PhD Sustainable Energy Technologies

About the course

Our research expertise in Renewable Energy Technologies specialises in areas including renewable energy, smart grids, novel wind energy harvest technologies, energy storage systems, energy saving systems and nano materials, fuel cells, energy-efficient buildings,  phase change materials (PCM), piezoelectric and thermoelectric energy harvesting systems, engine emission control, development of optically accessible and race engines; conventional and advanced engine instrumentation, thermofluid modelling/simulation and experimental study for energy & flow physics.

In addition our research extends to power management of distributed energy systems and dynamic scheduling, optimisation and control of future smart grids, advanced power electronics and Control for microgrids, energy storage systems including coordinated and optimised integration into the power grid, smart meter data analytics using machine learning techniques for efficient energy management, the impact of electric vehicles on the distribution grid and smart charging, and dynamic wireless charging of electric vehicles for optimisation and infrastructure management.

Research in Sustainable Energy Technologies at the University of Hertfordshire has been supported with grants from the EPSRC, InnovateUK and industry.

Teaching methods

Each student will be assigned a Principal and a second supervisor who are experts in the research topic. The research will be conducted in our labs which are well-equipped for research in the topics of our expertise. Students studying on Full-Time mode are expected to submit their registration and progression reports in the first and second years of the research programme respectively and are formally assessed in the form of a viva by (usually) an internal examination panel. In completion of their 3rd year students are expected to start the preparation for their final assessment and to submit their thesis which is examined in the form of a viva by an external and an internal examiner (Part-Time mode assessment deadlines are extended accordingly).  

What’s next for my career?

Our PhD programmes enable students to develop specialist research skills and knowledge. We aim to provide research projects that will challenge and in some cases even inspire our students. If you are self-motivated and want to improve your ability to understand and solve engineering problems, then a PhD with us may be right for you.

Course fees

• Research degree fees for UK and EU students
• Research degree fees for international students