The objective of this module is to provide the student with a strong appreciation of economic, environmental and social constraints on the supply of and demand for energy, and of the technological, policy and economic/market developments that are taking place in Ireland and internationally in respect of those constraints.
Review of Energy Demand and Supply
Economic importance of energy, energy trends, final energy demand,primary energy demand - Ireland, UK, Europe, international, uses of energy; sources of energy - oil, gas, coal, renewables, nuclear; trends in electricity generation, transmission and distribution of electrical energy; sustainability, energy trade, self-sufficiency; energy infrastructure; environmantal concerns.
Energy Policy
Irish, UK, European and international energy policy; policy drivers: competitiveness, security, sustainability, resilience; structure of energy supply; drivers of change: economic conditions, technology advances, environmental issues; energy forecasts; energy regulation, energy efficiency.
Electricity
Infrastructure and organisation of generation, transmission and distribution; liberalisation of markets; de-regulation of retail markets; market organisation and players; the Single Electricity Market; advantages of interconnection; current and future interconnections; distributed energy resources; electricity regulation; smart grids.
Environmantal Issues
Climate change, overview of the science; greenhouse gas emissions; natural, social and economic consequences of climate change; sustainable energy, low-carbon technologies; carbon-reduction measures: regulation, taxation, carbon trading; carbon markets; the Kyoto Protocol, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, US Carbon Markets, other schemes; other environmental impacts of energy supply.
Renewable Energy, Lifestyle and Energy Consumption
Review of sources of renewable energy and renewable technologies; case for renewables; wind, bio, ocean, other; policy measures - feed-in tariffs etc., Ireland, UK, Europe, elsewhere; Transport, electric vehicles; distributed energy resources; corporate behaviour and lifestyle changes for a low carbon world.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Formal Examination | 50 |
| Other Assessment(s) | 50 |