Energy control and management

 

Overview

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a key challenge for our planet. We need to install decentralised renewable energy sources for stationary and/or embedded applications. The decentralisation of sources and storage leads to a complex energy system.

The Energy Control and Management (e-Control) specialisation offers a training programme that addresses the technological, economic and societal challenges related to the energy sector.

Contribution to sustainable development goals

Learn more about Centrale Nantes' commitment to the 17 sustainable development goals

Admission

International students can follow this specialisation, taught in French, via:
 

• A double degree programme - Open to international students selected by our partner institutions. Selected students spend two years studying courses from the engineering programme at Centrale Nantes. This usually includes one year of the common-core engineering curriculum followed by one year of specialisation. Double degree students are typically accepted after successfully completing two or three years of higher education in their home institution.
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• The fast-track engineering programme: Open to students with a Bachelor's or equivalent degree in science. Our fast-track programme gives international students who are qualified to bachelor level the opportunity to gain the 'diplôme d'ingénieur' in just two years.
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Course Content

2024/25 Academic Year

Autumn Semester (S7 or S9)	Spring Semester (S8 or S10)
Energy conversion chain	Model checking & AI
Embedded computing	Smart energy management
Methodology of linear control	Role of electricity in energy transition
Simulation of electrical systems	Energy Project
Advanced control	Project 2
Low tech IoT	Internship
Digital design on FPGA
Observation and diagnosis
Project 1

 

Download syllabus

Examples of past projects and internships

Examples of projects

 

• Control of floating wind turbines
• Study and implementation of a MPPT controller for a photovoltaic generator
• Modelling and safe generation of an autonomous vehicle control application
• Advanced Control of a PMSG Wind Turbine Benchmark Implementation using Matlab/ Simulink/ OPAL-RT
• Evaluation of Time-Sensitive Networks
• Design of a sensor system for data acquisition on a racing yacht

Examples of internships

• Project management for the installation of charging stations for electric vehicles (PROVIRIDIS)
• Study and implementation of an anti-collision and obstacle avoidance system to assist drone navigation (INTELLCAP)
• Study of a new underwater electro-communication system (Naval Group)
• R&D engineer in Electronic Warfare / Clustering algorithms (Thalès)
• Energy optimisation of electric vehicle charging stations (ENVISION)
• Analysis and simulation of real-time critical networks (Thalès)
• Development of a real-time estimator of electrical quantities (RTE)
• Power electronics simulation demonstrator (Siemens)
• Creation of performance analysis tools for SIMULIA applications (Dassault Systèmes)

After the specialisation

Industry sectors

• Energy
• Transport
• Building
• Electronic systems

Career prospects

• Energy production, control and management
• Engineering and design
• Research and development

Student feedback

Video of Igor, student in the Energy control and management specialisation (video in French with English subtitles)

Video Transcript

Pitch your specialisation: Igor, Energy Control and Management specialisation

My name is Igor, I'm 22 years old and I came from a small town in Brazil. I started my studies at the University of Sao Paulo, where I did two and a half years of aeronautical engineering. Now it's my second year of a double degree at Centrale Nantes, where I'm following the Energy Control and Management specialisation. 

20 seconds to pitch your specialisation:

This specialisation deals broadly with control, especially of electrical systems. For example, how to control a wind turbine generator, renewable energies, how they work, how to control them too, and how to bring them together in the network, to supply energy in the best way. 

3 reasons to choose this specialisation

The first reason is because it's quite a broad specialisation to carry on from where I started. We have a lot of fields and subjects to cover. For example, embedded computing, electrical machines, renewable energy, control theory, and power electronics. So, after the course you can work in renewable energies, or in any other field: aeronautics, automotive, etc. The second reason is that we are studying very timely and emerging issues that are crucial in terms of energy transition, with control and the integration of renewable energies. The third reason is that we have a lot of projects and practical work, so that we can apply and better understand what we study in class. 

Why Centrale Nantes? 

I chose Centrale Nantes for three main reasons. Firstly, because it is a general engineering school so I could broaden my horizons. Secondly, for the opportunity to specialise in a field that was not necessarily my own. And finally, because it's a school where a lot of international students and nationalities mix. This multicultural environment really appealed to me. 

What's next? 

My next step is to go back to the University of Sao Paulo, where I plan to study computer science a little more. This subject is covered in the specialisation, but it is not the main one. I also plan to spend more time studying electrical machines and control, topics which are related to the specialisation. That's why I'm really interested in exploring further.