OVERVIEW

The course provides an overview of the main technical and economic issues connected with the fossil fuel and renewable energy conversion and consumption. The main thermodynamic concept necessary to the basic understanding of energy conversion will be introduced, then the main traditional and renewable technologies for electric and thermal energy conversion will be presented. Furthermore, techniques for analysing energy consumption and the main methodologies for analysing energy investments will be introduced.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course provides the basic laws of thermodynamics; knowledge to understand the fundamental principles of energy conversion and related to renewable energy;knowledge to perform techno-economic analysis of thermal and energy systems

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

On the successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

Apply the basic laws of thermodynamics

Describe the fundamental principles of energy conversion

Understand the introductory concepts related to renewable energy

Develop methodologies for the techno-economic analysis of thermal and energy systems

The course contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda "sustainable development goals", contributing in particular to the 4-7-9-11-13 goals

PREREQUISITES

Knowledge and understanding of the main indexes for investment valuations (i.e., NPV, IRR, PBP)

TEACHING METHODS

The main teaching methods will be frontal lectures and practical sessions including the utilization of PC with particular reference to MS- Excel. Frontal lectures will serve for introducing the topics and illustrate the main theoretical concepts useful for understanding the subject. Practical sessions will serve to illustrate, develop, and discuss real, multidisciplinary case studies.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course is articulated in the following four macro-areas:

1. Basic principles of energy conversion (20 hours): I and II law of thermodynamics, concept of efficiency, Carnot cycle, examples of direct cycles, examples of inverse cycles and COP definition;
2. Renewables (10 hours): solar thermal and photovoltaic systems, thermodynamic solar systems, wind energy, geothermal energy, hydro energy, hydrogen energy, biomass energy;
3. Valuation of energy project (20 hours): estimation of the energy generation, CAPEX estimation through cost functions, LCOE, development of an energy project and calculation of its profitability;
4. Analysis of energy consumption and energy markets (10 hours): indexes for analysing energy consumption, variables influencing energy consumption, energy markets

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Teaching aids provided by the lecturers

- Çengel YA. Introduction to Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer. McGraw-Hill, 2007

- Energy Economics - Bhattacharyya Subhes C., Ed. Springer

- Bianco V. Analysis of Energy Systems. Management, Planning and Policy. Ed. CRC PRess. 2017

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

https://corsi.unige.it/en/corsi/10716/studenti-orario

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral discussion with possible presentation of a project.

Students with a certified learning disability (DSA), a disability, or other special educational needs are invited to contact the instructor at the beginning of the course to discuss teaching and examination arrangements that, while respecting the learning objectives of the course, take individual learning needs into account and provide appropriate accommodations.
Please also note that requests for exam accommodations or exemptions must be submitted using the form available at this link https://modulionline.unige.it/richiesta-adattamenti#no-back , to the course professor, the DIME contact person (federico.scarpa@unige.it), and the relevant office (inclusione.studenti@info.unige.it) at least seven working days before the examination, in accordance with the guidelines available at this link 
https://unige.it/disabilita-dsa/richiesta-servizi

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The oral examination will focus on the assessment of the level of achieved knowledge of the learning outcomes with specific reference to the application of the basic knowledge of thermodynamics, the description of the fundamentals of energy conversion, the understanding of the main concepts related to renewable energy, and the development of techno-economic analyses related to energy systems.