Climate change, growing populations, and limited fossil fuel resources mean that demand for renewable energy continues at an ever-increasing rate. Renewable energy is now at the heart of every informed discussion concerning energy sustainability, security, and affordability.
The Palestinian Energy Authority has prepared a strategy to raise the contribution of renewable energy in the energy balance as an important part of the resource matrix, where Palestine needs a clean and more secure supply of electrical power. The Palestinian Energy Authority has developed a clear goal for the year 2020. In this plan, 240 GWh of electricity should be generated from different renewable resources by 2020. This will be equivalent to 10% of the total power required by Palestine according to the Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority reports.
The BSc program in Sustainable Energy Engineering provides graduates and working professionals with broad training in, and understanding of, energy systems in the context of the sustainability of energy supply. The program is grounded in engineering and has a strong emphasis on energy systems where electricity is the final product. However, energy is also considered in the wider context of consumption patterns, efficiency, economics, policy, and regulation. While there is a particular focus on the deployment of renewable energies in grid-connected systems, there are also opportunities to explore off-grid systems e.g. in remote areas projects.
This program aims to achieve the following objectives:
• To appreciate the constraints and opportunities provided by sustainable energy resources within pre-existing energy systems, societies, markets, and regulatory frameworks.
• To quantify energy flows, environmental impacts, principal aspects of different generation technologies, and design specifications and dimensions.
• To acquire the knowledge of the technical characteristics and resource evaluation of some of the major renewable power sources (wind, solar, tidal, and wave), and the theory underpinning their operation and performance.
• To develop preliminary technology assessments and exploitation plans for tidal and wave, and preliminary design and dimensioning for wind and solar (thermal or photovoltaic) systems (which are more mature technologies than tidal and wave).
• To understand the engineering aspects of power conversion for electricity grids, in particular concerned with the connection of renewable power sources, supported by calculations.
• To understand the problems of energy distribution and the constraints on present distribution systems.
• To understand some of the major economic theories describing the markets in which renewable energies are deployed.
• To conduct a critical analysis of competing claims in the energy sector, evaluate options for energy supply, distribution, and utilization (including renewable and non-renewable), and appraise the environmental sustainability of energy systems.
• To design, plan and execute an original program of work appropriate to answering research or design questions regarding sustainable energy systems.
• Engineering jobs in almost any organization where a major emphasis is on power generation, power and energy systems design or applications, and energy conversion technologies.
• Engineering jobs in organizations that work in renewable technologies such as solar hot water, photovoltaics, hydropower, wave and tidal energy, biomass, and biofuel resources, wind energy, fuel cells, and geothermal systems.
• Companies that work in energy efficiency and “green” buildings.
• Companies and organizations that work in alternative fuels and transportation.
• Organizations that work in environmental assessment, especially for energy projects.