Engineering for Renewable Energy 5 (U01175)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : EEL-5-MEERE

This course introduces the student to various forms of renewable energy with emphasis on aspects of engineering design. Research at Edinburgh University has concentrated on wave energy and tidal streams but the digital hydraulics that these require is now being considered for power conversion in offshore wind, tidal stream and short term energy storage. We will be bringing in outside industrial speakers for solar and wind power. It is expected that a third of the world will be running out of water by 2025 and water production from renewable sources will be included. The timetable allows for much longer periods for questions and discussion than in previous lectures and students are expected contribute to these. This is achieved through a mixture of pedagogical and student centred learning activities.

Entry Requirements

none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Mechanical, (School of Engineering and Electronics, Schedule M)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 5th year

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 6 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

1. Discuss the need for alternative strategies for energy
generation.

2. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to wind, wave, tidal and solar energy conversion.

3. Discuss, critically, some of the most common approaches to energy transmission and storage.

4. Make simple estimates of the potential for energy production from given wind, wave and tidal stream data.

5. Derive, through engineering analysis, key design parameters for wind and wave energy converters.

6. Discuss differences in energy need (heat, electricity, water desalination etc) and appropriate technologies for delivering these.