Course syllabus

Course-PM

FFR170 FFR170 Sustainable energy futures lp1 HT22 (7.5 hp)

Course is offered by the department of Space, Earth and Environment

Examiners: Professor Sonia Yeh (sonia.yeh@chalmers.se)

Course administrator: Çaglar Tozluoglu (caglar.tozluoglu@chalmers.se), Doctoral candidate

The course is part of the Master’s programs Sustainable Energy Systems, Nuclear Engineering and Industrial Ecology at Chalmers University of Technology. The course is taught in English. The course consists of:

  • lectures,
  • calculations,
  • debates, and
  • group

 

1.1            Admission and prerequisites

The students are required to have documented calculating skills and at least 7.5 credits worth of courses in sustainable development or environmental science.

 

1.2            Aim of the course

The course aims to give students knowledge of the general development of the energy system (past develop- ment and outlook for the future), its environmental and resource impacts, as well as tools to analyze these developments. The overall aim of this course is to address the following questions:

  • What role may energy efficiency, renewables, fossil fuel and nuclear power, play in the near- and long-term future if the climate challenge is to be met?
  • In which sectors are limited energy resources most efficiently used, g., should biomass be used for transportation fuels, heat and electricity production, or neither?
  • Which climate policies are needed for a cost-effective solution to the climate challenge?
  • How may climate change policies reshape the world energy system over the next century?

The aim is to illustrate these issues by drawing upon recent research in the area, and based upon this to discuss visions for a sustainable energy future.

 

1.3            Content

  • Systems analysis - system boundaries, scale, space & time, emission allocation problems, net energy analysis, marginal vs average electricity
  • Energy economics - cost efficiency, discounting, investment analysis, prices vs costs, supply & demand curves, external costs, opportunity costs
  • Climate science and emission trends - current and historic emissions, climate sensitivity and its uncertainty, implications for future emission reductions, burden sharing between developed and developing countries
  • Policy instruments - carbon taxes vs cap-and-trade schemes, direct support vs technology neutral policies, and other instruments
  • Energy efficiency - end-use efficiency, price elasticity of demand, the energy efficiency gap, rebound effects
  • Fossil fuels - history of fossil fuel use, future availability, peak oil, shale gas and other new technologies
  • Carbon capture and storage - capture processes (post-combustion, precombustion, oxyfuels), trans- port and storage options, leakage risk, costs
  • Nuclear power - nuclear physics and fuel cycles, basic light water reactor design, safety, waste management, link to nuclear weapons, nuclear power in the global energy system
  • Intermittent renewables - grid integration of solar, hydro and wind power, global potential, recent growth and cost development, solar heating and cooling, solar fuels
  • Bioenergy - biofuel production, land use and implications for food production, emissions from direct and indirect land use change
  • Other topics - power grids, energy use in the transport sector, batteries, fuel cells and hydrogen, electro fuels, energy in the developing world, international climate politics

 

1.4            Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

  • apply the concepts and tools presented in the course to analyze real-world problems related to energy
  • understand the difference between marginal and average electricity, and apply this knowledge to solve the problems in specific contexts.
  • describe how climate policy instruments such as a cap-and-trade scheme or a carbon tax work, and reflect upon advantages and disadvantages compared to other policy instruments.
  • explain the concept of climate sensitivity and what implications the uncertainty in this parameter will have on the temperature impacts of our emissions, and how much we need to reduce emissions if we want to meet the below 2-degree target of the Paris agreement.
  • discuss the significance of climate negotiations such as the Paris Agreement, and whether they are sufficient to meet the climate target(s).
  • understand the complexity of controversial energy technologies such as carbon capture and storage, bioenergy or nuclear power, and to present the major arguments of both sides.
  • explain why energy efficiency measures are often not implemented, even though they may be more economically attractive.
  • explain what options grid operators have for dealing with large amounts of variable renewable electricity sources like solar or wind power.
  • calculate the levelized cost of electricity, given fuel costs, operation & maintenance costs, and invest- ment costs and discuss the pros and cons of using it to evaluate a technology.
  • calculate how much uranium is required to operate a nuclear reactor for a year, and how much plutonium is produced.
  • make appropriate assumptions when available information on a problem of the above type is
  • perform back-of-envelope calculations to make rough "sanity checks" of energy systems questions. For example: if a family installs solar cells on the roof of their house, would the modules provide enough electricity (on average) to power their electric car?
  • distinguish facts from Discuss Hume’s Law (one cannot derive an “ought” from an “is”) when doing energy analysis. Discuss what to do about environmental problems related to energy use.
  • discuss the responsibility of individuals versus governments when it comes to solving the climate

 

1.5            Time and place

Lectures: Tue, Thu, Fri 13:15 – 15:00 (see TimeEdit and Section 2 Course schedule for details)

Calculations: Tue 15:15 – 17:00 (see TimeEdit TimeEdit and Section 2 Course schedule for details)

Debates: Thu 15:15 – 17:00 (see and Section 2 Course schedule for details)

Group project: Thu 15:15 – 17:00 (see TimeEdit and Section 2 Course schedule for details)

Exam: Time and location TBD

 

1.6            Course literature

  • The list of reading materials in the course compendium, see Reading assignments (required).
  • Other recommended readings (Optional. These are amazing readings if you would like to go further with this subject area on your own pace):
    • Makten över klimatet(Swedish) / Solving the Climate Challenge (English) by Christian Azar, 2009. The English version is available for free if you contact me or the The Swedish version can be found in online book stores.
    • How to avoid a climate disaster: the solutions we have and the breakthroughs we need by Bill Gates, 2021.
    • Digitalization of Power Markets and Systems Using Energy Informatics by Cali, , Kuzlu, M., Pipattanasomporn, M., Kempf, J., 38; Bai, L. (2021).

You are expected to learn in this course through multiple means: lectures, reading materials, calculations, class discussion, debates, and your own independent research for the debates. Reading assignments are an important part of the class materials. They provide in depth knowledge that you need to understand the important concepts introduced in the class and make connections. The reading materials deepen your knowledge and broaden your views. Reading assignments are also part of the examination.

 

1.7            Examination and grading

In order to pass the course, you must:

  • participate in two Debates (20%):
    • as a member of the debate team (you get to choose the debate A sign up sheet that is first come, first serve will be circulated in the first week of the class.), (15%)
    • as a panel member in an assigned debate, (5%)
  • OR, work on a Group project (20%).
  • pass the written exam (80%).

1.7.1           Calculation exercises

The students are NOT required to submit the calculations. The detailed solution of each calculation exercise will be uploaded a day before the first session so the students can work independently and compare the detailed solutions. You can come to discuss any remaining questions you might still have with the TAs on Tue afternoon. Attending the calculation exercises is optional but strongly encouraged.

1.7.2           Debates

Students must choose to participate in debates, or work on a group project. Due to the room and TA limitations, a maximum of 72 people can sign up for the debates on a first come first serve basis. Those who choose debates must participate in all debates: as a member of the debate team in one, and as audience in the other. You can choose your debate topic at the beginning of the class. Your position (A: affirmative or O: opposing) will only be announced two weeks prior to the debate. The work should ideally be accomplished within 20 hrs (not including the preparation time for the presentation).

If a student will miss a debate (as a panel member), he/she must communicate with the TA beforehand and, after getting the approval from the TA, turn in a 500-word write-up stating his/her position(s) of the debate topic. The write-up is due before the debate. A student cannot miss the debate in which he/she is a debate member. The student must find a different team to participate or choose to work on a group project instead before week 38. The debates take place in Weeks 41 and 42.

1.7.3           Group project 

Students must choose to participate in debates, or work on a group project. Due to the room and TA limitations, a maximum of 60 people can sign up for the group project on a first come first serve basis. Those who choose group project should work in a team of 3 people. The work should ideally be accomplished within 20 hrs (not including the preparation time for the presentation). If you spend way more than that amount of time, you are making your project too complicated. Try to simplify your project and meet with the TAs to help you narrow down your tasks. Submit your preliminary results/slides to your TA on Weeks 40 to get feedback. The group projects conclude with project presentations in Weeks 41 and 42. Students need to attend both weeks, not just the week when their projects are presented.

1.7.4           Final written exam

Eighty percent of the grade (80%) will be based on the written exam. A student must score at least 32pt (out of 80pt) in the final exam in order to pass the course.

The final grade is the sum of the final exam, homework and the debate for a total of 100pt. A student keeps all the points from the group project or the debates even if he/she does not pass the written exam and needs to retake the exam. The final grade of the course corresponds to the following total points: < 52pt Fail; 52pt–67pt Grade 3; 68pt–83pt Grade 4; ≥ 84pt Grade 5.

 

1.8            Course administration and teaching assistance

For issues regarding course administration, contact Caglar Tozluoglu (caglar.tozluoglu@chalmers.se). The calculation exercises, debates and group project are divided into the following groups:

TA schedule.png

You will find us at the division of Physical Resource Theory, floor 3V of the EDIT building, one floor above Café Linsen.