Certification: Level 9 NFQ, 9 ECTS
Start Date: 27th of January 2025
Application Deadline: 13th of January 2025
Our Price: €1,000 per person

Applications are made for this programme to UL through this application form (module code is EC6141). Payment is made to Green Tech Skillnet after you have successfully registered for programme through a payment link.

Module Overview

The transition towards a more efficient use of natural resources, including energy resources, is vital for meeting our existing climate goals. Commissioned by Green Tech Skillnet, Developed by University of Limerick, in partnership with Industry, the Energy Economics and Policy Micro-Credential offers a unique combination of research-led teaching and problem-based learning to provide a comprehensive understanding of the key issues influencing the future of energy sustainability.

The Micro-Credential will cover the key contemporaneous dynamics affecting energy markets from the supply and demand sides. With a strong focus on the role of public policy in shaping energy markets, the Micro-Credential will support students to develop a deep understanding of the inter-relation between economic systems, energy markets, and policy. By following a research-led approach, the Micro-Credential will enable students to develop key critical and analytical skills for assessing and discussing key debates and associated evidence, guiding existing policy responses in the energy field of energy economics. The Micro-Credential will also allow students to gain and demonstrate important practical skills, regarding the application of conceptual and empirical tools used in energy economics research.

If you want to know more about the economic, social, and environmental facets of energy markets and apply this expertise to your career, the Energy Economics and Policy Micro-Credential is perfect for you.

Module Objectives and Learning Outcomes

1. Develop and in-depth understanding of the economic, social and environmental dynamics underpinning energy markets and energy sustainability.
2. Build your knowledge and insights through international evidence in energy issues from the latest energy economics research.
3. Develop critical analytical skills to assess and debate key energy economics issues.

Course Content

Topics to be covered include:

1. Wholesale electricity market design.
2. Electricity demand.
3. Efficient energy tariff design.
4. Public policy and renewable energy.
5. New technologies and energy sustainability.
6. Challenges in the green energy transition.
7. Policies for driving the green transition.
8. The European energy market and its social/environmental issues.
9. Firms, technology, and the energy transition in Europe.
10. The environmental and energy policy instrument mix.

Who should attend

Professionals working in the energy sector who want to develop skills in energy economics and energy sustainability as part of a professional development path. Graduates seeking to work in the energy sector and interested in developing an in-depth understanding of the critical inter-relationships between energy markets and social and environmental issues.

The course is especially relevant for the following professional profiles:

Other course details

Online Learning: Online with a blend of learning activities such as pre-recorded lectures, micro-learning activities, discussion forums, and live online sessions.
Expert Inputs: Learn from leading energy economics academics, industry practitioners, NGOs, and private sector experts.
Cutting-Edge Content: Immerse yourself in the latest economic thinking and analytical tools.
Self-Directed Learning Experience: This short course is designed for busy Professionals and offers a flexible learning environment for maximum engagement at an appropriate pace.

About the trainer

Dr. Niall Farrell is a Senior Research Officer at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and an adjunct Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin, and has held positions at Queens University Belfast, the University of Oxford and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Dr. Farrell regularly publishes in high impact internal peer-reviewed journals, such as Economics Letters, Nature Energy and Energy Economics. Prior to joining the team designing and delivering the Energy Economics and Policy module, Dr. Farrell designed and delivered a similar module at Queens’ University, Belfast. He will be in charge of designing and delivering the Energy Economics and Policy Micro-Credential.

Dr. Muireann Lynch is a Senior Research Officer in the Economic Analysis division of the Economic and Social Research Institute. Dr. Lynch is also a Research Area Coordinator for Energy in the ESRI, a funded investigator with the MaREI SFI Research Centre and is Deputy Director of the SFI-funded NexSys Partnership. Muireann holds a degree in Mathematics and Economics from Trinity College Dublin and a PhD from the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering in UCD. She has published numerous research articles in diverse areas of energy economics and has co-authored submissions to various public consultations and Government Departments. Muireann’s research interests include electricity market regulation, power system economics and renewable generation integration and her research methodologies include stochastic mathematical programming, optimisation and game theory. She will be in charge of designing and delivering the Energy Economics and Policy Micro-Credential.

Dr. Kinga Tchorzewska is an Assistant Professor at Kozminski University (Poland), a Consultant at the World Bank, a Scientific Expert at the OECD,’s Centre for Tax Policy and Administration, and a Research Affiliate at the Chair of Energy Sustainability, at the University of Barcelona. She holds a PhD in Energy Economics from the University of Barcelona. Dr. Tchorzewska has extensive research and teaching experience in the interrelations between energy, economics and policy, having published her research in top international peer-reviewed journals, such as Research Policy, Environmental and Resource Economics, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, and The Journal of Cleaner Production. She has also collaborated in multiple research projects focused on topics related to energy and sustainability on behalf of international organisations, such as the World Bank, the Green Fiscal Network, and Narodowy Bank Polski. She will be in charge of designing and delivering the Energy Economics and Policy Micro-Credential.

Dr. Mauricio Perez-Alaniz is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Kemmy Business School, and the Course Director for the Postgraduate Diploma in Economics and Policy: https://www.ul.ie/gps/courses/‌economics-and-public-policy-postgraduate-diploma. Dr. Perez-Alaniz has an extensive background of policy evaluation, in the areas of innovation, R&D policy, and environmental practices in firms, regularly publishing his research in high impact international peer-reviewed journals such as Ecological Economics, The Journal of Cleaner Production, Competitiveness Review, and Industry and Innovation. He has also extensive experience in working with Government, NGOs and other stakeholders in the context of impact evaluation. As a Course Director of the Postgraduate Diploma in Economics and Policy, Dr. Perez-Alaniz has developed key expertise in the areas of module design for online delivery, and in delivering this context virtually. He will engage in the Energy Economics and Policy module, as a Module Leader.