Centre for Integrated Renewable Energy, School of Engineering, Cardiff University

Cardiff University, with its 28 Schools is the largest academic institution in Wales, with an international reputation for the quality of its research outputs. The University’s overall research quality was ranked seventh in the UK in RAE2001 (THES). The University has an established track record in hosting interdisciplinary research and industry-facing research centres.

The merger of Cardiff University and the University of Wales College of Medicine (UWCM) in August 2004 created an institution which is around the ninth largest in the UK with a depth of expertise in all of the major disciplines, an annual turnover of £315 million and over 5,500 staff. Growth in research activity has been significant in recent years and the value of external research grants and contracts secured in 2005-06 was around £90 million.

Funding of UK£3.8 million has been awarded by the Engineering Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to establish a leading international research Centre for Integrated Renewable Energy Generation and Supply (CIREGS) within the School of Engineering at Cardiff University. This new initiative will concentrate on developing research capacity in integrated renewable energy generation and supply, including “Smart Grids” of the future (as discussed in EU documents: EUR20901: ’New ERA for Electricity in Europe’, and EUR22040: ‘European SmartGrids Technology Platform’) and contributing towards meeting the UK medium-term renewable energy targets. CIREGS is aligned with the EPSRC Science and Innovation vision through enhancing both quantity and quality of research and training in renewable generation and supply and knowledge transfer.

It is now recognised that there is an immediate need to:

• increase capacity and capability in renewable energy technology

• carry out further research on future electrical networks to become bi-directional in power flow which will allow full integration of distributed/renewable and micro generation;

• make savings on energy consumption through demand-side management, smart metering and incentives for energy saving;

• use innovative equipment and other enabling technologies (power electronics and telecommunications) to design and build the “Smart” power networks of the future; and

• address the shortage in skills both in engineering and research.

CIREGS Research

Areas Areas for novel and innovative collaborative research by CIREGS within the School’s six Research Institutes, the University and UK and world leading groups in:

• Smart grids (intelligent power grids, reliability, security, network management and regulation),

• Embedded generation / distribution / transmission systems,

• Enabling technologies for energy systems (power electronics, demand-side management, communication systems, energy storage and smart metering),

• Control for energy systems (full exploitation of intermittent energy sources),

• Condition monitoring, sensors, novel measurement techniques, wide area monitoring (WAM) and asset management,

• Renewable generation sources and

• Environmental impact of renewable energy generation and supply.

Knowledge transfer, collaboration and training

Furthermore, strategic partnerships with major energy industries will be further strengthened by CIREGS to enhance/complement current strategic alliances e.g. the successful National Grid High Voltage Research Centre and run by the High Voltage Energy Systems research Goup (www.cf.ac.uk/hives), invite interested partners to contact us for future collaboration. The QinetiQ Gas Turbine Research Centre. The School and the Centre CIREGS and existing staff Cardiff School of Engineering will have a crucial role in training future generations of researchers and engineers in the fields of renewable power generation technologies, future electrical power networks and high voltage technologies, and enabling technologies for energy systems such as power electronics, DSP and communication systems, which are currently projected to have significant employment shortfalls as the sustainable energy economies grow around the world. Such targeted training will help industry with the deployment of new energy technologies.

Specifically, the Centre contributes and provides training and education in integrated renewable energy systems through existing and new schemes such as:

• The IET Power Academy Partnership for undergraduate student training (students on the BEng and MEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree courses at Cardiff School of Engineering can apply for the attractive IET Power Academy Scholarships), The IET Power Academy is sponsored by 17 major utilities, manufacturers and consultants to address existing and future significant shortfall of qualified graduates in this area),

• The EPSRC CTA MSc course in Sustainable Energy and

• Environment and the new MSc in Electrical Energy Systems (parttime option available for industrially-based students),

• The EU Marie-Curie Training Centre for postgraduates in Integrated Energy Conversion Systems (run jointly by the School of Engineering at Cardiff University and 8 EU partners),

• PhD research programmes in energy systems and related research areas, with up-to-date modern research facilities.

W: www.cf.ac.uk/engin