Learning Outcomes

1. Describe and quantify the major factors affecting the potential contribution to the world's needs of the various sources of energy, such as available resource, status of technical development, and social, environmental and economic aspects.
2. Apply thermodynamic principles to the design and performance analysis of heat engines, combustion and chemical reactors, and heating and cooling systems in built environments.
3. Apply energy efficiency principles to engineered fluid systems.
4. Explain the basics of the physical operation and fabrication technology of solar cells and photovoltaic modules, and discriminate among various technologies.
5. Assess the performance parameters of the various components of a renewable energy system, and select the most appropriate for a given application.
6. Analyse, model and design solar thermal and solar photovoltaic energy systems, and capture the information in professional reports.
7. Apply systems engineering principles and methods to providing energy services.

Professional Skills Mapping:
Mapping of Learning Outcomes to Professional Competencies 

Other Information

The Renewable Energy Systems Major brings together a diverse range of engineering disciplines to achieve a common goal: the provision of energy services to society. Building on a solid foundation of traditional mechanical and electrical engineering knowledge, the Major then focusses on the principles underlying the provision of thermal energy services, on the one hand, and electrical energy, on the other hand. By studying both, students learn that energy forms can be converted into another, and thus will develop the analytical skills that will permit them to select the most appropriate technology, or to combine several of them to meet an energy demand with high performance and low cost. The latter should include not only economic, but also environmental and social considerations. The Major also gives students a broad context of the available energy resources and energy technologies, both conventional and new. Students will gain technical specialisation in the two main areas of solar energy, thermal and photovoltaic. Graduates should be able to critically analyse and design solar thermal and solar photovoltaic energy systems, and combine both as required to provide energy solutions. Graduates may pursue further specialisation in other energy technologies, based on the foundations gained through this major. A subset of courses is offered as a flexible minor, which may be tailored with a mechanical engineering emphasis or an electronics one.

Areas of Interest

• Environmental Studies
• Materials Science
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Engineering
• Electronics
• Materials
• Renewable Energy
• Climate
• Energy Change
• Environmental Science
• Sustainability Science
• Sustainable Development
• Sustainable Engineering

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Requirements

This major requires the completion of 48 units, which must include:

48 units from completion of the following course(s):

Code	Title	Units
ENGN1218	Introduction to Electronics	6
ENGN2218	Electronic Systems and Design	6
ENGN2222	Engineering Thermodynamics	6
ENGN3224	Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer	6
ENGN3334	Semiconductors	6
ENGN4516	Energy Resources and Renewable Technologies	6
ENGN4524	Photovoltaic Technologies	6
ENGN4525	Solar Thermal Technologies	6

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