MSc Smart Grids Masters Degree

Program Overview

This MSc Smart Grids program, offered in partnership with Comillas Pontifical University and supported by Iberdrola, combines electrical and telecommunications engineering perspectives on smart grids. Students gain expertise through coursework, an individual research project, and a paid internship at a leading energy company, preparing them for careers in the rapidly growing smart grid industry.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This MSc Smart Grids program is a double degree offered in partnership with the ICAI School of Engineering at the Comillas Pontifical University, Madrid. It is designed for graduates in electrical, electronic, or telecommunications engineering. The program aims to address the growing demand for engineers who can lead the digitalization of the electric grid. It deepens the knowledge of electrical engineering graduates in the challenges and opportunities of smart grids, and allows information and communications engineers to gain insights into the power sector's emerging needs and the global energy transition.

• To develop students' skills in the design, operation, and management of smart grids.
• To prepare students for careers in the rapidly growing smart grid industry.

Description:

The program offers extensive international experience, with students spending one term in Spain and one term in Scotland. It includes a paid internship with Iberdrola, Minsait/Indra, UFD Distribucion Electricidad S.A., or Gridspertise at one of their offices in Spain or the UK. The academic team consists of internationally-renowned researchers from both institutions, with expertise spanning the smart grid field.

Outline:

The program is structured as follows:

• Term 1 (September – December): 30 ECT credits – ICAI School of Engineering, Comillas Pontifical University
• Term 2 (January – mid-May): 30 ECT credits – Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde
• Term 3 (mid-May – end of August): 30 ECT credits – Individual Research Project: This will take the form of a practical, applied project with one of the University partners, or a paid internship with Iberdrola, Minsait/Indra, UFD Distribucion Electricidad S.A., and Gridspertise at one of their offices in Spain or the UK; internships are available for the top-performing MSc students.

Course Schedule:

• Classes in Spain are taught from 3pm to 9pm.
• Classes in Scotland are taught from 9am to 5pm.
• Regulation and New Business Models: This course presents an in-depth interdisciplinary perspective of the electric power sector, with regulation as the core for networks business providing the link among the engineering, economic, legal, and environmental viewpoints.
It focuses on technologies that are or could be useful in present and future Smart Grids. Contents will vary from a mathematical model of the signal transmission to a higher-level view of the network architecture for Smart Grid Networks. Cybersecurity will be a recurrent topic in this course.
• Fundamentals of Power Systems: This course aims to provide students with the fundamental foundations on power systems that allow them to tackle more advanced concepts.
• Leadership, Change Management & Corporate Responsibility: This course provides skills and knowledge necessary to manage staff in dynamic company structures, which are subject to changes and difficulties as part of a more complex organization.
• The steady-state and dynamic analysis of electrical systems under normal, transient, and fault conditions.
• Grid-codes and other legislation that impacts upon the functional requirements of protection systems, generation, and HVDC transmission units.
• The main concepts related to the requirements, functions, design, and operation of protection schemes for power system transmission and distribution systems.
• How HVDC and converter-interfaced generation pose challenges to operation and protection system design; but also, how their enhanced controllability has great potential to enable new alternative concepts.
• Hardware IoT Communication System Design: This module provides students with the essential skills to design, build, and test a sensor network for their smart grid application.
It makes use of radio frequency (RF) Internet of Things (IoT) development boards and a range of sensors and radio modules. Students will program the boards to communicate with the sensor nodes and wirelessly transmit data to gateway and onwards to a PC receiver or mobile wi-fi device. They will analyze the measurement data and produce a graphical user interface to display it in a user-accessible manner.
• 5G Comms Networks: This module covers the core principles and operation of packet-based communications networks leading to the design and operation of future 5G networks.
It describes the operation of the key transport layer protocols within the internet architecture including wired and wireless networks. Specific areas include 5G Quality of Services based networks, techniques to measure and report the network performance and operation. The course will contain topics in relation to cyber security including browser and HTTP fundamentals, security architecture and security analysis methodologies highlighting common web vulnerabilities, security management systems and policies, and security governance. It covers the application of security processes to power networks and components and also discusses case studies of attacks on industrial networks. In addition to covering different methods of encryption (symmetric and asymmetric), the module covers authentication and data integrity, as well as secure system design and vulnerability and threat assessment, and security standards.
• Data Analytics & AI for Energy Systems: This module teaches the key AI and data science methods that are applicable to smart grids, and provides case studies of their application.
It covers machine learning, knowledge-based methods, distributed intelligence methods and architectures, applications in asset management, applications in network management and control.
• Power Electronics for Transmission & Distribution: This module helps to build the skills and knowledge necessary to analyze power electronic-based systems, evaluate their operation within the wider power network, and identify the key advances that will facilitate wider adoption.
It builds understanding in the following areas:
• The operation of power electronic-based energy conversion systems
• The application of power electronics to transmission and distribution networks
• The benefits and disadvantages of power electronics in power systems

Term 3:

• MSc in Smart Grids Individual Project: This will take the form of a practical, applied project with one of the University partners or as a paid internship with Iberdrola, Minsait/Indra, UFD Distribucion Electricidad S.A., and Gridspertise at one of their offices in Spain or the UK.
Students will identify an engineering problem, critically review the existing literature relating to this, formulate a project plan with clear objectives, milestones, and deliverables.

Careers:

The course aims to develop expertise in both the power systems and telecommunications dimensions of Smart Grids. Academic excellence, together with internships in real-life projects taking place in a leading multinational energy company, Iberdrola, enable students to acquire new skills, which are in demand in the energy industry. This type of professional profile is already in high demand in the energy industry around the world.

Professional Opportunities:

• Electric Power Utilities: transmission system operators, distribution system operators, retailers, aggregators, and new ventures involving distributed energy resources
• Electric equipment and systems suppliers
• Telecommunications equipment and services suppliers
• Government and regulatory agencies
• Institutes for research and innovation
• Energy sector consultants

Academic Career Paths:

• Research, development, and innovation
• Doctoral candidates

Other:

• The program includes visits to Wardpark, a power and energy testing infrastructure, and Whitelee Wind Farm.

EU / UK Fees

For the entire Master's Degree (one year): €17,564 with 8 installments of €1,728.90.

International Fees

For the entire Master's Degree (one year): €23,415 with 8 installments of €2,460.60. There is a registration fee of €3,732.30 for EU / UK students and €3,730.50 for international students. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter. All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision. Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that tuition fees are revised annually and may increase in subsequent years of study. Annual increases will generally reflect UK inflation rates and increases to programme delivery costs.