Renewable Energy Science Courses - First Trimester
First Trimester - Renewable Energy Science (30 ECTS)
RES601: Energy – Past, Present, and Future
RES602: Energy Technologies – Conversion, Storage & Energy Systems
RES604: Life-Cycle Assessment & Energy Efficiency Analysis
RES603: Carbon Capture & Sequestration Technologies
RES605: Geothermal Energy
RES606: Fuel Cell Systems & Technologies
RES607: Hydropower
RES608: Biofuels & Bioenergy
RES609: Solar Energy
RES610: Wind & Wave (Tidal) Power
RES611: Study Tour
Second Trimester - Specialization (30 ECTS)
Third Trimester - Master's Thesis (30 ECTS)
Individual Modules - Renewable Energy Science
Modules are of 1-3 weeks duration and carry 2-6 ECTS credits; 3 hours of lectures in the morning plus a lab/project session for another 3 hours in the afternoon, five days of the week. Students complete individual or group project assignments for each module, take an exam following the completion of each module, and a final exam at the end of the trimester.
RES601: Energy – Past, Present & Future
Course Description: Course content includes historical and current energy use, fossil fuel resource base estimation, and energy demand forecasting – future imbalance between supply and demand. New energy paradigm. Local energy resource availability in different countries. The need to reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions; different scenarios and policies; implications of global warming and climate change. Political and economic implications of increasing scarcity of conventional oil – energy security of supply. The importance of renewable energy. Principles for sustainable energy development – is this possible? If so, how can we accomplish this?
Course Duration: 2 weeks - ECTS Credits: 4
RES602: Energy Technologies – Conversion, Storage & Energy Systems
Course Description: The first week of this course is a brief review of some of the main principles of thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, and fluid dynamics. The following two weeks focus on a comparative analysis of the main physical and chemical characteristics and environmental impacts of fossil fuel resources, new generation of nuclear power plants, nuclear fusion, and clean coal technologies - future importance? Energy conversions and energy systems – combined heat and power (CHP), tri-generation systems (power, heating, cooling), and hybrid systems; energy conversion efficiencies. Energy networks – grid connected systems and distributed generation; smart electricity transmission networks and scenarios of energy infrastructure evolution. Energy storage technologies; and innovative energy storage solutions.
Course Duration: 3 weeks - ECTS Credits: 6
RES603: Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS) Technologies
Course Description: Advanced pollution prevention technologies in energy generation. Advanced pre-combustion separation techniques; separation techniques in solid, liquid and gaseous fuel generation. CO2-capture, transportation and sequestration techniques (CCS); CO2-storage technologies in various geological environments; CO2 use in EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery); economic assessment and regulatory activities for CO2-capture and storage. Case studies, including CO2 storage into glassy basaltic formations in Iceland and the Norwegian Sleipnir CO2-injection project in the North Sea.
Course Duration: 1 week - ECTS Credits: 2
RES604: Life-Cycle Assessment & Energy Efficiency Analysis
Course Description: Principles and methods of industrial ecology and life-cycle assessment (LCA) and applications for energy systems; introduction to the advanced SimaPro LCA software. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and cost-efficiency analysis of various energy scenarios and renewable energy choices; cost-effective energy efficiency measures; and future energy conservation scenarios.
Course Duration: 2 weeks - ECTS Credits: 4
RES605: Geothermal Energy
Course Description: Course content includes a review of the main characteristics of geothermal systems - low-temperature and high-temperature geothermal fields. Brief overview of the methodology of geothermal exploration and exploitation. Geothermal resource utilization in Iceland and elsewhere. Geothermal district heating systems, geothermal heat pumps, and power plants; combined heat and power systems (CHP). Energy efficiency, costs and environmental impact assessments. Future prospects of geothermal energy.
Course Duration: 1 week - ECTS Credits: 2
RES606: Fuel Cell Systems & Technologies
Course Description: Course content includes a review of the main characteristics of FC systems and technologies. Hydrogen production and storage systems. Utilization of hydrogen and FC technology in transportation, shipping, industrial and residential settings. The Icelandic ECTOS project and Iceland’s transition to a hydrogen-based economy. Hydrogen storage problems. Energy efficiency, costs and environmental impact assessments. Future prospects of FC.
Course Duration: 1 week - ECTS Credits: 2
RES607: Hydropower
Course Description: Course content includes; power market description and properties, power project layouts, power factors and turbine types. Dams, reservoirs and routing. Flow data presentation, flood analyses, precipitation and flow relationship. Operations research using water values, Quality of supply considerations. Power markets an expansion planning in Iceland.
Course Duration: 1 week - ECTS Credits: 2
RES608: Biofuels & Bioenergy
Course Description: Course content includes an assessment of different biomass resources, yields and exploitation. Characteristic of anaerobic digestion. Types of liquid and gaseous biofuels and production technologies. Advanced energy conversion technologies and biosystems. Biofuels production in Iceland and elsewhere. Energy efficiency, costs and environmental impact assessments. Future prospects of biofuels and bioenergy.
Course Duration: 1 week - ECTS Credits: 2
RES609: Solar Energy
Course Description: Course content includes a review of solar radiation, solar resource distribution, and seasonal variation. Solar thermal power plants (CSP). Solar electricity and characteristics of photovoltaic cells (PVs) - physics and design of PV cells; multilayer solar cells; photovoltaic systems and collectors. Solar water heating systems. Solar architectural designs. Case studies from Europe and the U.S. Energy efficiency, costs and environmental impact assessments. Future prospects of solar energy.
Course Duration: 1 week - ECTS Credits: 2
RES610: Wind & Wave (Tidal) Power
Course Description: Course content includes a brief review of the nature of atmospheric winds and ocean waves; basic wind and wave statistics - wind and wave mapping; resource assessments and energy potential; tidal behavior and tidal power. Principles of wind turbine technologies; onshore and offshore wind farms; wave and tidal power technologies and power plants; and ocean thermal energy conversion systems. Renewable or “green” islands. Case studies from Europe and the U.S. Energy efficiency, costs and environmental impact assessments. Future prospects of wind and wave energy.
Course Duration: 1 week - ECTS Credits: 2
RES611: Study Tour
Course Description: Study tour in Iceland to a number of interesting sites harnessing renewable energy. The tour includes visits to high- and low-temperature geothermal fields, geothermal and hydropower plants, geothermal district-heating operations, research laboratories, various facilities utilizing hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass and hydrogen energy, as well visits to Iceland’s leading energy companies and institutions.
Course Duration: 5 days - ECTS Credits: 2