Global warming and declining fossil-fuel resources have placed the development and implementation of sustainable energy systems at the top of the political agenda worldwide.

Major investments in new energy technologies and systems will revolutionise our societies and economies in the coming decades.

With unique research facilities and instruction from world-leading researchers and industry professionals, this state-of-the-art education will prepare you to operate at the forefront of that revolution.

Sustainable energy systems:

To meet this challenge this Sustainable Energy Systems master’s programme provides a state-of-the-art education by world-leading researchers and industry professionals in combination with access to unique research facilities.

The future will most likely mainly be powered by renewable energy sources like hydropower, bioenergy, solar energy and wind power, but in the process of getting there, society needs a bridge between the technologies of today and the ones of the future.

At Chalmers, we are experts with respect to many of the technologies of the future, but also in the bridging technologies and systems that will characterize the professional careers of energy engineers in the coming decades. For instance, several departments conduct cutting-edge research with respect to carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), aspects which will be covered in this master's programme.

Besides analysing the present and expected future energy systems and technologies, the programme covers the transition between them. With this, we offer world-leading education in technologies for clean and efficient heat and power generation, Carbon capture and storage (such as chemical looping and oxyfuel combustion), optimization and CO2 mitigation of chemical and industrial processes, efficient energy use in buildings, smart power grids for wind and solar power integration and bioenergy. At a system level, we specialize in energy systems modelling and planning and in environmental impact analysis of the energy sector through life cycle analysis, ecological risk and environmental assessments.

Topics covered:

The subjects of sustainability and energy technology are fundamental areas in the Sustainable energy systems master’s programme at Chalmers. The courses span a wide range of topics, from higher-level energy systems and process industry to more fundamental processes at a more detailed level, such as combustion processes and computational fluid dynamics. We offer a number of suggested “Profile tracks” where you can choose courses that align best with your interests. In this way, we educate energy engineers with a broad knowledge of the energy systems, but with detailed knowledge in specific and important areas.

Energy is one of the university's areas of advance and tops the budget list for our strategic research and educational plan. Our faculty consists of world-renowned researchers who are active in the courses. This unique, hands-on and state-of-the-art education in the area of advanced energy technologies and systems provides you with the proficiency needed to undertake energy engineering tasks that assess both technical, environmental and financial aspects. You will be able not only to master current energy systems and technologies but also get a close insight into the ones of the future.

The master's programme has close collaborations with many key players in the energy sector, for example, electric power utilities, the chemical and process industry, energy companies and energy equipment manufacturers. Our courses have guest lecturers from the industry, industrial site visits and analysis of real industrial cases.

As we strive for the students to achieve a deep and holistic understanding of technologies and systems, we seek a balance between different forms of teaching. In the courses, you will take part in individual and group assignments, in addition to lectures, projects, case studies, problem-solving sessions, laboratories and seminars, providing you with an opportunity to train in teamwork as well as in written and oral communication and presentation skills. 

Career outcomes:

The energy sector is arguably the largest industrial sector globally. With the challenge of resource depletion and climate change, there will be a future need for energy engineers who have core competencies in energy system analysis. By acquiring deep technical knowledge of the main energy technologies and by understanding how they interact with economics and energy policies, our graduates become experts in identifying sustainable solutions to complex problems in the energy field.

Graduates from our programme will be well-prepared for tasks such as the design, development and implementation of energy systems and technologies. Graduates will also be able to contribute to energy policy development. Examples of career opportunities after graduation from the programme include the utility industry, the energy-intensive process industry, district heating and cooling companies, larger municipalities, consulting companies, energy equipment manufacturers, research institutes and government agencies.

A significant number of the master's thesis projects in the programme are conducted together with the industry. This is often also the place where our graduates obtain their first job. In addition, a number of our students also pursue higher-level academic studies, such as PhD positions both at Chalmers and other academic institutions.