Duration
26h Th, 8h Pr, 20h Proj.
Number of credits
| Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Engineering | 2 crédits |
Lecturer
Pierre Dewallef, Damien Ernst, Motiar Rahaman, Sigrid Reiter
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Our societies are currently facing major energy challenges. Indeed, with the decarbonization process they have begun, they must make a rapid transition towards an energy mix based on renewable energies and use energy more efficiently.
The main goal of this course is to better understand, through formal reasoning based on numerical data, the extent of the challenges our societies face and to examine coherent solutions to address them. This course aims to improve students' ability to effectively answer the following questions:
- Is it possible for Belgium to survive without relying on fossil fuels?
- How can we ensure that electricity generated from renewable sources matches consumption at any given moment?
- What are the storage requirements for managing daily fluctuations in the context of a European Union with 100% renewable energy production?
- Would it be feasible to harvest energy in remote areas with high renewable potential and transport it to high-consumption areas?
- Would it be possible to produce all the final energy consumed by humanity only from nuclear energy?
- an analysis of the various energy consumption sectors in Belgium and the possible renewable energy sources;
- a discussion of ways to reduce energy consumption in different sectors and decarbonize them, with a focus on transportation and heating;
- an exploration of solutions to the issue of fluctuations in electricity supply and demand;
- a study of high-potential renewable energy zones and analysis of the use of Remote Renewable Energy Hubs (RREH) to transmit abundant energy to high-consumption areas via a Global Grid;
- an analysis of several aspects of nuclear energy, including production capacity, waste management, safety requirements, and strategies for cost optimization and energy distribution.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of this course, the student:
- will have a good general knowledge of the various elements that play an important role in the energy balance of our societies, particularly the impact that renewable energies can have on this balance;
- will have integrated different elements of reflection necessary for developing effective energy policies;
- will have learned through examples a formal reasoning approach to be able to address different questions related to energy policies;
- will have improved their presentation skills in English.
This course contributes to the learning outcomes II.1, II.2, V.1, V.2, VI.2, VII.3, VII.4, VII.5 of the BSc in engineering.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
None
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
- Plenary lectures given by Damien Ernst or one of his collaorators. These lessons are inspired by the book Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air by David JC MacKay. They have been adapted to consider the specificities of Belgium and the latest developments in the energy sector. The lessons also include many exercises to facilitate learning.
- Plenary lecture(s) given by external guest speakers from the University of Liège on topics related to electricity grids and Belgian energy policy.
- A 3-hour group session during which students present topics related to energy in English. These sessions are supervised by professors from the Faculty of Applied Sciences and English professors.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Face-to-face learning.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Other site(s) used for course materials
- Site Web Damien Ernst (https://damien-ernst.be/teaching/genv0002-1-sustainable-energy/)
Further information:
The course is based on the following reference book:
"Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air" by David JC MacKay. A copy of the slides used in the course and a link to a PDF version of the reference book are available to students at the following address:
https://damien-ernst.be/teaching/genv0002-1-sustainable-energy/
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( open-ended questions )
Further information:
Students are evaluated based on a written exam covering the material presented during all plenary sessions (65% of the grade) and the quality of the presentations they give during group sessions (35% of the grade). Furthermore, as part of this course, students will be required to take an English proficiency test. Students who do not attend this test will not be allowed to sit for the final written exam.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The course is given in the second semester. The schedule and various course announcements are available on the course web page.
Contacts
Damien Ernst - Mail: dernst@uliege.be