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
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-March-2025
01-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
16-March-2025
Census date
31-March-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
24-April-2025
Results released date
08-July-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Apply the principles of the renewable energy and sustainability to generate electrical power (K2, K5, K6, S1, S2, S3, S4, A4, A5, A6)
  • Analyse different renewable energy systems and their suitability based on the locations and their geological and environmental factors(K2, K5, K6, S1, S2, S3, S4, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7)
  • Design energy storage systems (K2, K5, S1, S2, S3, A4, A5, A7)
  • 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
Class
1.00  12 weeks  12
On-campus
Lab
2.00 12 weeks  24
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning
7.50  12 weeks  90
Online
Directed Online Learning and independent Learning
1 12 weeks 12
TOTAL     150

Assessment

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

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.