ENV130.0001, Renewable Energy Sources, Wang, Chunzeng Fall 2012 PDF
ENV130.0001, Renewable Energy Sources, Wang, Chunzeng Fall 2012 PDF
ENV130.0001, Renewable Energy Sources, Wang, Chunzeng Fall 2012 PDF
(Online)
Fall 2012, UMPI
Course Description:
This course provides a comprehensive overview of major renewable energy resources, including solar,
wind, hydro, geothermal, and bioenergy/biomass. The course aims to helping students understand
fundamental scientific concepts and principles of energy conversion and storage involved in renewable
energy production and usage, and evaluate availability, efficiency, and environmental impacts of major
forms of renewable energy resources.
Student Objectives:
1) Understand fundamental scientific concepts and principles of renewable energy resources and
related technologies.
2) Able to evaluate and assess availability, efficiency, and environmental impacts of various forms of
renewable energy resources.
General Learning Objectives (as required for all GEC math and science courses):
1) Students will be able to draw valid conclusions from numerical data presented in a variety of
formats.
2) Students will understand and be able to apply the scientific inquiry process to researchable
questions or problems.
The course will be a dynamic combination of online lectures, at least a mandatory self-guided tour to a
renewable energy producing facility (or join tours led and organized by your instructor if you live near
Presque Isle), and reading assignments.
Online lectures are PowerPoint (ppt) slides with lecture notes that focus on fundamentals of major
renewable energy resources and energy conversion technology. Reading assignments will help you
understand online lecture ppt (Each lecture note published on the Blackboard shows chapters/sections
in the textbook as reading assignments; the Course Calendar below also shows chapters/sections as
reading assignments for each lecture).
A mandatory, self-guided tour to at least one renewable energy producing facility. The facility can be
wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, hydropower, and any form of renewable energy facilities at
industrial or family scales. If you feel you may have hard time to get permit to visit a facility or you
need help to locate a facility, please contact the course instructor Dr. Chunzeng Wang. The instructor
will organize and lead several tours around Presque Isle. So if you live near Presque Isle, you may
join one or all the tours. In the end you must prepare and submit a tour report. The report shall include
an introduction to the tour and moderate description of the facility visited – where it is located, when
it was constructed, what company/family operates it (and its contact information), and how it works,
so on. The report may include pictures so you shall take a camera with you. You may use Word or
any word-processing software to prepare the report. The size/length of the report shall be at least 3
pages but no more than 6 pages; you may insert up to 6 pictures (using no more than 1.5 page room).
The tour/tour report counts 20% toward to your final grade. The tour with the tour report is an
important component of this course.
Communication with your instructor: you shall check your maine.edu email account at least once
every day. This email account is used by your instructor for announcements and notices. The best
way to contact your instructor is to email him. You may also stop by his office in his office hour time,
or make appointments. You shall login to the Blackboard often because it is where the
teaching/learning materials are posted and exams are taken. Announcements and notices are also
posted on the Blackboard by your instructor.
Three exams are scheduled (see their schedule under Course Calendar below). Each exam will be set
available for a limited time period (you will be noticed by email in advance). Exams 2 and 3 are not
cumulative. Exam questions are based on contents covered by lecture ppts and notes. The last slide of
each lecture ppt and the last paragraph of each lecture note list “Things must know”, which is the guide
for study for exams.
Final grade depends upon scores of the three exams and the tour report:
Exam 1 – 25%
Exam 2 – 25%
Exam 3 – 30%
Tour report – 20%
Class calendar:
Week 9 Review and Exam 2 available day/date and time will be announced on Blackboard
(10/29-11/2) Exam 2
Week 10 Bioenergy Lecture 11: Biomass classification and conversion to fuels (Godfrey
(11/5-11/9) (Biomass ) textbook Chapter 4, Sections 4.1 – 4.8)
Lecture 12: Woody biomass and its use in Maine (No reference to
Godfrey textbook)
Week 11 Tours 1) A guided tour to Boralex biomass power station in Fort Fairfield
(11/12-11/16) (Date will be announced later).
2) Self-guided tours can be on any dates.
Week 12 Hydropower Lecture 13: Hydropower and hydro-electric plants (Godfrey textbook
(11/19-11/23) and Chapter 5, Sections 5.1 – 5.2, 5.4 – 5.10)
hydroelectricity Lecture 14: Hydropower – development and concerns (Godfrey
Week 13 textbook Chapter 5, Sections 5.3 and 5.12)
(11/26-11/30)