage technologies and energy conversion: practical understanding and limitations.
• Embedded renewable generation: technical challenges, opportunities and connection in electrical transmission and distribution grids.

Power System Stability and Control

• How to ensure effective power system stability and control power system operation using computational methods.
• Power system stability problems, static and dynamic, relaying and protection, stability control and protection design, excitation and power system stabilisers.

Project Management

• Formal methods and skills to function effectively at high levels of project management.
• Development of skills to achieve practical business objectives.

Sustainable Electrical Power Workshop
You will gain experience and expertise with industry relevant tools and techniques through hands-on workshop environments. These practical sessions involve individual and group work. Typical assignments include:

• Sustainable generation scheduling.
• Integration of renewable energy sources.
• Computer simulation of active power filters.
• Phase-controlled rectifiers.
• Power network security.
• Sustainable electrical power system stability control.
• Electricity market auctions.
• Sustainable electrical power system investment and planning.

Dissertation
This provides a stimulating and challenging opportunity to apply your knowledge and develop deep understanding in a specialised aspect of your choice. Projects can be university or industry and company sponsored students have the opportunity to develop their company's future enterprise. Industrial projects often lead to the recruitment of the student by the collaborating company.

Careers

After successful completion of the programme, you are expected to be ideally suited for employment in the global electricity industry in either an operations or research engineering role. Whilst this is a relatively new course, Brunel University Master's graduates already have an enviable record of employment and the Brunel Institute of Power Systems have long-standing links with major employers such as EDF Energy , National Grid, Converteam Ltd, Siemens, ALSTOM, ABB, British Energy, BNFL, GE Energy. Recent graduate and student profiles are available via the SED web page.

Fees for 2013/14 entry

UK/EU students: £5,800 full-time; £2,900 part-time

International students: £15,000 full-time; £7,500 part-time

Read about funding opportunities available to postgraduate students

Fees quoted are per annum and are subject to an annual increase.

Entry Requirements

Applicants to the MSc programme should possess or hope to obtain a good UK first or second class Honours degree or equivalent internationally recognised qualification usually in Power Systems; Electrical or Electronic Engineering; Physics; Mathematics; or a related subject. Other qualifications and relevant experience will be assessed on an individual basis.

English Language Requirements

Brunel also offers our own BrunELT English Test and accept a range of other language courses. We also have a range of Pre-sessional English language courses, for students who do not meet these requirements, or who wish to improve their English.