TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
Basic knowledge acquired in the Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer course is necessary, with particular reference to the operation of thermal machines (engine and refrigeration cycles) and heat transfer.
ASSESSMENT METHODS
The learning assessment includes:
1. Documentation of the exercises carried out during the course (to be submitted via email no later than the date that will be specified during the course) and containing: a descriptive report, graphic elaborations, spreadsheets, and a 15-minute presentation.
2. An oral discussion or written response to questions on the course topics.
The evaluation will consider the knowledge acquired and the ability to organize and critically present information.
PASSING THE EXAM
The student will necessarily have to present the assignments completed during the course for the oral exam.
The final grade will be based on the quality and argumentation ability of both the assignments carried out during the course and the questions asked during the oral exam
The course is deemed to have been passed by obtaining a sufficient grade (equal to or greater than 18/30) in the oral exam.
EVALUATION OF ACQUIRED SKILLS
The main aspects considered important for the purposes of the final evaluation, in addition to knowledge of the contents, are: the ability to discursively organize knowledge, the ability for critical reasoning and extrapolation, the quality of the presentation and the competence in the use of specialized vocabulary.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
The main objectives of the course are:
1. provide information on the main energy technologies useful for promoting the sustainable energy transition;
2. provide the tools to understand the specificities and know how to evaluate the performance of different energy technologies.
To this end, students will learn to set up energy audits, identify efficiency improvement measures, analyze technological systems, and perform economic and financial evaluations of interventions, presenting the results using various tools.
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
• Conduct an energy audit of an energy system
• Identify the main energy efficiency improvement measures (including the possible integration of renewable energy sources)
• Critically analyze the technological and organizational context of the enterprise in which they operate to define an effective intervention strategy
• Design limited interventions for the replacement or integration of energy technologies
• Perform the economic and financial evaluation of proposed interventions, taking into account any available incentives
• Present the results of their work using different tools: oral presentation, written presentation, spreadsheet.
COURSE CONTENTS
• Energy systems and sustainable energy transition (8h)
- Uses and transformations of energy, from national to local scale
- National energy balance and historical trends
- Environmental impact of energy systems (mainly greenhouse effect)
- Decarbonization objectives in the national and international context and technological solutions to achieve them
• The residential sector and urban mobility (28h)
- Heating and cooling
Space heating and cooling demand in buildings and building envelope retrofitting
Technologies for heat and cold production: boilers, heat pumps, air conditioners, solar thermal
District heating for the recovery of ambient and industrial waste heat
- Analysis of electrical needs in the civil sector
electrical loads in buildings
Analysis of hourly consumption profiles and their aggregates
• Photovoltaic power generation technology (4h)
- From cells to plants
- Simulation of generation profiles
• Electric system, electricity markets, distributed self-consumption, and Renewable Energy Communities (4h)
• Hydrogen and e-fuels (4h)
- Hydrogen as a vector for seasonal electricity storage and for the decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors.
- Production, utilization, and storage technologies
• The industrial sector (8h)
- High- and low-temperature industrial processes
- Technological solutions for the decarbonization of the industrial sector
Solar thermal
Heat pumps
Cogeneration
Carbon capture and storage
• Territorial energy planning (4h)
- Tools for planning the entire energy system of administrative entities (e.g., regions)
- Optimization of the technology mix from a system perspective
• Supplementary topics (12h)
- In addition to the modules, a field trip and some supplementary topics are planned during the course. The main topics include: life cycle assessment, single and multi-objective optimization, and economic-financial indicators. Additional topics may be defined based on proposals from the advisory board and students
- Mitigation strategies and plant design considerations
• Lectures.
• Analysis of relevant documents.
• Spreadsheet exercises for the sizing and economic evaluation of interventions on energy systems.
• Seminars with qualified experts.
OFFICE HOURS
By appointment (request via email or phone).
SCHEDULE OF TEACHING ACTIVITIES AND EXAM SESSIONS
EXAM SESSIONS