Renewable Energy Technology I

Information

Due to the current long-term unpredictable development of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lecture "Renewable Energy Technology I" in WS20/21 will be hold online.

 

Content

Building on the historical development of energy sources, this course offers an insight into renewable energy sources, and the existing technologies to use them. It also looks to present the political framework of renewable energy technology, as well as societal and ecological aspects from a global point of view. The course is recommended for students not majoring in the field, who are interested in gaining an overview of renewable energy systems.

The course RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY (taught in English) is split into two modules 3 ECTS each (one per semester), beginning with “Renewable Energy Technology I” in the Winter Semester. The attached module “Renewable Energy Technology II” will be offered in the Summer Semester.

The course is supported by various institutions of the TUM: The Institute for Energy Systems, The Institute for Fluid Mechanics, The Institute for Energy Economics and Application Technology, The Institute for Wind Energy as well as the “Laboratory of Steam Boilers and Thermal Plants” from the National Technical University of Athens.

The module “Renewable Energy Technology I” covers the following topics:

• Fundamentals (historical overview, power plant fundamentals, climate, energy consumptions and forecasts, energy economics, electricity control, fossil and nuclear energy)
• Energy from Biomass (properties of biomass, biomass potentials, fuel properties, heat production, power production by means of combustion, power production by means of gasification, biogas production by means of anaerobic fermentation)
• Geothermal Energy (potential, exploitation, direct utilization, central heating, district heating, deep geothermal systems, power generation, combined heat and power, economic aspects, risks)
• Hydropower (hydrodynamics of water power, pumped storage power plants, examples of power plants and turbines, ocean current turbines)

In the module “Renewable Energy Technology II” the following topics are covered:

• Solar Thermal Energy (basics, collectors and concentrators, thermodynamic cycles, heat transfer fluids)
• Photovoltaics (solar radiation, introduction to solar cells, technology of solar cells, application of solar cells)
• Wind Energy (basic facts, introduction to wind turbine aerodynamics, the wind resource, wind turbine types, configurations, components)

Examination

At the end of every semester the exam for the module “Renewable Energy Technology I” as well as the exam of the module “Renewable Energy Technology II” can be taken on two different dates. The duration of the written examination is 60 minutes (3 ECTS). In order to pass the module “Renewable Energy Technology I+II” (6 ECTS) it is mandatory to participate in the exam “Renewable Energy Technology I” and in the exam “Renewable Energy Technology II”. This doesn’t necessarily have to take place in the same semester. The final grade composes only of the two module examination components. Both parts are weighted equally. Allowed auxiliaries are writing and drawing utensils as well as a non-programmable calculator.