LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course will be organised in sections devoted to different renewable energy production systems (e.g. photovoltaic and wind systems, fuel cells, wave energy, biomass thermochemical conversion, mini-hydro, ..).

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Participation in the proposed training activities (lectures, exercises, seminars, workshops, educational visits), individual study and group discussion will allow the student to:

- Orient himself in the current panorama of possible processes of energy production from renewable sources;

- know the main types of fuel cells, their potential and the margins of optimization of current technologies;

- know the market context and prospects of solar energy, to know how to evaluate the production potential, as well as the fundamentals of photovoltaic conversion.

- Know the main types of wind turbines in relation to the windiness of the site, assessing the technological and structural features as well as the energy production, and analyze the effectiveness of the installation through the definition of the power curve and the overall production;

- Know how to produce energy from surface water, the main components of hydroelectric plants, the potential for residual exploitation, the opportunities of small plants (mini-hydroelectric) and develop the ability to analyze the potential of a plant based on the hydrological and hydraulic characteristics of a site (flow duration curve, hydraulic jump, etc.) for design purposes.

- Know renewable energy sources related to marine environment such as currents, waves, tides and temperature gradients. To develop the knowledge to carry out assessments of resource availability and usability and for the preliminary design of individual or combined offshore exploitation plants.

- Know the different types of biomass, the actual potential for use and the thermochemical reactors for its energy exploitation;

- Apply the acquired skills to specific contexts of environmental engineering, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the applicable solutions.

TEACHING METHODS

The module provides frontal lessons in the classroom, which is recommended to attend. Based on the evolution of the Covid 19 pandemic, the lessons may be telematic on the Teams platform.

The multidisciplinary nature of the teaching module and the fact that it deals with different speakers encourage dynamic learning that also promotes the acquisition of transversal skills in terms of communication skills, management and integration of skills.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The program of the module includes the presentation of the following topics by experienced teachers in the field:

1. Introduction (all teachers, 2 hours)

Course didactic structure, examination modalities, contextualization of contents, overview on environmental issues.

2. Fuel cells (prof.ssa Bosio, 8 hours)

Operating principles, types, applications, theoretical models and experimental data.

3. Solar energy (prof. Fossa, 6 hours)

Markets and prospects, solar angles, estimation of solar energy on the ground. Solar collectors and hints at concentration systems. Conversion yields. Fundamentals of photovoltaic conversion, cells and modules, characteristic curves, yields, inverters and manufacturability.

4. Wind turbines  (prof.ssa Pagnini, 8 hours)

Wind turbine typologies, technology, optimal production, estimation of windiness at the site and energy production.

5. Hydroelectric (prof. Lanza, 8 hours)

Plant types, hydrological and hydraulic evaluations, potential estimation and preliminary design.

6. Marine resources (prof. Besio, 8 hours)

Evaluation and exploitation of the resource. Preliminary design of single or combined offshore plants.

7. Biomass (prof.ssa Arato,  8 hours)

Biomass characterization; combustion, pyrolysis and gasification reactions; types and characteristics of thermochemical reactors.

8. Final considerations (all teachers, 2 hours)

Comparison among  the technologies presented.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The teaching material used during the classes will be available in the Aulaweb of the teaching. The notes taken during the lessons and the material in the Aulaweb are sufficient for the preparation of the exam, but the following books are suggested as support and in-depth texts:

- “Fuel Cells Handbook (Seventh Edition)” by EG&G Technical Services, DE-AM26-99FT40575, U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Morgantown, West Virginia, 2004.

-  “Guidelines for Design of Wind Turbines”. Det Norske Veritas, Copenhagen and Wind Energy Department, Risø National Laboratory, 2002.

- “Le energie rinnovabili”, Andrea Bartolazzi. Hoepli, Milano, 2010.

- “Fundamentals of Ocean Renewable Energy”, Simon Neill & Reza Hashemi, Elsevier, pp. 336-

- “Offshore Energy and Marine Spatial Planning”, Katherine L. Yates & Corey J. A. Bradshaw, CRC Press, pp. 300