Alternative Energy

Objectives

The objective is to supply knowledge about the energy impacts in our productive system and on the environment, giving special emphasis to the use of stand alone and grid connected photovoltaic systems.

General characterization

Code

7457

Credits

6.0

Responsible teacher

Hugo Manuel Brito Águas, Rodrigo Ferrão de Paiva Martins

Hours

Weekly - 5

Total - 42

Teaching language

Português

Prerequisites

There are no pre-defined requisites.

Bibliography

-“Notes elaborated to this discipline, written in Portuguese and available in the departments site;

Energy planning and Policy. Keinpeter-niley

A comunidade dos doze: números chave. CCE; Eurostat

Estudo de Políticas de gestão de energia nos transportes. BCEOM-AUDITERG

Solar Electricity- A practical guide do designing an installation of small photovoltaic systems. Simon Roberts (ed. Prentice Hall International (UK) Ltd), 1991

 Solar electricity. Tomas Markvart (ed. Jhon Wiley & sons Ltd), 1994. Photovoltaic in buildings. F. Sick & Thomas Erge

“Handbook of Battery Materials”, ed. Besenhard, J. O., ISBN 3 – 527 – 29469 – 4 Wiley – VCH, Weinheim.

Teaching method

Classroom lessons and demonstration aimed at the promotion of knowledge in the area of applications and developments related to renewable energies in particular photovoltaic energy solar thermal and other materials for energy conversion.

Evaluation method

The evaluation is carried out through the presentation and discussion of a monograph on renewable energies;  a report that includes the results obtained in the laboratory classes and the sizing of a small photovoltaic system. Two tests on the theoretical component or a final exam.  The final evaluation shall take into account: 15% monograph (written work-maximum 4 pages article format and oral presentation-max 10 min) + 40% (report-includes sizing PV) +45% average of testing or examination

Subject matter

Introduction to the global energy policy: production, consumption, environment and society. Basic physics concepts: the thermodynamic principles applied to the energy transfer problem. Unified energy conversion theory. Primary energy sources. Limitations to the free use of energy.

 

Photovoltaic energy and thermal solar energy. The phycial and technological concepts related to photovolatic energy and of thermal soalr energy are addressed.

Electro-optical characterization of solar cells, PV systems dimensioning and energy conservation are envisaged.

Thermal solar systems dimensioning.