Keele University has launched a new Masters degree course in Smart Energy Management.

The MSc in Smart Energy Management is aimed at developing an advanced knowledge of smart grids, smart energy technology such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as cross-disciplinary issues such as sustainability.

The course will also develop and extend the practical skills that are necessary for the designing, building, and evaluation of smart energy systems such as strategy management and consultancy skills.

The programme will be delivered in conjunction with Keele University’s £15million Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the UK Government, and delivered by Siemens. The project aims to create Europe’s first ‘at scale’ living laboratory on Keele campus where new smart energy, data analytics, and IoT technologies can be researched, developed and tested.

During the course students can choose to take an industry placement and due to the link to the SEND programme there are a number of paid placement opportunities available to the students on the programme.

Students will also have access to information and links to other sustainability projects taking place on the Keele campus, such as HyDeploy, a green energy trial delivered in conjunction with gas industry leaders to help reduce UK CO2 emissions. Keele has blended 20% zero carbon hydrogen with natural gas into its gas network to heat homes and buildings on campus in a bid to prove that it is a safe and greener alternative to the gas we use now.

In 2020, for the fourth consecutive year, Keele placed in the Top 25 in the UI Green Metric World Rankings and ranked Top 25 in Europe in the the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal Affordable and Clean Energy demonstrating Keele’s commitment to sustainability through its teaching, research and knowledge transfer, as well as internal practices, policies and procedures.

Professor Zhong Fan, Academic Director of SEND, said the new one year Masters degree was a chance to get in right at the heart of one of the most exciting and influential energy and environment research and development projects in the world.

He said: “This is a truly interdisciplinary course. It combines cutting edge data science and energy technology with environmental sustainability and management. We are working with local, regional and international industry leaders, and offer students opportunities for paid placements on some of the most exciting real-life commercial developments in the sector.”

Professor Chris Fogwill, Director of Keele’s Institute for Sustainable Futures, said: “I am very excited by the way Keele’s smart energy network demonstrator is providing the foundation for a new generation of experts. Sustainable smart energy technologies and data management are key to developing the road map for decarbonisation of the energy system, and represent a whole new sector of the international economy. At Keele we embed sustainability in everything we do, and I am delighted to launch this course in a new rapidly growing field of opportunity, that makes use of SEND, the largest smart energy system in Europe.”

Keele University is hosting its first virtual open day on Saturday 20 June from 9am, giving prospective students the opportunity to tour the University online, speak to academics, current students and admissions and accommodation staff.