Environmental Engineering

RODOLFO ARANEO
RODOLFO ARANEO

The course is designed to equip students with a broad training in, and
understanding of, energy production, delivery, consumption, efficiency,
economics, policy and regulation. These are considered in the context
of the sustainability of energy supply and consumption patterns, both
locally and globally.
A feature of the course is its broad approach to the development of
sustainable routes to the generation and supply of energy within which
renewable energy is a key theme. The course is engineering-based but
also covers a wider range of topics including economics, sustainability
and environmental studies.On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
Understand and evaluate alternative modes of energy supply, including
fossil-fuelled, nuclear and renewables-based supply, appreciate the
development of and constraints on carbon- and non carbon-based energy
resources, understand the challenges and constraints on end-use
efficiency of energy, appreciate the economic, policy and regulatory
frameworks within which decisions on energy futures are made, be
conversant with the problems of energy distribution and the constraints
on present distribution systems, critically analyse competing claims in
the energy sector, evaluate options for energy supply, distribution,
utilisation, articulate environmental sustainability of energy supply
systems, analyse the technical:economic interaction of developments in
the energy system

At the end of the course, the students will be able to:
- understand the laws of physics which rule the behavior of the various technologies applied in the renewable energy field
- understand the theoretical potential of renewable energy sources for lowering the carbon footprint related to world energy needs
- become familiar with the state-of-the-art of main renewable technologies
- justify the typical performances of renewable energy plants
- fulfill the preliminary design of renewable energy plants and select the design parameters of the main components
- learn how to calculate yearly energy balances of renewable energy plants based on source availability
- become familiar with economic parameters related to renewable energy plants' operation

Prerequisites include basic knowledge of physics, thermodynamics, fluid-dynamics, and electricity laws

The 6 CFU course provides a quantitative yet accessible overview of renewable energy engineering technologies and practices transforming energy supply systems over the coming years. The program gains insights into the primary energy resources, i.e., wind, hydro, solar thermal, photovoltaic, ocean, bioenergy, and geothermic. It teaches the students to hybridize their skills and knowledge over various fields of physics and technologies.
The course will describe the technologies involved, background theory, and how projects are developed, constructed, and operated. The program will engage the students with examples, presentations, and discussions of real test projects: the students will learn to calculate the output of renewable energy schemes and construct a business model for long-term value. The program will devote particular attention to renewable energy plants' permitting processes and the problematic environmental aspects. Finally, during the program, several tutorials will present commercial software widely used in the field.
The course will support students from a range of disciplines and will ensure they receive the broad understanding essential for a successful career in the field.
The course's main objective is to provide students with the foundations for identifying and defining alternative and renewable energy solutions for a given case study from an environmental, energy, and economic point of view.

The primary knowledge acquired will be:
Basic knowledge of alternative energy resources.
Knowledge of the state of reserves and energy consumption.
Fundamentals of problems related to the use of different forms of energy.
Knowledge related to the leading solutions for energy saving and the increase of energy efficiency in civil and industrial environments
Basic knowledge of regulatory aspects and existing incentives in the field of energy production and energy saving

The primary skills to be acquired will be:
Identify the suitable energy solution for an application case, considering the technical, economic, and environmental aspects.
Identify suitable solutions for energy saving in various fields.
Know how to define energy planning and choose the most suitable energy sources for the case study.
Know how to evaluate the environmental problems of traditional and renewable energy plants.

The course will explain the following:
Energy in the modern world
The solar energy resource
Wind energy
Hydropower
Solar thermal systems
Photovoltaic systems
Marine energy
Bioenergy
Geothermal energy
Development and appraisal of renewable energy projects
Electrical energy systems

Notes
Nicholas Jenkins, Janaka Ekanayake, Renewable Energy Engineering, Cambridge University Press
John, Tony Weir, Renewable Energy Resources, Routledge
Mehmet Kanoglu, Yunus A. Cengel, John M. Cimbala, Fundamentals and Applications of Renewable Energy, McGraw Hill
Andrea Bartolazzi –Le Energie Rinnovabili – Hoepli
Rodolfo Pallabazzer – Sistemi Eolici – Rubettino
Francesco Groppi e Carlo Zuccaro – Impianti Solari fotovoltaici a norme CEI –Editoriale Delfino
Orio De Paoli – Sistemi solari fotovoltaici e termici – Celid.
Mario A. Cucumo – Ingegneria Solare, Principi ed applicazioni – Pitagora Editrice Bologna.

The course is organized into lectures and practical classes. Practical classes (approximately 30% of each credit) are aimed at applying the general methods presented during the lectures. During practical classes, the active participation of the students is required. A few hours are dedicated to a basic introduction to computer-based simulation programs.

The course is organized into lectures and practical classes. Practical classes (approximately 30% of each credit) are aimed at applying the general methods presented during the lectures. During practical classes, the active participation of the students is required. A few hours are dedicated to a basic introduction to computer-based simulation programs.

The test includes open questions related to theoretical topics as well as simple problems inspired to numerical applications discussed during tutorials.
Before the examination, it is mandatory for students to hand in written reports describing the adopted solution and the commented results of the numerical applications.
The examination assesses the student's capability of:
- describe the principle of operation and the state-of-the-art of main renewable technologies;
- justify the typical performance of various plants based on renewable energy sources on design as well as on off-design conditions;
- comment on the economic competitiveness of various solutions;
- draw simplified plant schemes.
The exam consists of three exercises to be carried out in an hour and a half. Subsequently, there is an oral exam on the whole program. The final mark is the average between the written test and the oral test.

See https://sites.google.com/uniroma1.it/rodolfoaraneo/didattica/renewable-energy