Brief History of Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering

The Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering of the University of Energy and Natural Resources was established in 2012 with the aim of fully integrating various energy generating technologies and environmental issues to meet the changing demands of the energy industry particularly in Ghana and the West Africa sub-region. The Department is one of the eight (8) departments within the School of Engineering. Presently it is home to three undergraduate programmes; BSc Renewable Energy Engineering, BSc Environmental Engineering and BSc Petroleum Engineering and two masters programmes; Environmental Engineering Management and Sustainable Energy Management. The Department offers programmes in the areas of energy and environmental engineering to equip the future generation of decision-makers with the expertise required to transform the energy resources and manage the environmental challenges of the 21st century and beyond.

These unique programmes are expertly developed to provide expertise to address the energy supply issues (security of supply, resource challenges, demand growth, increasing energy consumption, energy planning and sustainable energy development) and environmental challenges such as global climate change and environmental degradation.

The programmes under the Department have been designed in response to a recognised need from the energy industry for university graduates who have a detailed knowledge, appreciation and fundamental understanding of the various sources of energy, their production, harnessing, conversion, and environmental concerns associated with the use of energy. The Programmes also address how well energy can be managed in industries and domestic settings to overcome environmental issues associated with the use of energy. Thus, the programmes we offer prepare graduates for various future career-paths and life-long learning to enable them contribute to national and international development in clean energy and sustainable environment arena.

The Department contributes to research and teaching within its field. As a result, it makes significant contribution to developing new methods and new technologies for efficient and environmentally friendly energy systems. The Department has a key role in the development of interdisciplinary Energy and Environmental Engineering research programme that is tailored to the needs of Ghanaian and African energy utilities and industry.

About School of Engineering

Vision:

Our vision is to be among the best Energy and Environmental Engineering Departments internationally by providing a scholarly environment that supports and fosters academic excellence.

Mission

Our mission is to produce adept graduates that have firm grasp of the principles and skills of Energy and Environmental Engineering through quality competency-based education, as well as to carry out innovative research aimed at benefiting man and his environment.

Aims and Objectives

Provide high-quality undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education in engineering that will prepare our graduates for professional careers and a lifetime of learning.

Develop nationally and internationally competitive, high-quality research programmes that support the graduate education programme, advance the state of knowledge of the field of energy and environmental engineering, and assist in the economic development of the nation.

Disseminate timely, high-quality technology-based information for the sustainable utilisation of energy resources and management of clean environment.

Serve individual practicing energy and environmental engineers, industry, government, educational entities, and technical societies through active involvement with these groups and by providing professional expertise.

The faculty, staff and students of the Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering are guided in their endeavours by meeting and promoting the Objectives of the Department:

  • Promote innovation, creativity, freedom of thought and creative expression.
  • Operate with integrity, commitment and transparency.
  • Promote conservation of energy and the environment.
  • Establish and foster collaborative partnership with stakeholders in skills and knowledge generation and application.
  • Continuously improve the academic programmes in partnership with academia, alumni, government, and industry and respond to the needs of our students and partner communities.
  • Promote and incorporate sustainability concepts across all Department courses/programmes as well as exemplifying the sustainability culture of staff, students and alumni.

Academic Programmes:

The department offers Bachelor of Science in the following programmes:

  •     BSc. Renewable Energy Engineering
  •     BSc. Environmental Engineering
  •     BSc. Petroleum Engineering

 

Achievements

The long-term success of becoming a ‘top’ Department largely depends on the success of the faculty, staff and students. This success includes the level of national prominence attained by faculty, their ability to attract quality graduate students, their ability to build research teams and their ability to establish partnerships for research with external agencies including national and international laboratories, industries and companies.

The Department has established strategic collaborations with some key stakeholder organizations including Copenhagen University, Naresuan University, Thailand, Mossrich Energy and Solar Grid. An MOU with Solar Grid has been signed to help build the capacity of the Department in the area of Solar Energy. The CEO of Solar Grid has been appointed as an Adjunct Professor of the Department. The Department is in collaboration with DSTC to offer certificate courses for solar design and installation. The first training programme was successfully completed in July 2014. The Department has built a biogas plant for the production of gas for cooking purposes by the University’s cafeteria.

Consultancy work undertaken include:

DFID consultancy work on “Baseline study of riparian communities in the Volta Basin in Ghana”

Consultancy work for EDIFY, an NGO on “Installation of solar PVs in Monrovia and training of EDIFY staff for the maintenance of the system”

Funded research projects carried out include:
Royal Society Africa Capacity Building Project. Phase 1
Capacity Building Project under the Akosombo Kpong Dam Reoperation and Reoptimisation Project

Capacity building for staff has been encouraging. Some faculty have received training in various areas of renewable energy technologies in Israel, China, Thailand, Germany and Ghana. Some of the staff are Visiting Lecturers/Professors at Abdou Moumouni University in Niger and Naresuan

Future Plans:

We plan to:

Grow into “School of Renewable Energy Technologies” offering various degree programmes in the fields of renewable energy technologies, energy management and energy efficiency among others, whilst the Petroleum Engineering programme is maintained in the School of Engineering under Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering.
Widen the scope of job opportunities for our students, by offering double degrees at the undergraduate level. The programmes will be five (5) years and follow three different routes:

  1. Students offer all BSc Electrical Engineering courses in the first three and a half years and then offer particularly solar energy courses in the last one and half years. Students will be awarded BSc Electrical Engineering and BSc Renewable Energy Technologies.
  2. Students offer all BSc Mechanical Engineering courses in the first three and a half years and then offer particularly bioenergy and wind energy courses in the last one and half years. Students will be awarded BSc Mechanical Engineering and BSc Renewable Energy Technologies.

iii.            Students offer all BSc Chemical Engineering courses in the first three and a half years and then offer particularly bioenergy and fuel cell courses in the last one and half years. Students will be awarded BSc Chemical Engineering and BSc Renewable Energy Technologies.

Increase undergraduate and post-graduate student enrolments and student diversity.
Build nationally and internationally recognized energy and environmental research programmes that make impact.
Establish research units within the Department, secure state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities for research and create Centres of Excellence.
Build international reputation of faculty through increased scholarly publications, excellent achievements and innovations.
Contribute meaningfully to increased security and reliability of energy supply systems, as well as increased access to affordable and modern energy services.
Stimulate smart cities development and ensure economic development and rural transformation for community livelihood empowerment.