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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

Booking Information

Dates Prices Book This Course Discount
06 - 08 Oct 2010
£ 2299
Book the course now.
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09 - 11 Mar 2011
£ 2299
Book the course now.
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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