Renewable Energy: Technologies and Storage Course

Lesson 1 • Energy Fundamentals and Units

Covers thermodynamic principles, energy units, and power metrics essential to all renewable technologies. Establishes the quantitative language used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Global Energy Landscape

Examines current fossil fuel dependence, carbon emissions, and the drivers of the energy transition. Contextualizes why renewables are economically and environmentally urgent.

Lesson 3 • Renewable Resource Classification

Defines solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass resources by origin and availability. Provides a taxonomy students apply when evaluating site suitability.

Lesson 4 • Regulatory and Policy Frameworks

Surveys incentive structures, grid codes, and permitting processes that govern renewable deployment. Students recognize how policy shapes project feasibility.

Lesson 1 • PV Module Characteristics

Analyzes I-V curves, fill factor, and temperature coefficients that determine real-world module output. Connects lab ratings to field performance expectations.

Lesson 2 • PV Cell Physics and Materials

Covers semiconductor band gaps, p-n junctions, and carrier generation in silicon and thin-film cells. Grounds module performance analysis in material science.

Lesson 3 • Solar Resource Assessment

Teaches irradiance measurement, peak sun hours, and shading analysis tools. Enables accurate energy yield prediction before system installation.

Lesson 4 • PV System Sizing and Design

Applies load analysis, array sizing, and loss factor modeling to produce a complete system design. Students deliver a sized PV design for a given load profile.

Lesson 1 • Turbine Aerodynamics and Rotor Design

Covers Betz limit, blade element momentum theory, and airfoil selection for rotor optimization. Links aerodynamic theory to turbine power curve shape.

Lesson 2 • Wind Resource Fundamentals

Explains atmospheric boundary layer, wind shear, and turbulence intensity as inputs to turbine siting. Establishes the meteorological basis for wind energy assessment.

Lesson 3 • Wind Farm Layout and Wake Effects

Addresses turbine spacing, wake deficit modeling, and terrain effects on array efficiency. Enables students to optimize layout for maximum annual energy production.

Lesson 4 • Wind Energy Yield Assessment

Integrates wind measurement campaigns, uncertainty analysis, and P50/P90 production estimates. Students produce a bankable energy yield report.

Lesson 1 • Hydropower Resource and Site Assessment

Covers flow duration curves, head measurement, and catchment hydrology for site screening. Provides the hydrological tools needed before turbine selection.

Lesson 2 • Environmental and Social Considerations

Addresses fish passage, sediment transport, and community displacement issues in hydro project development. Students apply mitigation strategies to project planning.

Lesson 3 • Tidal and Wave Energy Technologies

Describes tidal stream turbines, tidal barrages, and wave energy converters with their resource characteristics. Positions ocean energy within the broader renewable portfolio.

Lesson 4 • Small and Micro Hydropower

Examines low-head turbines, pico-hydro systems, and community-scale installations for off-grid electrification. Bridges large-scale hydro concepts to distributed applications.

Lesson 1 • Geothermal Power Plant Configurations

Compares dry steam, flash steam, and binary cycle plants by resource temperature and fluid characteristics. Students select plant type based on reservoir conditions.

Lesson 2 • Biomass Feedstocks and Supply Chains

Surveys agricultural residues, energy crops, forestry waste, and municipal solid waste as biomass inputs. Addresses sustainability criteria and supply chain logistics.

Lesson 3 • Biochemical Conversion and Biofuels

Explains anaerobic digestion, fermentation, and transesterification routes to biogas, bioethanol, and biodiesel. Students compare conversion efficiencies and end-use applications.

Lesson 4 • Thermochemical Conversion Pathways

Covers combustion, gasification, and pyrolysis processes that convert solid biomass to heat, power, or syngas. Links process conditions to product quality and efficiency.

Lesson 1 • Hydrogen as an Energy Carrier

Explains electrolysis, hydrogen storage methods, and fuel cell reconversion for long-duration energy storage. Students evaluate green hydrogen pathways within renewable systems.

Lesson 2 • Pumped Hydro and Compressed Air Storage

Covers pumped hydroelectric storage and compressed air energy storage as large-scale, long-duration options. Connects mechanical storage to grid balancing requirements.

Lesson 3 • Thermal Energy Storage

Describes sensible heat, latent heat, and thermochemical storage methods used in solar thermal and building applications. Highlights integration with district heating and cooling.

Lesson 4 • Lithium-Ion and Advanced Battery Systems

Examines lithium-ion chemistries, battery management systems, and emerging solid-state and flow battery alternatives. Students compare chemistries by safety, cost, and application fit.

Lesson 1 • Power Grid Architecture

Reviews transmission and distribution network structure, voltage levels, and grid codes relevant to renewable interconnection. Establishes the grid context for integration challenges.

Lesson 2 • Smart Grids and Microgrids

Covers advanced metering, distributed energy resource management, and microgrid control architectures. Positions smart grid technologies as enablers of high renewable penetration.

Lesson 3 • High Renewable Penetration Strategies

Examines curtailment management, sector coupling, and transmission expansion strategies for grids exceeding 50% renewable share. Students design integration roadmaps for high-penetration scenarios.

Lesson 4 • Ancillary Services and Frequency Control

Explains frequency regulation, voltage support, and spinning reserve services that renewables must provide or replace. Students identify how storage and inverters deliver ancillary services.

Lesson 1 • Operations, Maintenance, and Performance

Addresses preventive and predictive maintenance strategies, performance ratio monitoring, and asset management over a project's operational life.

Lesson 2 • Project Lifecycle and Feasibility

Maps development stages from site identification through commissioning and defines feasibility study components. Gives students a structured framework for managing project progression.

Lesson 3 • Procurement and Contracting

Explains EPC contracts, equipment procurement strategies, and performance guarantees in renewable project delivery. Students structure procurement to manage cost and schedule risk.

Lesson 4 • Environmental and Social Impact Assessment

Covers impact assessment methodology, stakeholder consultation, and mitigation hierarchy for renewable projects. Students apply assessment frameworks to minimize project risks.