Education
Preparing students for sustainable energy systems
Students on Queen Mary’s MSc Sustainable Energy Systems study the science and engineering behind low-carbon energy systems. The programme covers renewable energy generation, energy storage, sustainable fuels, system integration and energy efficiency. Students also look at the environmental, economic and policy issues that shape how energy systems are designed and used.
Learning how renewable-energy systems work
The EMS717U Renewable Energy Sources module introduces students to a wide range of renewable-energy technologies, including solar, wind, hydro, wave and biomass energy, as well as hydrogen and fuel cells. Students also study energy storage, building energy efficiency and the environmental and economic impacts of different energy technologies. This gives them a practical understanding of both how these systems work and the wider choices involved in using them.
Learning through specialist clean-energy facilities
Students also have access to Queen Mary’s Green Energy Hub, which opened in October 2024 following an investment of almost £3 million. The 195 m² specialist laboratory supports work in batteries, photovoltaics, green hydrogen, sustainable fuels and circular manufacturing. It includes facilities for materials preparation, processing, characterisation and device testing, giving undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students access to the same equipment used in current clean-energy research.
Connecting teaching with industry and innovation
Queen Mary’s clean-energy teaching is closely linked to current research and industry collaboration in solar technologies, hydrogen production and storage, batteries, wave energy and sustainable materials. Students can see how research moves beyond the laboratory through projects and spin-outs such as AeroSolar, which is developing perovskite solar technology for commercial use, and Methanox, which is developing technology to reduce methane emissions from natural-gas-powered ships. This helps connect classroom learning with the research, engineering and commercial work taking place across the University.