Course Description
Basic principles and technical details of various renewable energy technologies (solar, biomass, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, tidal, and wave energy) for the sustainable future. Process design, energy analysis, engineering economics, and environmental assessment of renewable energy systems.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be expected to conduct energy and
economic analyses of selected energy technology, to prepare a
term report on their selected research topics, and to give a 10-
15 minute presentation at the end of the term. Graduate
students will be trained to use RETScreen International
software developed by Natural Resources Canada and it will be
used in their term report.
Athena Title
Renewable Energy Engineering
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in ENGR 4490E, ENGR 4490S or ENGR 6490E, ENGR 6490S
Prerequisite
[(ENGR 3140 or ENGR 3140E or MCHE 3140) and (ENGR 3150 or ENGR 3150E)] or ENVE 3220
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Undergraduates: This course provides the principles of renewable technologies for sustainable future. It also provides the details of renewable resources, energy conversion techniques and applications of solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydro- electric, wave and tidal energy technologies. More emphasis is given to bioenergy technologies to convert biomass into fuels, energy, chemicals and bioproducts. Upon completion of this course, the students should be able to 1) recognize the need of renewable energy technologies and their role in the US and world energy demand. 2) distinguish between the sustainable energy sources and fossil energy sources 3) describe the principles of renewable energy production from various renewable sources 4) apply the knowledge of thermodynamic and heat transfer principles to evaluate the performance of energy conversion systems for maximum efficiency 5) compare the pros and cons of various renewable energy technologies and propose the best possible energy conversion system for a particular location Graduates: Upon completion of this course, the students should be able to 1) meet all the above objectives and 2) use an engineering economic tool (Retscreen International Software) to perform energy balance and economic evaluation of renewable energy systems 3) apply engineering principles to assess and evaluate renewable energy systems for maximum performance 4) conduct a comprehensive economic assessment of energy conversion systems for both large and small scale applications 5) modify or propose a new process design to increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental impacts 6) demonstrate the energy technology systems and communicate effectively by both oral and written presentations.
Topical Outline
1. Introduction 1.1. US & World energy consumption & Demand 1.2. Renewable vs. fossil energy sources 1.3. Future outlook 2. Overview of renewable energy technologies 2.1. Renewable energy sources 2.2. Advantages and benefits 2.3. Available technologies and challenges 3. Solar energy 3.1. Solar thermal energy 3.2. Solar photovolatics 4. Biomass and Bioenergy 4.1. Biomass resources 4.1.1. Feedstock collection, transport methods 4.1.2. Feedstock preprocessing and treatment methods 4.2. Biomass conversion technologies 4.2.1. Thermo-chemical platform 4.2.1.1. Combustion technology 4.2.1.2. Gasification technology 4.2.1.3. Pyrolysis technology 4.2.1.4. Trans-esterification or biodiesel technology 4.2.2. Biological platform 4.2.2.1. Hydrolysis and fermentation of biomass into ethanol 4.2.2.2. Anaerobic fermentation of wastes into methane 4.3. Recent advances and applications of bioenergy technology 5. Wind energy 5.1. Wind resources 5.2. Wind turbines and power generating systems 5.3. Current status and R& D needs 6. Geothermal energy 6.1. geothermal resources 6.2. Principles, operation and recovery of energy 6.3. Current status and R & D needs 7. Hydro power energy 7.1. Stored hydro energy 7.2. Principles of hydro power technology 8. Wave & tidal energy 8.1. Energy from tides and waves 8.2. Technological and economic prospects 9. Energy, economics and environmental assessments 9.1. Technical and economical assessment of renewable technology 9.2. Environmental impact assessments and sustainability issues 9.3. Renewable energy technologies software use – RETScreen International
Syllabus
Public CV