The Department was first established as Department of Energy Studies in September 2004 in the Faculty of Environmental Sciences. Its establishment emanated from the analysis done in 1998 by the Malawi Government through the National Sustainable and Renewable Energy Programme (NSREP) in the Department of Energy Affairs, which identified barriers to renewable energy in Malawi. One of the barriers identified by NSREP was lack of institutional training in Renewable Energy Technologies (RET) resulting in deficiency in qualified personnel to plan, design, install and maintain renewable energy technologies. Following Mzuzu University Council’s approval of restructuring of faculties and associated study programmes in 2017, the Department of Energy Studies was renamed as the Department of Energy Systems and with effect from 1st January 2018, it was relocated under the new Faculty of Science, Technology and innovation. In order to address the identified barriers as mentioned above, the Malawi Government through the Department of Energy Affairs established the Test &Training Centre for Renewable Energy Technologies (TCRET) in 2003, as a project with funding from UNDP through the Barrier Removal to Renewable Energy in Malawi (BARREM) Project. The main objectives of the TCRET Project were: To provide technical training in RET in order to build sufficient human capacity to plan, design, install and maintain renewable energy technologies in Malawi; To provide training to policy makers to enable informed decision-making in issues of RET; To provide testing services to both the public and private sector of all renewable energy technologies before installation in Malawi; To provide consultancy services to both local and international organizations in RET to enable them achieve the intended purpose for investing in these technologies; and To collaborate research activities in renewable energy with local RET industries and regional and international RET institutions in order to promote generation of energy from renewable resources. After running the project for one year, Mzuzu University established the Department of Energy Studies in September 2004 to offer undergraduate and postgraduate training programmes in Renewable Energy Technologies. The first students were admitted into the programme in September 2004 at upgrading entry level while the first generic cohort was admitted into the programme in 2009. Postgraduate programmes have yet to be rolled out. Apparently, Mzuzu University is the pioneer institution to offer the Bachelor of Science degree in Renewable Energy in Malawi and the SADC region.