Mastering Renewable and Alternative Energies

A comprehensive guide to business activities and opportunities within the global renewable energy arena

Course Highlights

Over three highly intensive days, this course:

Presents a broad overview of a wide range of energy technologies and issues
Integrates technical & commercial considerations for industry not academia
Provides global perspectives to renewable and alternative energy opportunities
Addresses both power generation and transportation sectors
Considers energy efficiency and sustainability
Explores alternative futures for primary energy supply without ignoring fossil fuels

For details of the course trainer, please download the course brochure

Course Programme

Day 1: Renewable Energy Trends in Global Supply & Demand

Fundamental & Global Issues

Appropriate units for energy measurement
The growing renewable energy markets
Two different problems: energy for power generation and energy for transportation
Evolution and continued growth of per capita energy consumption
Power consumption per capita versus GDP per capita
Changes in the ways we consume energy: increase in service, IT equipment consumption
Energy consumed in moving materials: air (and shipping) miles
Comparison of energy yields for various renewable & non-renewable sources

Power Sector Efficiencies

Cost of supply for various sources of energy – energy economics
Energy balance sheet: demand versus supply
Heating & cooling requirements
Supply side renewable energy options for the future

Case Study: UK

Motivating renewable energy uptake

Renewable & Alternative Energy Strategies for Large Scale Supply & Demand

Producing energy at meaningful scales – renewable energy footprints
Renewable export projects: using energy generated by others
Renewable export projects

Case Study: Desertec for EU and similar models for United States

Prospect of an "OPEC" for global renewables
Subsidies & incentives: feed-in tariffs and guaranteed prices

Renewable Energy Project Financing

Project planning
Project management team
Risk mitigation
Financing structures

Case Study: United States – post economic crisis

Export credits & government guarantees
Security & project bankability
Dependency on subsidies

Case Study: CDM India

Roles for multi-lateral agencies & development banks

Day 2: Renewable and Alternative Energies Available for Power Generation

Renewable Options for Power Generation

Nuclear energy: technology, safety, cost & waste handling / decommissioning issues
Biomass & waste for power generation
Hydro Power

Case Study: Bhutan

Wind Energy

Onshore wind
Offshore wind

Case Study: Offshore North Sea Wind Farm

Solar Energy

Solar thermal

Case Study: SEGS California

Concentrating solar power: solar farming
Heat storage tanks to store solar power temporarily
Photovoltaics
Solar inverters and optimisers
Marine energy: wave & tide

Case Study: Orkney

Geothermal power & heat pumps
Hydrogen & fuel cells for power generation
Sources of hydrogen and infrastructure issues

Grid Connectivity Issues

Intermittency and fluctuating demand issues
Pumped storage to back up renewables

Case Study: Pumped storage South Africa

Electric vehicle to grid back-up possibilities
Smart grids and their role in optimising deployment of renewable energies
Storing electricity using large scale batteries

Low Emissions Fossil Fuels

Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) coupled with Combined Heat & Power (CHP)
Clean coal and coal gasification technologies
Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS)

Video: In Saleh Algeria

Gas to liquids, coal to liquids, biomass to liquids (X to liquids)

Emissions, Emissions Trading & Carbon Taxes

Energy emissions issues for fossil fuels & renewables
Understanding the earth's carbon cycle and carbon dioxide atmospheric emissions
Other energy emissions in addition to carbon: NOX and SOX
CO2 emissions trading systems
Cap and trade concepts

Case Study: EU Emissions Trading System (ETS)

Carbon cost impacts on the cost of power derived from fossil fuels
Emissions reductions commitments/mandates made by main polluting nations & regions
Carbon taxes as an alternative to cap and trade to subsidise renewables
Political will to promote renewables and "tax" fossil fuels

Day 3: Renewable Energies for Transportation, Efficiencies & Sustainability

Biofuels

Ethanol
Biodiesel
Algal biofuels

Case Study: Algae biodiesel test farms

Biofuels for aviation fuel and aviation emissions issues
Renewable transportation fuel obligations
Transportation energy & emissions efficiencies
"Well to Wheels" analysis
The politics of biofuels

Vehicle Designs and Car Manufacturer Efficiency Obligations

Flexi-fuelled vehicles

Case Study: Brazil

Hybrid vehicles
Natural Gas Powered Vehicles (NGVs)
Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG), Liquefied
Natural Gas (LNG) and Compressed
Natural Gas (CNG) Vehicles
Hydrogen powered vehicles and hydrogen fuel cells

Case Study: Fuel cell motor cycles

Electric powered vehicles and vehicle to grid concepts

Energy Efficiency Opportunities

How we use and consistently waste energy
Micro-generation – Micro-CHP systems
Distributed power generation versus largescale centralised power grids
Ground-source heat pumps and heat exchangers

Case Study: Closed-loop systems

Building designs and energy efficient (insulating) materials
Life cycle analysis of building materials
Low energy versus incandescent lighting
Agriculture & fuel supply energy issues

Sustainability and Global / Regional Population Issues

Global dependence on fossil fuels
Challenges of population growth and investment in infrastructure
Key roles for China, India and the developing world (with video)
Can we live on renewables alone? Wishful thinking versus reality
Alternative visions for future global primary energy mix
Sustainable strategies and global energy scenarios
Scaling up renewables and energy efficiencies by order of magnitude scales: thinking big