Wind Power Systems (Energy Engineering) (Aalborg)
The wind industry is developing rapidly; many new technologies are being applied. New problems are being revealed due to the large penetration of wind power systems into the network grid. Some of the wind installations will be very large off-shore wind farm, which should act as power plants and should support the stability and power balance in the network grid.
In the future it is also expected that a lot of new small wind turbines will be installed, maybe as plug and play units at household level. These wind turbines could be both vertical and horizontal axis turbines. This will provide many new challenges for wind power engineers in the future. The MSc programme in Wind Power Systems addresses many of these topics related to this area.
The MSc specialisation in Wind Power System (WPS) focuses on the electrical aspects of wind power systems ensuring an excellent education in subjects such as generators, power electronics, control engineering and power system technology related to wind power applications. This will provide an excellent background for engineering employment in the wind industry.
You will study topics like
- How do we ensure electric network stability when a large wind turbine is connected to the system?
- Should direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) transmission be applied in offshore wind parks of the future?
- What type of generator provides the highest efficiency in a given application?
- How can a wind turbine be protected against lightning?
- How do you design a micro electricity supply network comprising a wind turbine, energy storage and loads?
Student Testimonial
Cosmin Eugen Banceanu (Romania)
The interest to continue my studies at Aalborg University (AAU) in particular arose after attending a seminar at my home university presented by Professor Remus Teodorescu. It was then when I first found out about the Department of Energy Technology (ET) and its MSc programmes. The paramount reasons for my choice to study WPS were the benefits that green energy has on the environment and also the worldwide awareness towards the need of reduced CO2 emissions.
Nowadays we live in an environmentally aware world and the transition towards an eco-friendly life is expected not only of people but of companies as well. I have thus realized that green energy solutions would develop in the coming years faster than it ever did before. Great innovations regarding the wind energy field, and not only, were expected and my goal was not only to learn and observe the process, but to actually be a part of it.
In my first days at AAU I found out about “problem-based learning” (PBL). From that moment on, everything I did at AAU was related to PBL. Day by day I realized the differences between the system I was used to before coming to Denmark and what I was now experiencing at ET. Its education system enabled me to work in collaborative groups and delve into real industry problems. Thus, AAU gives you the opportunity to link your theoretical knowledge to practical cases. In what I am concerned, the collaboration with the industry started with a Term Project in the 9th Semester based on an ABB project proposal.
Due to my commitment and results, I was given the formidable opportunity and challenge of working and writing my Master’s Thesis at ABB Research Center in Switzerland, alongside some of the best engineers in the field. The entire AAU experience has contributed to my professional development, and today I am working as an Electrical Development Engineer at ABB’s ATPT department located in Turgi, Switzerland.
How would I sum up the whole AAU experience? … for me it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
