LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of the course is to provide the students the engineering knowledge on renewable energy characteristics and the related technologies to exploit the wind, hydro, solar, geothermal and biomass resources

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of Course the student is expected to be able to:

understand engineering problems related to the exploitation of the renewable energies;

apply theories and models for energy production estimations applied to the renewable energies and to mitigate the global warming effects related to the energy consumption

develop engineering analysis and projects related to renewable energies

PREREQUISITES

As defined in the MSc Mech. syllabus

TEACHING METHODS

The course is based on theoretical lectures, solution of case problems and computer aided design of solar systems. Assistance for the redaction of the Assignment Report

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Primary energy resources: world situation, history, future scenarios. Renewable energy exploitation in the different countries and the Italian situation. Government programs and Italian laws. The eolic resource. Availability analysis, basic theory, turbines, generators, environmental impact. The energy from hydro plants. Mini hydro systems, available energy and exploitable energy, machinery, water collection systems. Solar energy: characteristics, solar angles and their relationships, solar irrandiance and irradiation outside the atmosphere and at ground. Energy on tilted surfaces. Insolation data and correlations. Solar collectors, theory, efficiency calculation, plane collectors and evacuated tube collectors. Solar plants for the production of hot water. Heat exchangers, plant configuration, the F-chart method. Solar cooling, high temperature solar plants (Fresnel, Parabolic trough, Heliostats), Solar tracking. Photovoltaic systems, principles, technologies, electrical arrangements, matching, off-grid and connected systems, project criteria. Hybrid (PVT) systems and PV integrated in buildings. Energy from the earth: the geothermal heat pumps, the ground probes, design criteria. Biomasses, characteristics, energy from biomasses, forest sustainable exploitation. Basic economic analysis of renewable energy systems. Computer aided design of solar and geothermal systems.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

M.J. Moran, H.N. Shapiro: Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics, John Wiley and Sons, Inc, 1988

A. Bejan, Heat Transfer, John Wiley and Sons, Inc, 1993

H. A. Sorensen, Energy Conversion Systems, J. Wiley, 1983;

J.F. Manwell, J.G. McGowab, A.L. Rogers, Wind Energy Explained, Wiley, 2nd Edition, 2012

T. D. Eastop, D. R. Croft, Energy Efficiency for Engineers and Technologist, Longman, 1990;

G. Comini, G. Cortella, Energetica generale, Padova, 1996;

L.R. Ingersoll, O.J. Zobel, and A.C. Ingersoll, Heat Conduction with Engineering, Geological, and other Applications, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1954.

H. Christopher, H. Armstead, Geothermal Energy, Spon, 1979

D. Banks, An Introduction to Thermogeology, Ground Source Heating and Cooling, Wiley, 2012

A. Duffie and W.A. Beckman, Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes, John Wiley, 1980 F.Groppi, C.Zuccaro, Impianti Solari Fotovoltaici a norme CEI, Ed. Delfino, 2005.

Soteris A. Kalogirou, Solar Energy Engineering, Second Edition: Processes and Systems, Academic Press, 2013