Renewable Energy Engineering Course

Lesson 1 • Global Energy Landscape

Analyzes current fossil fuel dependence, carbon emissions trends, and the economic case for renewables. Contextualises why the energy transition is urgent.

Lesson 2 • Renewable Resource Classification

Distinguishes solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass resources by origin and variability. Builds a taxonomy used in all subsequent chapters.

Lesson 3 • Energy Fundamentals and Units

Covers thermodynamic principles, energy conversion efficiency, and SI unit conventions. Provides the quantitative language used throughout the course.

Lesson 4 • Environmental and Social Baseline

Surveys lifecycle emissions, land use, and community impact considerations for each resource type. Grounds engineering decisions in sustainability criteria.

Lesson 1 • Photovoltaic Cell Physics

Explains the p-n junction, photon absorption, and electron-hole pair generation. Connects semiconductor physics to real-world cell efficiency limits.

Lesson 2 • PV Installation and Safety

Details mounting structures, wiring standards, grounding, and arc-fault protection. Ensures designs meet safety and structural requirements.

Lesson 3 • Solar Resource and Tilt Optimization

Applies sun path geometry and irradiance data to optimise array orientation and tilt. Maximises annual energy yield for a given location.

Lesson 4 • PV Module and Array Configuration

Covers series and parallel wiring, mismatch losses, and bypass diode function. Enables correct array layout for target voltage and current.

Lesson 5 • Inverters and Power Electronics

Examines string, central, and microinverter topologies alongside MPPT algorithms. Connects power conversion hardware to system performance.

Lesson 1 • CSP Plant Performance and Economics

Evaluates annual energy output, capacity factor, and levelised cost for CSP plants. Bridges engineering design to financial viability assessment.

Lesson 2 • Heat Transfer Principles for Solar Systems

Reviews conduction, convection, and radiation as applied to solar collectors. Provides the thermal analysis foundation for collector design.

Lesson 3 • Solar Water and Space Heating Systems

Designs active and passive solar thermal systems for domestic hot water and space heating. Applies collector sizing to real building loads.

Lesson 4 • Concentrating Solar Power Technologies

Examines parabolic trough, power tower, and dish-Stirling CSP configurations. Connects optical concentration to thermodynamic cycle efficiency.

Lesson 1 • Wind Turbine Electrical Systems

Covers variable-speed generator control, power converters, and grid connection standards. Links mechanical power output to grid-compatible electricity.

Lesson 2 • Wind Farm Layout and Wake Effects

Applies wake models to optimise turbine spacing and minimise array losses. Balances land use against energy production in layout design.

Lesson 3 • Wind Turbine Components and Types

Describes nacelle drivetrain, generator types, pitch and yaw control systems. Connects mechanical design choices to reliability and maintenance needs.

Lesson 4 • Wind Project Development Process

Outlines site prospecting, environmental assessment, permitting, and commissioning steps. Prepares students to manage a wind project from concept to operation.

Lesson 5 • Wind Resource Characterization

Applies Weibull distribution and wind shear models to characterise site wind regimes. Produces the statistical foundation for turbine selection.

Lesson 1 • Ocean Thermal and Salinity Gradient Energy

Introduces OTEC and osmotic power principles and their thermodynamic limits. Positions these technologies within the broader ocean energy portfolio.

Lesson 2 • Tidal and Wave Energy Technologies

Surveys tidal stream turbines, tidal barrages, and wave energy converters. Assesses the maturity and potential of each marine technology.

Lesson 3 • Hydropower Plant Configurations

Examines run-of-river, reservoir, and pumped-storage plant layouts and their grid roles. Connects civil infrastructure to power system services.

Lesson 4 • Hydraulic Resource Assessment

Quantifies streamflow, head, and power potential using hydrological data and flow duration curves. Establishes the resource basis for turbine selection.

Lesson 1 • Geothermal Resource Types and Assessment

Classifies hydrothermal, geopressured, and enhanced geothermal systems by temperature and depth. Establishes criteria for resource viability.

Lesson 2 • Geothermal Direct Use Applications

Examines district heating, greenhouse heating, and ground-source heat pump systems. Extends geothermal value beyond electricity generation.

Lesson 3 • Geothermal Power Plant Technologies

Compares dry steam, flash, and binary cycle plant configurations by resource temperature. Connects reservoir conditions to plant design choices.

Lesson 4 • Biomass Conversion Technologies

Covers combustion, gasification, anaerobic digestion, and pyrolysis conversion pathways. Enables selection of the appropriate technology for a feedstock.

Lesson 1 • Grid Services and Storage Dispatch

Covers frequency response, peak shaving, arbitrage, and ancillary service markets for storage assets. Connects storage operation to revenue streams.

Lesson 2 • Microgrids and Islanded Systems

Designs hybrid renewable microgrids with storage for remote and resilience applications. Applies integration concepts at the community scale.

Lesson 3 • Power Grid Fundamentals

Reviews AC power flow, frequency regulation, and voltage control in transmission and distribution networks. Provides the grid context for renewable integration.

Lesson 4 • Mechanical and Thermal Storage Systems

Examines pumped hydro, compressed air, flywheel, and thermal storage technologies. Broadens the storage toolkit beyond electrochemical solutions.

Lesson 5 • Battery Energy Storage Technologies

Compares lithium-ion, flow, sodium-sulfur, and lead-acid batteries by energy density, cycle life, and cost. Enables technology selection for specific applications.

Lesson 1 • Project Finance Structures

Examines debt, equity, tax equity, and power purchase agreement structures used in renewable finance. Connects engineering outputs to investor requirements.

Lesson 2 • Regulatory and Policy Frameworks

Surveys feed-in tariffs, renewable portfolio standards, auctions, and carbon pricing mechanisms. Explains how policy shapes project economics.

Lesson 3 • Risk Assessment and Mitigation

Identifies technical, financial, regulatory, and construction risks and applies mitigation strategies. Produces a risk register for a sample project.

Lesson 4 • Renewable Energy Economics and Metrics

Applies levelised cost of energy, net present value, and IRR to compare project alternatives. Enables rigorous financial comparison of technology options.

Lesson 5 • Operations, Maintenance, and Performance

Covers O&M strategies, performance ratio monitoring, and asset management over a project's life. Ensures long-term energy yield and financial returns.