ENCN627-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025

Renewable Energy Technologies

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 17 February 2025
End Date: Sunday, 22 June 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 2 March 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 11 May 2025

Description

Introduction into renewable technologies, including solar, wind, hydro, biomass and geothermal resources, and energy storage. Introduction to the wider energy system, including low-energy buildings, transportation, demand-side management, and energy futures. Energy and sustainability from local to global perspectives.

This course is about energy technologies, systems, and sustainability. You will be introduced to renewable technologies, including solar, wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal, and energy storage.

You will also learn about the wider energy system and energy transitions, including low-energy buildings, sustainable transportation, demand-side management, and industrial decarbonization. The course content will cover energy and sustainability from local to global perspectives.

This course is double-coded as an undergraduate elective (ENCN423) and a recommended postgraduate course (ENCN627) for renewable energy students. Postgraduate students have additional learning objectives and assessments

Learning Outcomes

Describe and discuss the current and potential contribution of sustainable energy resources to the global and New Zealand energy scenes, including energy access and security aspects.

Describe and discuss selected solar, wind, biomass, hydro and geothermal conversion technologies.

Analyse and quantify solar, biomass, wind, hydro and geothermal resources for a given site, and carry out preliminary sizing calculations

Describe and discuss sustainable heat (including industrial applications and demand-side management), clean fuels, and sustainable transportation; and carry out preliminary sizing
calculations.

Model a simple renewable energy system with energy storage.

Critically analyse and contribute to current energy debates and energy transitions (ENCN627 only).

Prerequisites

Approval from the Head of Department required.

Restrictions

Timetable 2025

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Thursday 14:00 - 16:00 E6 Lecture Theatre
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun
Lecture B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Tuesday 12:00 - 14:00 E6 Lecture Theatre
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun

Course Coordinator

Jannik Haas

Lecturer

Rebecca Peer

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Take-home test 40% Take-home test
Final exam 40% Final exam
Project 20% Project


Midterm test
Percentage of grade: 40%

Final exam
Percentage of grade: 40%

Project
Percentage of grade: 20%

During all tests and exams for this course, you are expected to do assessments individually,
adhere to the University assessment policy, and submit your own work. The project, only for
ENCN627, will be announced during the first two weeks of the semester. Tutorial sessions and
practice problems will be provided to prepare for the course assessment. Engagement with
these is essential for your success in this course.

Textbooks / Resources

The following texts are required references for this course. They can be accessed online for free
through the UC library:

1. Tester, J. W. (2012). Sustainable energy: Choosing among options (2nd ed.). MIT Press.
2. MacKay, D. J. C. (2016). Sustainable energy-without the hot air. UIT. (also available here)
3. Sterner, M. and Stadler, I. (2014). Handbook of energy storage. Springer.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,268.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Civil and Natural Resources Engineering .

All ENCN627 Occurrences

  • ENCN627-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025