Renewable Energy Systems, Applications and Developments module (RE51002)

The world faces an increase in average global temperatures. It is critical that we limit that increase to below 1.5°C.

The deployment of renewables is critical to this goal. In particular, this would be in the power, heat, and transport sectors.

Renewable energy sources facilitate the near-complete decarbonisation of electricity generation. This is in alignment with:

• global Net Zero targets by 2050
• the 2045 Scottish Net Zero target

In addition to this, having renewable transport fuels and heating systems has a knock-on effect. They play a pivotal role in significantly reducing emissions in other sectors, such as:

• transport
• buildings
• industrial

In this module, you will learn about various renewable energy technologies. These include solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, landfill, and waste-to-energy systems, among others.

You will also cover the technological and economic opportunities and challenges associated with these renewable energy sources.

What You Will Learn

In this module, you will:

• learn the design principles of solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, and other renewable technologies
• evaluate renewable energy systems based on characteristics, technical advancements, economics, and environmental aspects
• analyse the supply and demand of renewable energy sources to meet the Net-Zero targets by 2050 goals

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• understand key physical concepts of solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, and other renewable technologies
• appraise the economic and environmental sustainability of renewable energy systems
• understand the role of renewable technologies in achieving Net-Zero by 2050
• understand the IEEE conference/journal paper writing. This will allow you to showcase the technical and economic feasibility of related case studies

Assignments / assessment

• coursework (100%)

This module does not have a final exam.

Teaching methods / timetable

• 2-hour lectures
• tutorials
• field trips
• laboratory sessions