Which US Universities are Best for Study of Sustainable Energy?

You're fooling yourself if you think that a Master's degree in just the Electrical Engineering of renewable energy exists. You should instead just look at the established Electrical Engineering programs at the top Engineering schools. We recently had a few blog threads on which schools are considered the top engineering schools in the USA. So I won't try to give you a exhaustive list but the schools that come to my mind (in no order) are: MIT, Cooper Union, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

You must do your own due diligence in selecting which school. Be sure to not just look at what degrees they offer but which required and elective classes are there for each of their programs. If you don't your homework you will just waste your time and money.

I was asking about renewable energy as a specialization (later). I don't think MIT, Stanford or the other universities are in my profile.

No disagreement with Redfred, but there are also a lot of second tier schools doing surprising work. One name I run into over and over doing fundamental research under government grants is New Mexico Tech.

They cross the lines nicely between departments, pull a ton of grant money (which enables projects for students to work on), and keep showing up surprising places in the research papers.

So in the category of personal recommendation - there is one worth a look

I agree that there are many "second tier" schools out there that are doing exceptional work, more to the point the students are doing exceptional work. It almost doesn't matter which specific school one goes to as long as the student does more than the minimum work. I do recommend being sure that the school you choose is accredited by a recognized and respected organization. In the US for engineering I recommend ABET.

Further to this, NM Tech may also have some ties to Sandia National Laboratory, which in turn may tie to NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory). Might be worth checking out. Good luck on your career path.

The dependence on education facilities to provide higher level knowledge is a disturbing trend.

Far more can be learned from engaging in real life solution provision. This is also known as experience.

I am assuming that you already have an electrical engineering qualification. If you have studied well and demonstrated your abilities to the satisfaction of the examiners then you will be able to build specific knowledge through application of that knowledge and the fundamental principals at its core.

In my opinion you would be better of working as an intern at an organisation that specialises in that which particularly lights your candle.

Then you can pursue recognition from a qualifying clique if that is the way you want to go.

You will benefit far more from doing something than just thinking about doing something.

If you crave status and recognition from academic peers then follow the advice given in the previous postings.

I agree that experience is the ultimate tutor. I also agree that there are many things that can only be learned by experience. It is also true that everything we know is because somebody experienced and recorded real world phenomena so that others could learn in an academic setting. I would never tell somebody that it is better to avoid school and just hack away on your own to learn any complicated field. By going to school you can find out what others have already found out instead of "reinventing the wheel".

FIT, Melbourne Florida. Florida Institute of Technology is near Orlando, Daytona Beach and 70 miles of beautiful beaches. World renown Engineering Department. Lots of ''Solar'' here in the Sunshine State. Google them.

At this point, maybe you might reconsider your options. Is more school a given?

Solar might not be your best choice. A knowledge of electrical engineering can contribute to the world's need for fresh water, a much more serious problem than CO2. For example: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8025801.pdf

Vinod Khosla has some good advice about the business end of technology innovation, which would be prudent to read before you head down what might be a disappointing career path: http://www.khoslaventures.com/presentations/Innovation_9_8_11.pdf . Incremental technology development working for a big company might not be your highest and best use.

Agreed that providing the need for fresh water is a more important contribution than renewable energies. But its not just about the CO2 problem - we can't continue to use fuels for a long time.

Check your premises. Why can't we use fuels for a long time? Any new technologies will be up competing against low cost natural gas for a long time IMHO. Don't limit your thinking to fit your preconceptions. You will be needing a job, that might be your most important concern.