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Master’s in Island Engineering and Isolated Systems

Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in island and isolated power system engineering: 12 modules covering the operation of small systems, renewable integration, storage, interconnections, remote microgrids, island demand and efficiency, regulation and remuneration, energy planning, resilience and financing, with an assigned technical tutor.

Duration1900 h
ModeOnline
LanguageEnglish
Start datesSet by the faculty
AwardSEIUM Institute diploma
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Learning outcomes

What you will be able to do

01

Analyse how isolated power systems operate.

02

Evaluate the stability of low-inertia systems.

03

Determine renewable integration limits on islands.

04

Size storage and interconnections.

05

Design hybrid remote microgrids.

06

Interpret the regulatory regime of non-mainland systems.

07

Draw up island decarbonisation roadmaps.

Profile

Who it's for

  • Island power system engineers.
  • Island energy planners.
  • Microgrid engineers.
  • Operations analysts for isolated systems.
  • Rural electrification consultants.
  • Storage project managers.
  • Engineering or science graduates aiming to move into island power systems.
Standards & tools

What you'll work with

  • Real Decreto 738/2015 (electricity generation in Spanish non-mainland systems)
  • Ley 24/2013 del Sector Eléctrico (Spanish Electricity Sector Act, non-mainland regime)
  • Regulation (EU) 2016/631 (RfG, requirements for generators)
  • Regulation (EU) 2019/943 (derogations for small isolated systems)
  • REE Operating Procedures for non-mainland systems
  • IEEE 2030.7 (microgrid controllers)
  • IEC TS 62257 (renewable energy systems for rural electrification)
  • Real Decreto 1183/2020 (grid access and connection)
  • HOMER Pro
  • DIgSILENT PowerFactory
  • PLEXOS
  • Python (Pyomo)
  • PVsyst
Syllabus

12 modules · 1900 h

  1. 1.1Characteristics of island systems
  2. 1.2Non-mainland power systems in Spain
  3. 1.3Remote microgrids and small islands
  4. 1.4Dependence on fossil fuels
  5. 1.5Generation costs on islands
  6. 1.6Supply vulnerability
  7. 1.7Island decarbonisation targets
  8. 1.8Clean Energy for EU Islands initiative
  9. 1.9Experience from El Hierro, Hawaii and Tasmania
  10. 1.10Case study: analysis of the power system of a Canary Island
  1. 2.1Low inertia and its effect
  2. 2.2Frequency control on islands
  3. 2.3Spinning reserves and their cost
  4. 2.4Load shedding
  5. 2.5Voltage stability
  6. 2.6Contingencies and loss of generating units
  7. 2.7Dispatch of thermal generation
  8. 2.8System operator security criteria
  9. 2.9Island blackouts and their causes
  10. 2.10Lab: simulation of a generation loss in an isolated system
  1. 3.1Island solar and wind resources
  2. 3.2Instantaneous penetration limits
  3. 3.3Renewable curtailment
  4. 3.4Technical connection requirements
  5. 3.5Grid forming on islands
  6. 3.6Short-term renewable forecasting
  7. 3.7Managing variability
  8. 3.8Renewables in remote microgrids
  9. 3.9High-penetration experience
  10. 3.10Practical exercise: maximum renewable penetration study
  1. 4.1Batteries for frequency regulation
  2. 4.2Storage for energy shifting
  3. 4.3Island pumped hydro storage
  4. 4.4Gorona del Viento power plant
  5. 4.5Salto de Chira project
  6. 4.6Hydrogen on islands
  7. 4.7Thermal storage on islands
  8. 4.8Storage sizing
  9. 4.9Grid services
  10. 4.10Case study: sizing a BESS for an island
  1. 5.1Subsea links between islands
  2. 5.2Interconnection with the mainland
  3. 5.3AC versus DC technology
  4. 5.4Subsea interconnection cables
  5. 5.5Security benefits
  6. 5.6Cost-benefit analysis of links
  7. 5.7Mainland–Balearic Islands links
  8. 5.8Interconnections in the Canary Islands
  9. 5.9Impact on operation
  10. 5.10Practical exercise: technical comparison of an inter-island link
  1. 6.1Microgrid architectures
  2. 6.2Hybrid diesel–renewable systems
  3. 6.3Microgrid controllers
  4. 6.4Sizing with HOMER
  5. 6.5Remote rural communities
  6. 6.6Microgrids at research stations
  7. 6.7Off-grid operation
  8. 6.8Maintenance in remote areas
  9. 6.9Project sustainability
  10. 6.10Lab: optimisation of a diesel–PV–battery microgrid in HOMER
  1. 7.1Island demand profiles
  2. 7.2Tourism and seasonality
  3. 7.3Desalination and energy
  4. 7.4Electric mobility on islands
  5. 7.5Efficiency in hotels
  6. 7.6Demand-side management
  7. 7.7Heat pumps
  8. 7.8Self-consumption in island territories
  9. 7.9Demand planning
  10. 7.10Case study: managing desalination demand with renewables
  1. 8.1Regime for non-mainland power systems
  2. 8.2Remuneration of island generation
  3. 8.3Compensation of extra costs
  4. 8.4Island renewable tenders
  5. 8.5Network planning on islands
  6. 8.6Regional island regulations
  7. 8.7Security of supply
  8. 8.8Taxation and the Canary Islands Economic and Tax Regime (REF)
  9. 8.9European funds for islands
  10. 8.10Workshop: extra-cost analysis of an island system
  1. 9.1Planning models
  2. 9.2Decarbonisation scenarios
  3. 9.3Island transition agendas
  4. 9.4Community participation
  5. 9.5Land use and renewables
  6. 9.6Landscape impact of renewables
  7. 9.7Integrated electricity–water–transport planning
  8. 9.8Monitoring indicators
  9. 9.9Island roadmaps
  10. 9.10Practical exercise: 2040 decarbonisation scenario for an island
  1. 10.1Extreme events on islands
  2. 10.2Hurricanes and storms
  3. 10.3Grid vulnerability
  4. 10.4Resilience microgrids
  5. 10.5Restoration after blackouts
  6. 10.6Energy emergency plans
  7. 10.7Reserve fuel
  8. 10.8Critical island infrastructure
  9. 10.9Lessons from Puerto Rico
  10. 10.10Case study: energy resilience plan for an island
  1. 11.1LCOE in isolated systems
  2. 11.2Fuel savings
  3. 11.3Financing island projects
  4. 11.4Contracts and tenders
  5. 11.5Community participation in projects
  6. 11.6Risk analysis
  7. 11.7International cooperation in electrification
  8. 11.8Funded rural electrification
  9. 11.9Project appraisal
  10. 11.10Practical exercise: economic model for hybridising a diesel power plant
  1. 12.1Selection of the isolated system
  2. 12.2Diagnosis of generation and demand
  3. 12.3Renewable integration scenarios
  4. 12.4Storage and interconnection
  5. 12.5Stability studies
  6. 12.6Economic assessment of scenarios
  7. 12.7Roadmap
  8. 12.8Conclusions and future lines of work
  9. 12.9Master's Thesis report
  10. 12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
Methodology, software & labs

How you'll learn

100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable materials, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There is no fixed timetable: you progress at your own pace within the intake, so it is compatible with full-time work.

Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standards and applied exercises. The working software is HOMER Pro, DIgSILENT PowerFactory, PLEXOS, Python (Pyomo) and PVsyst, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures: frequency stability simulation in small systems, optimisation of hybrid microgrids and island decarbonisation scenarios. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final Master's Thesis.

Standards covered: Real Decreto 738/2015, Ley 24/2013 del Sector Eléctrico, Regulation (EU) 2016/631, Regulation (EU) 2019/943, REE Operating Procedures for non-mainland systems, IEEE 2030.7, IEC TS 62257, Real Decreto 1183/2020.

Assigned technical tutor:every module ends with a deliverable that your tutor marks individually.
Standards-based learning:guided reading of Real Decreto 738/2015, the Spanish Electricity Sector Act (Ley 24/2013) and the RfG (Regulation (EU) 2016/631) applied to real cases, not as a theoretical annex.
Industry software:HOMER Pro, DIgSILENT PowerFactory, PLEXOS, Python (Pyomo) and PVsyst, in free, academic or evaluation versions.
Master's Thesis with defence:A decarbonisation roadmap for a real isolated power system, defended before a panel.
Flexible format:100% online, no fixed timetables, compatible with full-time work.
Capstone project

Build it end to end

Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.

System diagnosis
Select an isolated system and diagnose its generation and demand.
Renewable integration scenarios
Determine penetration limits and build renewable integration scenarios.
Storage and interconnection
Size storage and evaluate interconnection options.
Stability and economics
Run stability studies and assess the economics of each scenario.
Master's Thesis
A decarbonisation roadmap for the isolated system, defended before a panel.
Career opportunities

Where this takes you

Island power systems engineerIsland energy plannerMicrogrid engineerIsolated systems operations analystRural electrification consultantStorage projects manager
Admissions & scholarships

Requirements

  • A university degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
  • An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
  • English sufficient to read technical standards.

Ready to start?

Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.

Apply now Scholarships
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The programme totals 1,900 hours over 12–14 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.

You work with HOMER Pro, DIgSILENT PowerFactory, PLEXOS, Python (Pyomo) and PVsyst, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.

A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the Master's Thesis. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.

Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.

A degree in engineering, science or architecture (or equivalent professional experience), a computer able to run the programme's software and English sufficient to read technical standards.

Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.

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