Renewable energy: introduction (UAU111F)

Sustainable energy development requires a transition to low-carbon and environmentally benign energy resources.  This introductory course will;  i) provide an overview of the history energy use in the world and status of energy use today.  It in addition will provide an overview of various alternative energy futures derived from IEA scenarios, with focus on low-carbon energy resources and sustainability ii) provide an overview of conventional and alternative energy resources, such as hydropower, geothermal power, wave- , solar- and wind-power in addition to biomass with focus on physical and engineering perspectives, iii) given an introduction to electricity production iv) provide an overview over the environmental impact of energy use and v) provide an introduction to energy policy in the context of sustainable energy futures and other pressing issues such as climate change. 

The structure of the course consists of lectures and field trips.

The course is only open for students registered in the specialization renewable energy.

Final project (ROT441L)

• The topic of the Master's thesis must be chosen under the guidance of the supervisor of the student. The thesis represents 60 credits.
• The master’s student writes a thesis according to the School’s template and defends it in a master’s defense.
• Final project exam is divided into two parts: Oral examination and open lecture
• Present at the oral exam is the student, supervisor, examiner and members of the Master's committee. The student presents a brief introduction on his / her project. It is important that the objectives and research question(s) are clearly stated, and that main findings and lessons to be drawn from the project are discussed.
• The student delivers a thesis and a project poster.
• According to the rules of the Master's program, all students who intend to graduate from the School of Engineering and Natural Sciences need to give a public lecture on their final project.
• All students graduating from the University of Iceland shall submit an electronic copy of their final Master's thesis to Skemman.is. Skemman is the digital repository for all Icelandic universities and is maintained by the National and University Library.
• According to regulations of University of Iceland all MS thesis should have open access after they have been submitted to Skemman.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of an MS thesis, the student should be able to:

• Formulate engineering design project  / research questions
• Use an appropriate theoretical framework to shed light on his / her topic
• Analyze and solve engineering tasks in a specialized field.
• Perform a literature search and a thorough review of the literature.
• Demonstrate initiative and independent creative thinking.
• Use economic methodology to answer a specific research question
• Competently discuss the current knowledge within the field and contribute to it with own research
• Work with results, analyze uncertainties and limitations and interpret results.
• Assess the scope of a research project and plan the work accordingly
• Effectively display results and provide logical reasoning and relate results to the state of knowledge.

Thesis skills: project management, writing skills and presentation (VON001F)

Introduction to the scientific method. Ethics of science and within the university community.
The role of the student, advisors and external examiner. Effective and honest communications.
Conducting a literature review, using bibliographic databases and reference handling. Thesis structure, formulating research questions, writing and argumentation. How scientific writing differs from general purpose writing. Writing a MS study plan and proposal. Practical skills for presenting tables and figures, layout, fonts and colors. Presentation skills. Project management for a thesis, how to divide a large project into smaller tasks, setting a work plan and following a timeline. Life after graduate school and being employable.

Selected topics in Electrical and Computer Engineering (RAF054F)

Lectures on and study of selected topics in current research and recent development in the field of Electrical and Computer engineering. Topics may vary.

Medical Imaging Systems (RAF507M)

Introduction to the instrumentation, physics and signal processing methods used in medical imaging systems from a signal processing perspective. The modalities covered include projection radiography, X-ray computed tomography, nuclear medicine (i.e. SPECT and PET), ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging.  The primary focus is on the methods required to reconstruct images within each modality, the kind of signals being measured and how these data culminate in an image.  Attention will also be given to image quality in each modality, including resolution, contrast, signal-to-noise ratio, and distortion of images.

Linear Systems (RAF602M)

• Controllers for difficult systems
• Design of state feedback controllers
• Design of asymptotic observers
• Similarity transformations to canonical state space forms
• Controllability and observability
• Optimization (Linear Quadratic Regulator - LQR) - linear quadratic state feedback controllers
• Kalman filtering
• State feedback controllers and observers in transfer function form, reduced order observers
• Disturbance observers
• Feedforward (FF) controllers and Internal Model Controllers (IMC)
• Coefficient matching PID controllers
• Model Prediction Control (MPC)
• Systems Identification

Selected topics in Electrical and Computer Engineering (RAF511M)

Lectures on and study of selected topics in current research and recent development in the field of Electrical and Computer engineering. Topics may vary.

Electricity Markets and Economics (RAF610M)

Principal characteristics of power generation units. Summary of classical optimization methods. Optimization in electrical power systems under regulation. Economic Dispatch, Unit Commitment, Optimal Load Flow, Optimal Hydrothermal Operation etc. Optimal operation of hydroelectric power stations in the long and short term. Basic cost concepts associated with the operation and expansion of power systems. Optimal systems expansion. Cost functions, average cost, marginal cost and basic concepts of engineering economics. Overview of deregulation and how it is affecting the power sector both at the retail and wholesale level. Price elasticity and engineering economic concepts regarding load and energy consumption. Design of electricity markets, pools and bilateral contracts. Market power and competition in generation. Maximization of profit for market participants and comparison with the monopoly arrangement with and without system losses. Examples from small systems and expansion to larger systems. Various options regarding pricing of transmission. Electricity distribution and measurements in the deregulated environment. Point tariffs and real time pricing. Summary of the status of deregulation and possible future developments in various countries and regions.

Final project (ROT441L)

• The topic of the Master's thesis must be chosen under the guidance of the supervisor of the student. The thesis represents 60 credits.
• The master’s student writes a thesis according to the School’s template and defends it in a master’s defense.
• Final project exam is divided into two parts: Oral examination and open lecture
• Present at the oral exam is the student, supervisor, examiner and members of the Master's committee. The student presents a brief introduction on his / her project. It is important that the objectives and research question(s) are clearly stated, and that main findings and lessons to be drawn from the project are discussed.
• The student delivers a thesis and a project poster.
• According to the rules of the Master's program, all students who intend to graduate from the School of Engineering and Natural Sciences need to give a public lecture on their final project.
• All students graduating from the University of Iceland shall submit an electronic copy of their final Master's thesis to Skemman.is. Skemman is the digital repository for all Icelandic universities and is maintained by the National and University Library.
• According to regulations of University of Iceland all MS thesis should have open access after they have been submitted to Skemman.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of an MS thesis, the student should be able to:

• Formulate engineering design project  / research questions
• Use an appropriate theoretical framework to shed light on his / her topic
• Analyze and solve engineering tasks in a specialized field.
• Perform a literature search and a thorough review of the literature.
• Demonstrate initiative and independent creative thinking.
• Use economic methodology to answer a specific research question
• Competently discuss the current knowledge within the field and contribute to it with own research
• Work with results, analyze uncertainties and limitations and interpret results.
• Assess the scope of a research project and plan the work accordingly
• Effectively display results and provide logical reasoning and relate results to the state of knowledge.

Selected topics in Electrical and Computer Engineering (RAF055F)

Lectures on and study of selected topics in current research and recent development in the field of Electrical and Computer engineering. Topics may vary.

Fundaments of the Internet (RAF617M)

Modern day telecommunications are characterised by the fact that communicated data is carried on fixed telecommunications infrastructure on a majority of the path between tranmitter and receiver. Wireless infrastructure often conveys the signals at the end of the path. This yields both high speed and the comfort of wireless communications. It is of utmost importance for engineers working in telecoms to have a fundamental knowledge of fixed networks and the range of technologies deployed.

In this course, the structure of fixed backbone and access networks will be described. Optical fibre and related technologies will be introduced, e.g. DWDM, SDH, Ethernet, ATM and MPLS-TP. Access network technologies on copper, coax and optical fibres will be treated, e.g. ADSL. VDSL, G.fast and  DOCSIS. Different FTTH (Fibre to the Home) technologies will be treated such as PON (Passive Optical Network), Active Ethernet and point-to-point Ethernet. 

IP (Internet Protocol) has become a fundamental technology for modern fixed networks. IP native technologies will be described from the physical to the application layer. On the link layer, Ethernet will be in the focus as well as MPLS. Circuit and packet switching will be treated as well as circuit and packet orientation of networks. Sevices such as PSTN, VoIP, OTT and P2P will be treated. Backhauling of wireless networks such as mobile networks and Wi-Fi will also be treated.
In introduction to network virtualisation and network function virtualisation (NFV) will be given as well as software defined networking (SDN). Legal and regulatory aspects will be introduced and aspects like network neutrality discfussed. Important players and stakeholders will be discussed, e.g. Google, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix and telecommunications service providers.
Finally, local area networks will be discussed, home networking, smart homes, set-top-boxes, NAS, PLC, plastic optical fibres, MOCA and Wi-Fi introduced.

The teaching form will be lectures and projects on IP communications will be worked. Students will write four papers on selected subjects and give presentations. 

Linear Systems (RAF602M)

• Controllers for difficult systems
• Design of state feedback controllers
• Design of asymptotic observers
• Similarity transformations to canonical state space forms
• Controllability and observability
• Optimization (Linear Quadratic Regulator - LQR) - linear quadratic state feedback controllers
• Kalman filtering
• State feedback controllers and observers in transfer function form, reduced order observers
• Disturbance observers
• Feedforward (FF) controllers and Internal Model Controllers (IMC)
• Coefficient matching PID controllers
• Model Prediction Control (MPC)
• Systems Identification

Robotics and Computer Vision (RAF614M)

Mathematical foundations of coordinate systems and transformations. Kinematics, direct and reverse solutions. Analysis and control of movements. Trajectories in three-dimensional space and interpolation between programmed trajectory points. Use of computer vision, sensors and end-effectors in robotics. Control and programming of robots. Excercises and simulations.

Science and innovation in medical technology (RAF615M)

This course provides an introduction to the diverse applications of electrical and computer engineering in medicine and medical technology.  Students will explore cutting-edge developments in the field through guest lecturers from industry professionals in Iceland who apply engineering methods to solve critical medical challenges. Key topics include signal and image processing in medicine and genetics, signal processing and sensors in relation to sleep and the central nervous system, prosthetics, artificial intelligence, and more. Finally, students will have the opportunity to design their own research projects focusing on applying engineering solutions to address medical challenges. Through this work, students will be introduced to writing research proposals and grant applications, with relevance to both industry and academic settings.

Wireless communications (RAF616M)

Digital mobile telecommunication systems were first deployed in the early 1990s. This was the basis for a great societal change, people now being able to contact others where- and whenever needed. The emergence of the smartphone and high speed mobile infrastructure has furthermore revolutionised peoples’ possibilities to gain information in text-, sound-, and video formats almost irrespective of place and time. The development of Wi-Fi has also been fast in recent years causing people to enjoy more and more “wireless freedom” in their homes and workplaces. Wireless communications are important in many other areas including television, radio broadcast, marine and aeronautical communications, positioning and navigation systems. Internet of things or device-to-device communications are also wireless to a large extent.
In this course there will be treatment of the fundamentals of wireless, including antennas and wave propagation, transmission lines, high-frequency circuits and characteristics of different mobile phone generations, from the first to the fifth. This includes modulation and multiplexing/multiple access technologies such as QAM, FDMA, CDMA,TDMA, W-CDMA, OFDM(A) and MIMO antenna technology. The duplexing technologies FDD and TDD will be treated as well as mobile service concepts such as data connectivity and voice incl. VoLTE. Standards for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee and Z-wave will be covered along with a short handling of Wireless sensor networks.
Furthermore, short description will be given on digital broadcasting such as DVB-T and DVB-S, satellite communications and satellite positioning/navigation systems.
The form of the course will be lectures and discussions. Students will work on four projects and write reports, hold short presentations or present their results otherwise.