Master of Science in Renewable Energy Systems

drunken_munky52

Hi, Im thinking about completing renewable and electrical energy systems at LIT, then do the 4th year there is energy management. Can the "Master of Science in Renewable Energy Systems" at DKIT follow on from this?

Is it an ideally suited follow up?

Does the qualification been that its a BSc eliminate you from engineering postions? For instance, I would like to know if the "ESB" are interested in applicants with the above qualification.

This is

You should email the course co-ordinator. You'l get his number from the DkIT website. Also you'd want to check out the price of that masters... last i heard it was a 5 figure sum.

Panthro

dont know anything about the course to be honest, but heres a link incase. it tells a bit about the course and has a link to whoever is over the course too.
hope its a help.

truerenew

Yes the Masters can follow on from your degree. I have almost completed the MSc in DKIT....almost as in thesis left to do!! torture.

Fees when I started were €12,000 but luckily the companies I worked for paid them.

Consider though the fact that the degree you are doing could be enough leverage already to get a job in renewables.

drunken_munky52

truerenew wrote: »

Yes the Masters can follow on from your degree. I have almost completed the MSc in DKIT....almost as in thesis left to do!! torture.

Fees when I started were €12,000 but luckily the companies I worked for paid them.

Consider though the fact that the degree you are doing could be enough leverage already to get a job in renewables.

Wow, thats a shocker of a fee. I wonder if I could continue with my free tutition fees system that Im in at the moment, you know the one for undergraduates. Hopefully this will pass on into the Master directly, but with the fees likely to be re-introduced I think im in limbo.

Interesting. What kind of company do you work for that were so generous to pay for you? Did they see that you doing the course would help the business?

With the degree from LIT, I should be able to go into Renewable jobs straight away. Whats out there? Id be very into the electrical technical side of things.

truerenew

I worked for Glen Dimplex R&D, Gerkros Boilers and now Wind Energy Direct since my primary degree in Product Design. As you said rightly the fact that the MSc. was of benefit to their business was the motivation to pay for my fees.

It's a lot of money alright but you can study part time and break up the fees into each semester. I studied one day a week for the two years and worked the other 4.

As you know yourself there isn't much out there at the moment but the renewable energy sector at least hasn't suffered as much as other industries.

One area that there is a lack of skills to my knowledge is control systems and demand side management. As wind intensity increases this will become more and more important. On the heating side of the industry, smart controls, meters, microgeneration etc are the buzzwords in fashion at the moment so might be worthwhile looking at companies involved in that area.

Also look to the UK, I worked there for a brief period between jobs last year and there seemed to be good opportunities.

drunken_munky52

truerenew wrote: »

As you said rightly the fact that the MSc.

Does having an Msc mean that engineering positions are no go areas for you, as opposed the having and Eng?

truerenew

Thats its a hard question to answer as there is such a variety of jobs in engineering and a huge variety in what companies are looking for.

Personally in working with Glen Dimplex and especially Gerkros I spent more time in the workshop than in the office. But any MSc can only complement the skills you already have which is a good thing.

The MSc. in DKIT gave a very broad view of renewable energy in general. Wind, water, solar and bioenergy were covered as well as energy policy, grid integration etc. You can then go into much deeper detail in what interests you for the thesis which can involve very much hands on work.

At the end of the day the more knowledge you have the more doors that will open for you in that area. I think the benefits of having an MSc outweigh any chance that a company would think negatively on you being 'overqualified' for a job.

drunken_munky52

Grid intergration, this is my big interest at the moment. You say control people are needed more? Grid intergration control and management may be just the the thing, if something like it exists. If I were to to do the thesis, it would prob be on this. What are you doing yours on and will you employer give you a position related to this? So you reckon, if you focus one subject that interests you in the thesis, this can act as your own created course subject that employers can see what your expert in?

truerenew

Exactly, the MSc and I imagine it's the same for all MSc.'s is an opportunity for you to become an expert in an area of that particular field.

I'm doing my thesis on a control system for battery storage with grid connected wind. Not directly related to my job but will become more important as curtailment of wind may need to be considered for the Irish grid in future.

DKIT are installing a 500kW zinc bromide battery soon for their turbine, it's not economically viable at present but it's important work for the near future for smoothing the output from turbines and as an alternative to waiting on Eirgrid to upgrade parts of the grid.

This year DKIT had 70 applications and only 20 positions for the MSc....so you are going to have to apply for Sept 2010. But look around, there are a lot of universities doing similar courses and there is a few people I noticed on boards.ie that have studied renewable energy so ask about and see what takes your interest.

Good luck