Overview

This unit aims to introduce engineering students to renewable energy. This unit will introduce different types of renewable and alternative energy sources, discuss their basic principles of operation, achievable efficiency, cost, and their effect on the environment. The impact of the new energy technologies on the environment, obstacles to their wide implementation in industrial and consumer applications, and the role of social attitudes and government planning, financial investments and incentives will also be discussed.

Requisites

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Appraise and apply the principles of the renewable energy and sustainability to generate electrical power (K2, K5, K6, S1, S2, S3, S4, A4, A5, A6)
  • Assess and justify different renewable energy systems and their suitability based on the locations and their geological environmental (K2, K5, K6, S1, S2, S3, S4, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7)
  • Design and integrate energy storage systems (K2, K5, S1, S2, S3, A4, A5, A7)
  • Design and analyze renewable energy systems using solar, wind, geothermal, fuel cell, hydro and tidal waves (K2, K5, S1, S2, S3, A4, A5, A7)

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Live Online
Lecture		 1.00  12 weeks  12
On-campus
Lab		 2.00  12 weeks  24
On-campus
Workshop		 1.00  12 weeks  12
Online
Directed Online Learning and Indepedent Learning		 1.00  12 weeks  12
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning		 7.5 12 weeks  90
TOTAL     150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
AssignmentIndividual 20 - 30% 2,3,4 
Laboratory PracticalsIndividual 20 - 30% 1 
ProjectIndividual/Group 30 - 40% 1,2,3,4 
Research AssignmentIndividual 10 - 20% 1,2,3,4 

Hurdle

As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a unit and meet all ULOs to a minimum standard, an undergraduate student must have achieved:

(i) an aggregate mark of 50% or more, and(ii) at least 40% in the final exam.Students who do not successfully achieve hurdle requirement (ii) will receive a maximum of 45% as the total mark for the unit.

Content

  • Introduction to the basics of renewable energy and energy crisis
  • Hydroelectric power
  • Wind power
  • Solar energy
  • Wave energy
  • Fuel cells
  • Biomass
  • Integration, economic considerations and environmental significance

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.