28 June 2024

In 2003, the Regenerative Energy Technology (RET) degree programme was launched at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences. Around 20 years after the programme was founded, we take stock, reflect on its development and successes and celebrate with our alumni.

20th anniversary of the Regenerative Energy Technology degree programme at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences (Photos: Sara Schulz)

The Institute for Regenerative Energy Technology (in.RET) at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Regenerative Energy Technology degree programme. The two-day anniversary event was well attended by around 80 alumni of the degree programme and many employees of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences. It began with a get-together in the Audimax, followed by dinner in the canteen and a party in the Karzer student club.

The second day of the event was dedicated to looking back on 20 years of RET. Under the title "What was - What is - What will be!", Prof. Schabbach, Dr Leibbrandt and Prof. Wesselak gave presentations on the development of renewable energy technology and reflected on the development of the degree programme over the last 20 years. This was followed by themed tables and world cafés where personal experiences were exchanged retrospectively, current study programmes were discussed and future trends were identified.

Another highlight was the presentation of the results of the world cafés and the pitches by successful graduates, including Dr Maria Nuschke with her contribution "40 GW of wind in the North Sea!", Tobias Raddau with "Heat supply of the future!" and Mira Kowalski, who gave a live online presentation from Uganda on the topic of "Equator Solar". The event also offered a varied supporting programme, such as traditional ice bathing and laboratory tours, and ended with a barbecue in front of the institute building. Graduates of the programme can now be found in a variety of different fields of work: they work in consulting firms, are self-employed, work in ministries, university and non-university research, industrial companies, NGOs and many other areas. New jobs have been created in the renewable energy sector in recent years. Today, around 350,000 people are already working on the energy transition, including almost 1100 from Nordhausen

During the Regenerative Energy Technology degree programme, students learn how to develop, plan and operate renewable energy systems. The programme focuses on the basic elements of renewable energy systems, for example solar thermal, photovoltaic and wind energy systems as well as the use of bioenergy. The programme also covers the integration of renewable energy systems into existing electricity and heating grids as well as issues relating to the energy industry and energy law.

The well-maintained network of regional and national industry contacts as well as the close cooperation with industry offer students a good entry into the labour market after graduation. As the degree programme also covers traditional energy technology and related topics in addition to renewable energy, students can work in the fields of project management and planning, research and development, sales and marketing, consulting and expert opinions as well as the operation and maintenance of energy systems.

The in.RET conducts basic and application-orientated energy research in the field of renewable energy technology. In addition to the further development and optimisation of technologies for the use of renewable energies, an important focus of its work will be the system integration of these energies, i.e. the question of how renewable energies can be sensibly combined with each other and integrated into existing supply structures in the heat and electricity market. Numerous interdisciplinary issues from the fields of energy technology, measurement and control technology and economics need to be addressed. The focus of research has developed from individual modules to entire energy systems.