Engineering, Bachelor (Hons)

Are you interested in making solar energy more efficient and living in a sustainable city, or in creating new technologies for robotics, unmanned aircraft, and wireless IoT?

The Energy and Renewable Energy Systems Major brings together a diverse range of engineering disciplines to achieve a common goal: the delivery of affordable, sustainable, decarbonized energy services to society. The Major builds on a solid foundation of mechanical and electrical engineering knowledge. It recognises that solar photovoltaics and wind energy now comprise three quarters of net new global generation capacity additions (99% in Australia) because they are cheap and getting cheaper. Electrification of transport, heating and industry will more than double electricity demand. Students gain technical knowledge of solar and wind power, electricity transmission and distribution, energy storage, and hydrogen generation and use. Environmental, social, resource, material and financial constraints are considered. The Major gives students a broad context of the available energy resources and energy technologies. Students develop the analytical skills that permit them to select the most appropriate technology, or to combine several of them to meet an energy demand with high performance and low cost. Graduates are able to critically analyse and design affordable and sustainable energy systems, and combine them as required to provide energy solutions. Graduates may pursue further specialisation in other energy technologies, based on the foundations gained through this major. A subset of courses is offered as a flexible minor.