Postgraduate Course: Sustainable Energy Contexts and Technologies (PGEE11281)
Course Outline
| School | School of Engineering |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will introduce students to sustainable energy technologies in the context of the global energy landscape. It is designed to provide students with a fundamental understanding of energy resources; sustainable energy technologies (such as wind, marine, solar etc.); the constraints on sustainable energy development; the challenges of integrating sustainable energy technologies into mature and developing energy systems and transitional/enabling technologies (such as carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, energy storage etc.).
The course will analyse existing energy mixes in countries around the world, the available energy resources, the principles of sustainable energy conversion, and future sustainable energy scenarios. It will introduce students to concepts and methodologies around preliminary design of sustainable energy installations (such as a solar farm) and environmental Life Cycle Assessment of sustainable energy technologies. |
| Course description |
The course comprises core elements (see list below) delivered through lectures, interactive seminars and workshops to provide a multidisciplinary and holistic perspective of Sustainable Energy Systems. These will be augmented with Guest Lectures from domain expert colleagues from across the School of Engineering and other Schools/Industry/wider stakeholders (as appropriate) to give real-world examples and casestudies from energy users and to augment, align, support, contextualize (where appropriate) assessment topics.
Core taught components:
- Global energy landscape
- Energy resources
- Sustainable energy technology fundamentals and design
e.g. Wind, Marine, Solar etc.
- Constraints on sustainable energy including aspects of
Environmental impacts and Life Cycle Assessment
Energy system integration
Other aspects of the energy quadrilemma
- Transitional & enabling technologies
e.g. Carbon Capture and Storage, Hydrogen, Energy Storage
- Future Energy Scenarios
- Complexity, Uncertainty, Decisions and Risk in Sustainable Energy Systems
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2026/27, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 30,
Online Activities 50,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 4,
Formative Assessment Hours 40,
Summative Assessment Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
42 )
|
| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
6-10 Guest speaker hours included in lecture/workshop sessions
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Written Exam: 0%
Practical Exam: 0%
Coursework: 100%
A1: Group exercise on a selected topic related to energy landscape, energy resource, constraints on sustainable energy expansion, or future energy scenarios (Group) - 30%
A2: Assignment on the design of a sustainable energy installation (Individual) - 40%
Including:
- Critical evaluation of different energy conversion options for the given scenario
- Application of design and analysis techniques
- Consideration of constraints and the energy quadrilemma
- Discussions of limitations of final design
A3: Life Cycle Assessment (Individual, but with group input) - 30%
Including:
- Apply LCA methods to analyse the environmental impacts of a designated sub-system or life-cycle stage (e.g. installation) of a sustainable energy technology
- Combine this with findings from peers/other sources on the other components and life cycle stages to evaluate the environmental impacts of the full life cycle of the whole system
- Critically evaluate the methods and results |
| Feedback |
The coursework submissions will be staggered through the Semester.
Formative feedback on poster designs will be provided during the relevant workshops. A1 will be delivered early, so that relevant feedback will be available for A2 and A3.
A formative design assignment will also be set with a deadline no later than week 6, such that the students receive formative feedback ahead of the submissions of the written reports for A2 and A3.
Other opportunities for formative feedback will also be provided through quizzes and workshop activities throughout the Semester. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Describe the current energy landscape and critically assess the constraints on sustainable energy expansion to set renewable energy in a broader context (M1, M2).
- Summarise strategies and forecasts for future energy production, and the complexities, uncertainties and risks in developing sustainable energy systems (M1, M7).
- Critically discuss the key design and operational principles of current and emerging sustainable energy conversion, transitional and enabling technologies (M1).
- Apply design processes and engineering analysis methods to the basic design of sustainable energy installations, based on uncertain or incomplete information, and considering environmental impacts, and technical, commercial and regulatory constraints. Discuss the limitations of the resulting design (M2, M5).
- Apply environmental Life Cycle Assessment to sustainable energy developments, and describe and critically evaluate the environmental impacts of energy production and consumption (M3, M7).
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Reading List
Everett et al., 2012, Energy Systems and Sustainability : Power for a Sustainable Future, 2nd edition, Open University.
Peake, 2017, Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable Future, 4th Edition, Oxford University Press.
Sørensen, Renewable Energy: Physics, Engineering, Environmental Impacts, Economics and Planning, 5th Edition, Academic Press
MacKay, 2009, Sustainable Energy - without the hot air, UIT Cambridge Ltd |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Energy Use,Energy Demand,Climate Change,Sustainable Energy Technologies,Sustainable Energy Systems |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Camilla Thomson
Tel: (0131 6)51 3526
Email: C.Thomson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Catherine Davidson
Tel:
Email: c.davidson@ed.ac.uk |
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