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2026-2027 / ENVT0905-1

Energy communities

Duration

20h Th, 20h Pr

Number of credits

 Master in environmental sciences and management, professional focus4 crédits 
 Master in environmental sciences and management, professional focus (Codiplômation Université du Luxembourg)4 crédits 
 Advanced Master in the Water-Energy-Food Nexus4 crédits 

Lecturer

Deepak Amaripadath, Damien Ernst

Coordinator

Deepak Amaripadath

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

This course adopts a project-based and field-oriented approach to energy communities and is structured around several key themes:

Introduction, history, and general concepts: presentation of the foundations and evolution of the concept of energy communities.

Exploration of the legal, socio-economic, and organisational aspects, including:
- Analysis of the European legislative framework and the specific regulations applicable in the Walloon Region.
- Description of the mechanisms governing the electricity market, the stakeholders involved, and the regulatory framework.
- Overview of the different organisational models used for energy communities.
- The concepts required to conduct a pre-feasibility study, including the definition of key performance indicators (KPIs), financial aspects, and community management.
- Lessons learned from research projects on socio-technical support and change management during the implementation of energy communities.

Study of the technical aspects, including:
- Assessment of the energy yield of generation assets, analysis of energy consumption, and storage mechanisms.
- Calculation of indicators such as self-consumption, self-generation, and the load duration curve.
- Operation of Energy Management Systems (EMS), equipment control, and the use of building flexibility.
- Methodologies for sizing energy infrastructures.

Fundamentals of district heating networks: introduction and different generations of district heating, study of various heat generation technologies, aggregation of the heat demand of multiple buildings, calculation of the load duration curve, system design, and techno-economic comparison between district heating networks and individual heating systems.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

By the end of the course, students will be able to contribute to a pre-feasibility study and design an energy community project with a comprehensive understanding of its main technical, legal, organisational, and economic aspects. They will be familiar with evaluation and sizing methods, as well as key performance and financial indicators.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Basic knowledge of heat transfer and energy systems. Students are expected to have completed the first-year course - ENVT0892 Gestion Intégrée de l'Energie.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course will consist of lectures and a project assignment.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face course


Further information:

The course is delivered exclusively in person, with alternating sessions in French and English.

Additional information:
The course is taught on the Arlon campus, with one day scheduled in Liège

Course materials and recommended or required readings

Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
- MyULiège


Further information:

Copies of the PowerPoint presentations will be made available in MyULiège eCampus.

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

oral exam

Written work / report

Continuous assessment


Further information:

A written report will be submitted at the end of the semester, and the project will be presented orally. This presentation will be complemented by an oral exam covering the topics discussed during the course.

Work placement(s)

No internships

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

Course notes will be available after each lesson on myULiege - eCampus. Minor changes to the course organization may be made as necessary.

Contacts

Deepak AMARIPADATH, Deepak.Amaripadath@uliege.be

Anne Wouters, Anne.Wouters@uliege.be

Association of one or more MOOCs

There is no MOOC associated with this course.