Nine universities across Europe with a reputation for teaching renewable energy are joining together to offer a Masters degree in Renewable Energy. The one-year course is devised for engineers or equivalent technical background.
Predicting the number of people that will be employed as renewable energy expands is difficult, but one thing is certain: there are too few training and education programs around the world for the number of people that will be needed. EWEA (European Wind Energy Association) predicts the current 30,000 wind energy jobs in Europe will increase to 190,000-320,000 new jobs to reach 40 MW of wind power. For PV, about 100,000 employees will be required to reach a production capacity of 3 GWp. The European Biomass Association projects that employment will increase to 100,000 to realize current expansion plans.
Currently, most training in the field takes place as part of other coursework. A 1995-6 study of 624 companies, organizations, research centers and universities concluded there are few postgraduate level teaching materials specifically on renewable energy.
The Masters course is divided into 3 parts: a Core Module providing a technical foundation in key technologies; Specialization in one technology or implementation aspect; and a Project, during which the student gains practical or research experience. Students will study in at least two European countries. The common Core syllabus will be taught in English, French and Spanish; the Specialization Modules will be in English.
* PV: University of Northumbria, UK, assisted by the New University of Lisbon, Portugal
* Wind: the National Technical University of Athens, Greece
* Solar Energy in the Built Environment: University of Athens, Greece
* Biomass: University of Zaragoza, Spain
* Hybrid Systems: University of Kassel, Germany
* Socio-economic issues: Universite de Corse, Corsica
Student demand is high. As always, the key challenge is funding. There are no mechanisms available for student financial support right now. Deadline for applications: June 2002. The course begins in October.
Khaled Faiz: info@eurec.be
www.eurec.be
Job Creation with Renewable Energy Projects:
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