Renewable Energy Systems UG

Course aim

To provide awareness of the potential of using renewable energy sources in meeting electrical energy demands of society and to develop skills in proposing, developing and implementing renewable energy systems to harness electrical energy.

Course content

Fossil fuels, environmental impact and climate changes. Overview of various renewable energy sources. Challenges and opportunities. Details of wind energy systems - wind turbines, wind power, wind histogram, probability density function, performance coefficient, maximum power point, fixed and variable speed operations, wind generators, capacity factor, annual energy, wind farms, wind turbine economics and levelised cost of energy (LCOE). Sun and solar resources - earth’s orbit, solar position, incident solar radiation (insolation), solar radiation measurement and average monthly insolation. Details of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems - photovoltaic materials and PV cells, equivalent circuit, I-V characteristic, forming modules, strings and arrays, shading impacts on I-V characteristics, hourly I-V curves, maximum power point trackers, daily energy, off-grid PV systems with battery storage and economics of PV systems including LCOE.

Textbook(s)

G.M. Masters 2013, Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems, 2nd, John Wiley and Sons, USA

Prerequisite(s)

Nil

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

2 x quizzes, 4 x Practical/Simulation, Assignment, Quiz, Written examination

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 2)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.