The University of Cádiz has received favorable verification of the report for the Degree in Engineering in Renewable Energies (GIER) from the Agency for Scientific and University Quality of Andalusia (ACCUA). This definitive administrative step allows the Higher Technical School of Engineering of Algeciras (ETSIA) to incorporate a strategic degree into its teaching catalog, which differentiates its offering from other Andalusian universities and responds to a growing need in the productive system within the field of clean energies.
The new degree, which will offer 60 places for new students in in-person format, constitutes a unique educational proposal in the university system of Andalusia. The study plan consists of 240 ECTS credits structured over four academic years and includes two highly specialized mentions: Electrical Engineering and Industrial Electronic Engineering. The first focuses on the calculation and design of electrical machines, high-voltage installations, and power electrical systems, while the second addresses automation, power electronics, instrumentation, and intelligent management of systems.
The main objective of the degree is to train engineers capable of sizing, optimizing, and managing generation facilities with renewable sources of any kind, from wind energy and photovoltaics to biomass, geothermal, or marine energy. This interdisciplinary training aims to meet the growing demand for qualified professionals in the renewable energy sector, which has an employment insertion rate higher than 83% in the first year after graduation.
The establishment of this degree in Algeciras is based on the center's location in one of the most relevant industrial and port areas in Spain. The Bay of Algeciras is now a reference territory in the transition to green hydrogen and decarbonization, and the region has exceptional geoclimatic conditions: its solar radiation exceeds the national average by 20%, making the area an ideal environment for applied learning in renewable generation technologies.
The curriculum also includes key areas such as energy vectors and smart grids, as well as sustainability applied to installations and buildings to minimize environmental impact. The structure of the degree includes 60 ECTS credits of basic training in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing, 108 credits of compulsory subjects focused on core topics in the industrial branch and specific technologies of renewable energies, 60 credits of elective subjects, and a Final Degree Project worth 12 ECTS credits.
From the direction of the ETSIA, they indicate that the launch of this degree is part of the strategic actions of the center's Master Plan, aimed at innovating and updating the training offer to adapt it to social demands and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the coming weeks, a specific information campaign will be launched aimed at high school students in the Campo de Gibraltar to raise awareness of the professional opportunities and the differential value of this degree.