Description
The Sustainable Energy module will discuss the drivers of energy services, the challenges associated with satisfying the rising energy demand, the trade-offs in energy policy aiming to provide secure, affordable, and environmentally benign energy carriers, and the important role of analytical tools for shaping energy policy.
Students will leave this module with a clear understanding of the paramount significance of reliable, affordable, and environmentally sustainable supply of energy to modern societies and how these requirements trade within an interlinked energy system. In addition, they will understand how an interdisciplinary focus can deliver key insights into a critical science and engineering challenge. They will also learn the need to appreciate all aspects of energy issues; that quantitative science and engineering-based analysis must be considered in the context of societal, economic and political considerations. Students will become familiar with energy modelling and analysis, and how quantification and analytical rigour is critical for engagement between disciplines.听
Teaching Delivery
This module is taught in two, 1-hour weekly lectures and one weekly PGTA-led seminar.
Indicative Topics
PART I: Foundations
PART II: End-use Sectors: Energy Services and Final Energy Use
PART III: Energy Transformation
PART IV: Energy Reserves and Resources
PART V: Balancing Demand and Supply听
Module Aims and Objectives
Students will leave this module with a clear understanding of the paramount significance of reliable, affordable, and environmentally sustainable supply of energy to modern societies and how these requirements trade within an interlinked energy system. In addition, they will understand how an interdisciplinary focus can deliver key insights into a critical science and engineering challenge. They will also learn the need to appreciate all aspects of energy issues; that quantitative science and engineering-based analysis must be considered in the context of societal, economic and political considerations. Students will become familiar with energy modelling and analysis, and how quantification and analytical rigour is critical for engagement between disciplines.听
Recommended Reading
Chapter 1 鈥淓nergy Primer鈥 from Global Energy Assessment - Toward a Sustainable Future, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria (2012).听
Sweeney, J.L., Energy efficiency: Building a Clean, Secure Economy. Hoover Press (2016).听
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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