AE-343 Arctic Renewable Energy Systems: Design, Integration and Project Delivery (10 ECTS)

Grade:	Letter grade (A through F)
Course Cost:	None
Course Capacity Min/Max:	10/25 students
Credit reduction / overlap:	10 ECTS with AE-843
Language of instruction:	English
Examination support material:	Bilingual dictionary between English and mother tongue

Yngve Birkelund

Adjunct professor

yngveb@unis.no

Course requirements

Enrollment in a relevant master programme.

Academic content

This course looks at Arctic renewable energy from the perspective of actual system design and implementation. Building on the practical field experience from AE-341 and the meteorological insight from AE-342, students now work at the level where engineering, planning, policy, and project execution meet.

Arctic settlements face a very particular mix of constraints: fluctuating loads, sensitive ecosystems, permafrost-affected foundations, extreme seasonal variation, long logistics chains, and regulatory frameworks that are stricter than almost anywhere else. The course explores how these factors shape the technical, economic and operational decisions behind a real energy system. A central element of the course is the multi-year Svalbard Energy System Model. Each cohort updates and expands the model using new load data, revised resource assessments, and the latest technology options. This provides continuity from year to year and gives students the experience of contributing to a “living” planning tool similar to those used in industry and government. The Model focus on one of the settlements.

The course also addresses the full project cycle of Arctic renewable energy developments, from concept to commissioning. Particular emphasis is placed on the constraints imposed by the Svalbard Treaty and the Svalbard Environmental Act, which shape what can and cannot be built in the archipelago.

A dedicated fieldwork module in Ny-Ålesund gives students insight into an active, research-driven Arctic settlement where energy transition is not an abstraction but an ongoing process of testing, learning and refining.

Specific topics:

• Integrating wind, solar, storage and demand-side flexibility for Arctic settlements
• Interpreting and applying the resource assessments generated in AE-342
• Load-profiling and forecasting for small, isolated communities
• Multi-vector energy systems (heat, electricity, backup fuels)
• Feasibility studies and concept selection under Arctic constraints
• Tender documents, proposal preparation, and evaluation in remote-site projects
• EPC contracts, O&M planning, and risk allocation in harsh-environment projects
• Regulatory and environmental requirements under the Svalbard Treaty and Environmental Act
• Project finance basics: CAPEX/OPEX structures, PPA mechanisms, and establishment of project entities
• Plant commissioning, warranty periods, and long-term operation in cold climates
• Ny-Ålesund fieldwork: system walk-downs, data collection, and operational interviews

Learning outcomes

Upon completing the course, the students will be able to:

Learning activities

• Lectures and seminars connecting resource assessments, technology options, and system design
• Fieldwork in Ny-Ålesund focusing on the real operational constraints of an Arctic settlement
• Group-based modelling exercises and concept-design tasks
• Workshops on feasibility studies, tender preparation, and contract structures
• Individual and group presentations
• Final project report based on the Svalbard Energy System Model

Compulsory learning activities

• Participation in fieldwork
• Group modelling assignments
• Seminar discussions
• Final presentation of the concept design and system model results

Assessment