Power and Energy

General overview

Future energy systems needs to be characterized by reliable and secure supply to an increasing number of customers while taking into account the rational energy end-use, environmental impact mitigation and sustained performance enhancement.

These considerations are driving major changes in all energy systems with particular reference to the electrical infrastructure. The most evident evolution is the significant increase of connections of renewable energy resources (RERs) in electrical grids. Indeed, the promotion of RERs and, in general, distributed generation (DG), has resulted in the need to develop new tools able to manage the increasing complexity of electrical grids and, also, of the relevant coupled energy systems.

The challenges associated with the near-term deployment of suitable energy storage systems, dedicated large-scale telecommunication infrastructures, as well as new concepts for the optimal operation of the electrical grids are the core aspects of the proposed MSc course.

Thematic areas and program draft

The program in Smart Grids Science and Technology is organized in order to provide four main areas of competence listed below :

1. Mathematical methods for the optimal control of complex systems (electrical and telecom networks);

2. Energy networks with particular reference to electrical grids;

3. Energy conversion systems principles and modeling;

4. Advanced control systems theory applied to components and complex systems.