Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing humankind. This course proposes Energy Change as a response to it. Energy Change encompasses all the energy technologies that can contribute to mitigate climate change, from advanced fossil fuels with carbon storage and nuclear power to renewable energies and energy efficiency. The course commences with a brief description of the scientific evidence for climate change, followed by an overview of the main source of carbon emissions, energy production. A look into the main indicators of energy supply and consumption in the world sets the scene for discussing different scenarios for an energy mix that could limit the predicted increase in the world’s average temperature. Such energy mix relies heavily on the deployment of renewable energy technologies: solar, biomass, wind, wave and tide, hydroelectric, and geothermal. Up-to-date information on the status of these technologies is presented next, including their current level of deployment and economics and the projections for their large scale implementation. Each technology is examined in sufficient detail to gain an understanding of its scientific and technical foundations, in order to assess its ultimate potential as well as its practical limitations. The course is largely based on self learning and reading, guided by lectures and tutorials and prompted by a research project on an energy-related topic.

Upon completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to-

1. Identify and use reliable sources of information on energy statistics and energy technologies
2. Understand the basic concepts and units of energy conversion
3. Gain a picture of the global aspects of energy production and demand in the world - today and future scenarios 
4. Pay attention to the environmental and social aspects of energy usage, particularly climate change.
5. Be familiar with the limits of fossil and nuclear energy resources.
6. Quantify the potential of the main renewable energy technologies - biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar thermal, photovoltaic and wind.
7. Gain a sufficient, generic understanding of the technical foundation for those renewable energy technologies.
8. Describe to others the state of the art of renewable energy development, including technological, economic and implementation aspects.

Homework assignments (20%); Research project report and presentation (40%); Final examination (40%)

ENGN3211 (or equivalent) or approval of Head of Engineering

Course page http://eng.anu.edu.au/study/currentstudents/courses