Sustainable Futures in Energy

Tom Bruce is Professor in the Institute for Energy Systems, in the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. Tom’s background is in fluid mechanics and Coastal Engineering. More recently, he has become involved in projects in tidal stream and wave energy, and has recently returned from Germany, where he led a project which saw a unique set of very large-scale laboratory tests exploring extreme wave loadings on coastline wave energy converters. In his teaching, Tom specialises in Fluid Mechanics and Sustainable Energy.

Neil Robertson leads research on new molecular materials and nanomaterials for solar photovoltaics, photocatalysis and electrical energy storage. He has previously acted as photovoltaics theme lead for the Energy Technology Partnership (Scotland); led a project to develop the first ever solar vision for Scotland (2014); and was a member of the solar commission reporting on solar innovation in the UK (2018). He is Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and President Elect of the RSC Materials Chemistry Community.

With approximately two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions originating from fossil fuel combustion, it is clear that if we are to develop sustainably, a transition to clean energy is central. 

This course will explore drivers for change – climate change and other environmental and societal impacts of our energy demands– before progressing to explore some of the technologies which can form significant components of a sustainable energy future.

Course Overview:

The course is divided into three parts: (i) an overall introduction to the drivers for change; (ii) an exploration of some of the key sustainable energy technologies, and (iii) a group mini-project to delve deeper into a particular area of current research. 

The introduction will look at where our energy comes from and what it’s used for, taking a global view to appreciate the staggering differences country to country. The impacts of our current energy use on climate, the environment, and on health are explored next. The course then delves deeper into selected technologies that offer opportunities for clean energy such as wind, tidal, hydropower, solar PV, and hydrogen fuel cells, plus enabling technologies such as energy storage. The final phase of the course will be devoted to a group mini-project giving a taster of research in these areas.

One session will be devoted to introducing you to concepts in Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). RRI explores the ways in which a piece of research can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while also surfacing other important issues in areas such as diversity and inclusion. You will be asked to reflect upon how your mini-project work aligns with RRI.

Course Structure:

The course has been designed to offer you a variety of different styles of learning which reflect the fact that the Learning Outcomes are not simply focused on the technical information content, but rather, on developing your academic and communication skills more widely. You will engage in lectures, followed by more detailed group explorations of further topics. Group findings will be shared with your peers via (electronic) poster sessions and discussion. The group mini-project will offer you the opportunity to work with research scientists for a taster of research in these areas, including planning and communication.

The course includes a short field trip which will allow you to see some real examples of some of the topics explored in the classroom (as well as offering a break from the classroom setting!). 

The course teaching staff include senior academics expert in their discipline areas.

Week 1 and 2

• Monday - Friday (10:00-13:00)

The course is assessed by two components of coursework that are equally weighted. Each component is assessed as pass/fail only, and both components need to be passed to pass the course:

1) A five-page group-authored report; four pages main text plus a one page RRI audit. This group element will be completed during the course.

2) A one-page, individual reflection on your experience of the course (750 words). This should include both academic and personal reflective practice. This individual element should be completed within 2 weeks of the end of the course.

On completion of this course, students will be able to:  

• Gather information about energy from a wide variety of types of source (academic literature; government and intergovernmental reports; NGOs; industry bodies; wider media).
• Employ critical approaches when evaluating different information sources.
• Deploy an understanding of “world view” and “timescales for change” concepts in considering future policy and technologies in sustainable energy.
• Plan, carry out and report on a novel investigation of a topic of current interest.
• Apply concepts and tools of Responsible Research and Innovation to a new research project.

The course fee does not include accommodation during your study. Please see our Accommodation section for more information. 

To ensure your experience at the University of Edinburgh's Summer School is memorable, we encourage students to embrace the city and its culture and take part in the variety of social activities available.

More about our social programme activities >

Applications have now closed for 2024.