Energy Systems Short Course

Gain essential skills in managing different aspects of energy project performance.

MEI’s Energy Systems Short Course is an intensive, hands-on course that equips participants with the tools to assess the financial, technical, and environmental performance of energy projects. Participants aiming to enhance their technical and financial knowledge in energy management will acquire essential skills to make informed and impactful decisions.

About

The MEI Energy Systems Short Course teaches skills in analysing the financial, technical, and environmental performance of energy projects. This intensive course centres on practical, hands on, modelling exercises. Participants develop their own spreadsheet models, and learn how to answer questions such as:

  • Is a proposed wind farm or gas turbine a good investment?
  • What is the probability that it will earn a commercial rate of return?
  • What is the best financing structure for the project?
  • How do you handle project risk and uncertainty?

Topics covered

  • The fundamentals of finance
  • The Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE)
  • Sensitivity analyses of financial investment models
  • Tools for financial analysis under uncertainty
  • Problem-based learning based on investment case studies

Course Modules

The Short Course modules include:

Module 1: Introduction and basics of investment decision making and company financing
Module 2: Financing – capital, debt and equity, cost of capital, discounted free cash flow, NPV, Internal Rate of Return, Capital Asset Pricing Model
Module 3: Investment analysis of electricity generation technologies, now and in the future
Module 4: Unconventional natural gas extraction technology
Module 5: Financial analysis through Real Option Value (ROV)

Course delivery

All classes in the Energy Systems Short Course are scheduled outside of business hours. Students are expected to attend in person at the University of Melbourne campus.

A certificate of completion will be issued to participants with an attendance rate of 90% or higher.

Prerequisites and eligibility

There are no prerequisites for entry into the Short Course. However, participants should have a basic understanding of financial and commercial principles.

The Short Course is open to the University of Melbourne graduate students, partner organisations, and all other external applicants.

Note for University of Melbourne students: Preference is given to final year PhD students, however all graduates are welcome to apply.

Cost

The course is free of charge for students currently undertaking graduate studies at the University of Melbourne. The course is open to all others, including external participants, for a fee of $5,000 (excluding GST) per place.

Course details

Dates: 8 July – 25 July 2026

Time: All classes are scheduled outside of business hours.

Location: Location, directions, and instructions for attending campus will be provided to successful candidates in the days preceding the course.

Course information:  Download the course brochure.

How to apply

Applications have now closed.

Meet the presenters

Jonathan Anderson
Sustainable Mobility Manager
Keolis Downer

Jonathan Anderson is a Sustainability Mobility Manager with Keolis Downer, and former Senior Engineer with engineering consultancy Arup. He has extensive experience across renewable energy generation and storage, water and wastewater management, mining, waste, agribusiness, freight and logistics, and process automation.

Jonathan was a student of the 2018 Energy Systems Short Course, and has assisted Dr. John Burgess with teaching the course since 2020. Jonathan will be leading the course in 2026.

Dr John Burgess
Honorary Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne
Adjunct Professor, University of Queensland
​​​​​​​Fellow, Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE)

Dr John Burgess is a chemical engineer with extensive industrial and research experience. This includes a long and distinguished career at BHP, where he rose to senior executive level. He was also recently the Chair of the CSIRO Energy Advisory Committee for a number of years. John is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland, and a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE).

John has been teaching the Energy Systems Short Course since it began in 2018, and will now provide his expertise to support Jonathan Anderson in the course delivery.

Further information

For more information, please email mei-info@unimelb.edu.au.