Digitalised Energy Systems University of Oldenburg

To mitigate climate change is a matter of urgency, and thus, the energy transition represents one of the greatest technological and societal challenges of our time. The main challenge for a reliable, economically and ecologically feasible energy supply lies in the efficient, secure and reliable digitalisation of a technical system that integrates a huge, fluctuating, and difficult-to-forecast number of energy generators, consumers, storage facilities and grid components into a technically stable and financially viable overall system. In addition, the energy system is a critical infrastructure – the lifeline of modern societies. The failure or impairment of such a system would result in long lasting supply bottlenecks, significant disruptions to public safety or other dramatic effects.

This degree programme enables graduates to conduct research at research institutions or universities on the still missing elements of a successful digitalisation in the energy domain and thus on the implementation of the energy transition; or to occupy diverse positions in the energy industry due to the high practical relevance of the study content.

The Master's programme consists of a compulsory part, which teaches core competences in the field of designing and engineering of cyber-physical energy systems. These competences reflect the diversity of energy informatics systems and their fields of application and, together with various thematic specialisation options, allow for a meaningful deepening and specialisation with respect to individual interests. Different domain-specific application perspectives are taught independently so that students acquire broad application knowledge that goes beyond the specific energy system class. Societal and socio-technical issues are also represented as a cross-sectional topic.

The courses cover the following topics and more:

• Smart grids
• Renewable energy
• (Distributed) Artificial intelligence
• Co-simulation
• Design and assessment of experiments
• Control theory
• Critical engineering
• Energy markets
• Requirements engineering
• Modelling and control
• Cyber-resilience

In a cross-group research project, which addresses control at the component level, communication, and also the use of agents in the context of optimisation in energy systems, the learned contents are consolidated and tested in practice.

The degree programme consists of the following content areas:

• "Fundamental Competencies" with a scope of 54 CP teaches basic competencies from the areas of computer science, automation, and electrical engineering. This area is subdivided into "Automation and Electrical Engineering" and "Computer Science and Energy Informatics" to reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the degree programme, which maps the aspects that are required to develop and analyse necessary system intelligence in the energy system. The courses from both areas are therefore also strongly interlinked in terms of content in order to bring together practical skills from computer science, electrical engineering and an engineering approach in designing cyber-physical energy systems right from the start.
• "Foundations of Digitalised Energy Systems" with a scope of 36 CP aims to impart competencies and knowledge in the future field of digitalised energy systems. This area is subdivided into "Digitalised Energy System Automation, Control and Optimisation" and "Digitalised Energy System Design and Assessment" in order to take into account the different technical system classes with their respective specific design and analysis methods. The third subsection, "Innovation Topics and Smart Grids", reflects the different domain-specific application perspectives and offers insights into current developments and research topics.
• The Master's thesis module (30 CP)

A research project can be carried out in collaboration with national and international research institutes. Programme advisers will assist students in finding appropriate places.

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent degree in computer science, business information systems, engineering, electrical engineering or a suitable previous information technology degree programme with a predominantly technical and information technology component, or a comparable degree programme with a minimum of 180 credit points at a German university or at a university belonging to one of the Bologna signatory states

Technical aptitude is demonstrated by:

• Knowledge in object-oriented modelling and programming (minimum of 5 CP)
• Information processing (minimum of 5 CP)
• Mathematics, esp. linear algebra and analysis (minimum of 10 credits)

All applicants have to register on uni-assist and upload all their documents.

The latest information can be found on the following website: https://uol.de/en/course-of-study/digitalised-energy-systems-master-630.

Approx. 435 EUR per semester

You should expect to spend about 1,000 EUR per month to cover personal expenses (accommodation, health insurance, food).

Students are permitted to work alongside their studies. If you are a student from a non-EU country, you are allowed to work 140 full or 280 half workdays per year.

The University of Oldenburg does not own or manage any dorms and thus cannot provide or guarantee your housing! The Studierendenwerk Oldenburg runs halls of residence for students, but waiting times may occur. Arranging for temporary housing prior to your arrival is recommended.

For further information see https://uol.de/en/study-in-oldenburg/organise-your-stay/finding-accomodation.

The University of Oldenburg was founded in 1973, making it one of Germany‘s youngest universities. Its goal is to find answers to the major challenges society faces in the 21st century through interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research.

Oldenburg looks back on more than 900 years of history and is now, with its +176,000 inhabitants, a centre of cultural, scientific and economic life in the region of North-West Germany.

Oldenburg is a great place to live. With a wide range of pubs, restaurants, theatres and museums, this city will keep you entertained, and it is also a safe place. Bicycles are the preferred means of transport, and drivers are considerate. Oldenburg also has an excellent bus system, and your semester ticket allows you to use local transport in all of Germany for free. A green city in more ways than one, Oldenburg offers frequent bus and rail connections to German and European cities. For example, Berlin is just a four-hour train ride away, and you can get to Hamburg in two hours.