DPR514 Energy and Environment  Dec 2011 – April 2012

Compulsory course

 

 Intended learning outcomes

Course description

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Assessment scheme

 

 

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Course (lecture & reference) material

Project information

 

 

 

Intended learning outcomes:

·   Describe, in an overall sense, the major existing, emerging and new energy technologies and assess the overall impact of the use of non-renewable and renewable energy sources from the sustainable development point of view;

·   Identify the adverse ecological impact of energy use, and construct suitable mitigation measures to diffuse the adverse ecological impact by carrying out extensive reference;

·   Comprehend the social and economical impacts of energy consumption, and identify and avoid subscribing for energy intensive and hence unsustainable lifestyles in development planning or otherwise demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of energy sufficiency (conservation), energy efficiency, energy security and sustainability issues;

·   Select appropriate select energy management tools and reference materials and perform an energy management task;

·   Scrutinize the energy implications of development options, critically analyse the sustainability dimension of a specific energy technology or related processes/activities, and propose energy systems suitable for a sustainable Sri Lanka and the national energy policies and strategies required to make it a reality.  

 

 

 

 

Course description:

 Course coordinator: Prof. R Shanthini (accessible at 071-5326835 / rshanthini@pdn.ac.lk / admin@rshanthini.com)

 Evaluation panel:

 Course credits: 3 GPA credits

 Pre-requisites: None

Contents

Time allocated (clock hours)

Lectures and discussion

Project

Assign-ment

Energy basics: energy; power; forms of energy; thermodynamic laws; entropy; exergy; combustion fundamentals

03

 

 

Energy technologies:  electricity generation from non-renewable energy sources (coal, petroleum, natural gas, and nuclear); electricity generation from renewable energy sources (hydro, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, solar biomass, and wind); energy technologies in transport; energy technologies in other primary and secondary energy consumption modes (heating, cooling, agriculture, and electronic devices); new and emerging energy technologies (fuel cells, energy storage, hydrogen economy, and other alternatives to energy use)

15

 

 

Energy impacts: ecological impacts of energy use in global scale and their mitigation (greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and climate change); ecological impact of energy use in local scale and their mitigation (acid rain, particulate pollution, thermal pollution and related impact, fresh-water exploitation, and altering land use); economical and social impacts of energy consumption (economic growth, human development, and sustainability inclusive of rebound effect of energy consumption on development, resource depletion, and energy-intensive unsustainable lifestyles)      

09

 

 

Energy management: energy management basics; demand-side management; life-cycle assessment; energy-audits; carbon and ecological footprints; clean development mechanism

06

 

 

Energy implications of development options in Sri Lanka: energy sources, energy conversion technologies, energy sufficiency (conservation), energy efficiency, energy security, and sustainability issues; Workshop on developing sustainable energy systems in Sri Lanka via (white paper) drafting of appropriate national energy policy and strategies

03

 

06

Literature survey-type project on energy and environment: project focuses on the societal, economical and ecological impacts of a specific energy technology or related processes/activities and mitigation measures (to be) adopted to diffuse the ecological impacts.

 

12

 

TOTAL (equivalent hours)

36

06

03

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessment scheme:

Assessment

Percentage marks

Continuous assessment

 

50

participation

20

 

Project report

10

 

Oral examination of the project report

10

 

Critical review of another project report

10

 

Final examinations

 

50

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Course (lecture & reference) materials:

Module 01: Energy Basics (held on Dec 10, 2011)

Contents: Energy; power; forms of energy; thermodynamic laws; entropy; exergy; combustion fundamentals 

 

Lecture

materials

Energy basics

ppt

Reference

Materials

Shanthini, R. 2009. Thermodynamics for beginners. ISBN: 955-589-090-0. Published by University of Peradeniya: Science Education Unit.

selected chapters

What is Exergy?

paper

Combustion Fundamentals

a chapter

 

Module 02: Conventional Energy Technologies  (held on Dec 31, 2011)

Contents: Conventional energy technologies in electricity generation from non-renewable energy sources (coal, petroleum, natural gas, and nuclear), in vehicular transport, and in other primary and secondary energy consumption modes (heating, cooling, agriculture, and electronic devices)

 

Lecture

Materials

Conventional energy technologies 

ppt

Reference

Materials

Thermal electricity – How it works

weblink

Gas turbine basics

weblink

Nuclear reactor

How a nuclear reactor works

weblink

weblink

Working of a four stroke petrol engine

weblink

 

Module 03 & 04: Energy Impacts (held on Jan 07 & 14, 2012)

Contents: Ecological impacts of energy generation from non-renewable energy sources in global scale (greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and climate change) and local scale (acid rain, particulate pollution, thermal pollution and related impact, fresh-water exploitation, and altering land use), and probable mitigation measures

 

Lecture

Materials

Module 03 - Energy impacts

Part01_ppt

Part02_ppt

Module 04 - Energy impacts continued

Part01_ppt

Part02_ppt

Reference

Materials

Global warming – Natural Resources Defense Council, USA

Global warming – NASA Earth Observatory, USA

Global warming – National Geographic

weblink

weblink

weblink

Climate change – US EPA

weblink

Energy Impacts – Union of Concerned Scientists

weblink

The Energy – Water Collision: 10 things you should know

pdf

 

Modules 05, 06 & 07: Renewable Energy Technologies and Impacts (held on Jan 21 & 28 and on Feb 11, 2012) 

Contents: Use of renewable energy sources in electricity generation, in transport, and in other energy consumption modes, their ecological impacts, and probable mitigation measures

 

Lecture

Materials

Module 05 - Renewable energy technologies (hydroelectric, solar photovoltaics, and solar thermal or concentrated solar power), and their ecological impacts

Part01_ppt

Part02_ppt

Module 06 - Renewable energy technologies (wind and bioethanol), and their ecological impacts

Part01_ppt

Part02_ppt

Module 07 - Renewable energy technologies (biodiesel), and their ecological impacts; Life cycle assessment.

Part01_ppt

Part02_ppt

Reference

Materials

MacKay David JC. 2009. Sustainable energy without the hot air. Cambridge: UIT Cambridge Ltd.

website

Jacobson Mark Z. Review of solutions to global warming, air pollution, and energy security. Energy & Environmental Science 2009: 2: 148-173

pdf

 

Leung DYC and Yang Y. Wind energy development and its environmental impact: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2012: 16: 1031–1039

pdf

Dominguez-Faus R, Powers SE, Burken JG, Alwarez PJ. The Water Footprint of Biofuels: A Drink or Drive Issue? Environmental Science & Technology 2009: 43: 3005–3010

pdf

Sander K and Murthy GS. Life cycle analysis of algae biodiesel. Int J Life Cycle Assess 2010: 15: 704–714. DOI 10.1007/s11367-010-0194-1

pdf

Life Cycle Associates, LLC. Feb 2009. Assessment of Direct and Indirect GHG Emissions Associated with Petroleum Fuels: For New Fuels Alliance. LCA.6004.3P.2009

pdf

 

Module 08:  New and Emerging Energy Technologies (to be held on Feb 25, 2012)

Contents: Fuel cells; energy storage; hydrogen economy; other alternatives to energy use

 

Lecture

Materials

 

ppt

Reference

Materials

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Module 09: Economical and Societal Energy Impacts (to be held on Mar 03, 2012)

Contents: Economic growth; human development; sustainability inclusive of rebound effect of energy consumption on development; resource depletion; energy-intensive unsustainable lifestyles

 

Lecture

Materials

 

ppt

Reference

Materials

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Modules 10 & 11: Energy Management (to be held on Mar 10 & 17, 2012)

Contents: Energy management basics; energy audit; demand-side management; life-cycle assessment; carbon and ecological footprints; clean development mechanism

 

Lecture

materials

 

 

 

 

Reference

materials

 

 

 

 

 

Module 12: Energy Implications of Development Options in Sri Lanka (to be held on Mar 24, 2012)

Contents: Energy sources, energy conversion technologies, energy sufficiency (conservation), energy efficiency, energy security, and sustainability issues

 

Lecture

materials

 

 

 

 

Reference

materials

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Module 13, 14 & 15: Presentations and discussion on the Literature Survey-type Project on Energy and Environment (discussion held on Feb 11 and assessments will be held on Mar 31 and Apr 07, 2012)

Contents: Presentations by the students their literature survey-type projects focusing on the societal, economical and ecological impacts of a specific energy technology or related processes/activities, and mitigation measures (to be) adopted to diffuse the negative impacts, and discussion on the presentations.

 

 

 

Project information (under construction):

Project report submissions deadline: On or before 24th March 2012

Submission mode: Two hardcopies must be handed over AND a softcopy must be emailed to rshanthini@pdn.ac.lk or to admin@rshanthini.com in *.doc or *.pdf format.

Format of the report: Format is entirely of your choice. However, formal referencing to the sources referred to is very important. Your writing should be short and snappy (that is, to the point) and factual. A sample project report is made available for your information. Keep in mind that word to word reproduction of material available elsewhere without crediting the source (known as plagiarism and is a serious offence).

 Project #

Name

Registration No.

HD/MDP/11/12

Project Title

1

R Aruthra

WMMIA Bandara

SA Lindsay

Weeratunga APK Nishantha

625 OK

626 OK

640

643

On the use of small cars as energy solution

2

DM Gayani Dharmadasa

627 OK

On residential use of biogas-based energy

3

MNA Dhas

628 OK

On the philosophical aspects of the energy and environment crisis

4

KG Sachini Wayanga Gnanathilaka

630 OK

On the social issues of electricity from biomass

 

 

631

 

 

 

632

 

 

Dammika B Herath

633

Potentials, possibility and feasibility of mini-power plants in place of mega power-plants (need to verify)

5

MRM Hilmy Ishak

JA Sumedha Jayakody

634 OK

635 OK

On railway transport

6

HDSA Jayasundara

636 OK

On energy justice

7

JM Saliya PB Jayathilaka

637 OK

On energy conservation in office environment

 

 

638

 

 

SA Lindsay

640 OK

see 625 and 626

8

Shaheen Mahmooth

641 OK

On batteries as renewable and non-polluting alternative energy source

9

WL Tharushi Nimna

642 OK

On water governance

 

Weeratunga APK Nishantha

643 OK

see 625 and 626

 

HM Manjula Pushpakumara

645

The relationship between road infrastructure development and economic development in developing countries. (need to verify)

10

M Tantirige S Sanjana

647 OK

On the legal concerns on mini-hydropower installations in Sri Lanka

 

 

648

 

11

MFR Uvais

K Kaushalya

AS Ratnaraja

649 OK

654

655

On alternative energy sources for grid-librated homes

 

 

650

 

12

K Wijeratne

651 OK

On the report of the Green Building Council

 

 

652

 

13

PBD Yatawara

653 OK

On the population living close to newly constructed roads and highways.

 

K Kaushalya

AS Ratnaraja

654 OK

655 OK

see 649

 

 

656

 

 

 

 

 

 

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updated on February 18, 2012