Today, the conditions are particularly suitable and affordable for an industry transformation towards distributed energy generation thanks to the development of smart grids, renewable energies, and lower costs to install renewable energy capacity. Smart grids are the enablers for a new era in sustainable energy. However, to unleash the full potential of this new and constantly evolving technology, well-skilled experts must be trained.

The current educational system in Europe lacks in its employability of graduate students, who play a vital role in the deployment of the clean-energy smart grid infrastructure. Alignment of academia with the labor market is needed to teach the students both theoretical and practical, hands-on skills directly applicable in the working environment. Our project takes on this responsibility by designing a master’s program on Smart Grid Technologies which will cover not only the smart grid operation fundamentals but also all aspects of smart grid integration. These range from energy market & policy and smart grid models to modern technologies in the power sector. As a result of the project, the Master’s degree will be available at three European universities - the University of Cagliari in Sardinia, the University of Cyprus, and the University of Western Macedonia in Greece.