CIEE Dublin Study Centre

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1 CIEE Dublin Study Centre Course name: Sustainability and Renewable Energy in Ireland Course number: ENVI 3003 IREL Programs offering course: Summer Engineering, Technology and Science Language of instruction: English U.S. Semester Credits: 3 Contact Hours: 45 Term: Summer 2018 Course meeting times: Daily Course meeting place: Henry Grattan Building, Dublin City University Lecturer: Mr Tom Bruton C Eng Contact Information: tom.bruton@bioxl.ie Office address: CG45 Henry Grattan Building, DCU, Dublin 9 Office hours: TBC Course Description The course will introduce the students to the development and use of the sustainable industry in Ireland. Within this framework, classes and field trips will examine the types of renewable energy considered most effective in the context of Ireland s energy industry. The course also examines the mechanical, electrical and ecological aspects of planning, building and maintaining a renewable energy network. Students will also receive technical classes on the conversion of this energy and its connection to the national grid. Student will engage in classroom-based learning, receive guest lectures, and attend site visits to wind farms and hydroelectric facilities. Learning Objectives A clear understanding of mechanisms of energy generation, clean energy opportunities and sustainability of renewable energy sources, with a particular focus on Ireland; The ability to apply acquired knowledge of energy conversion technologies to real renewable energy applications; The ability to critically evaluate how social and environmental factors impact the development of renewable energy in the Irish context, as a supporting tool for decision-making in the renewable energy environment; Skills to evaluate green energy economics and risk management of renewable energy projects; The ability to produce high quality technical documentation for the economic feasibility assessment of renewable energy projects.

2 Course Prerequisites There are no prerequisites for this class. Methods of Instruction The course will be taught through a variety of methods including: (Guest) lectures Sites visits and walking tours related to course content Lectures are also linked to a three-day overnight field trip to a wind farm and/or other energy sites of relevance. These visits will take place outside of class time and are an integral and compulsory element of the programme. Assessment and Final Grade List three or more methods of assessment in addition to attendance and participation, indicating the percent of final grade below totaling 100%: 1. Essay on Renewable Energy: 15% 2. Group Research Presentation: 15 % 3. Technical Report on Renewable Energy Project: 50% 4. Attendance and class participation: 10% (10% for each) Course Requirements Submission of Assessments I, II & III is by to Course Lecturer, copied to Resident Director. Essay on Solar Energy Potential: Assessment I Critically evaluate the progress to-date and potential for solar electric generation in Ireland. Consider the separate opportunities at utility and consumer scale. Discuss main barriers to capturing this renewable resource. Word Count: 500 words (excluding title page and references)

3 Group Research Presentation: Assessment II Based on the selected readings provided and using other research tools (DCU Library facilities, online resources), students are required to work as a team to identify the major key drivers, options and challenges of integrating renewables on the grid and produce a 10 min group presentation. Group 1: Energy storage technologies for integrating renewable energy on the grid Group 2: Getting the grid ready for Irelands energy future 1 Slide Count: max 10 slides (including title and closing slide) Technical Report on Renewable Energy Project: Assessment III Students are required to produce a technical report on the economic feasibility of a 1MW ground mount solar electricity project in Albert College Park, immediately to the South of the DCU campus. Factors such as energy yield, return on investment (ROI), sensitivity analysis, as well as social acceptance and environmental variables affecting the energy project should be included in the report and discussed. Comment on the appropriateness of the project to meet DCUs energy needs. Use of industry tools is suggested to physically estimate your system size in terms of layout and space requirement and provide an outline drawing (e.g. PV Groundbreaker 2 ). Use of RETSCREEN 4 3 to assess the project economics is recommended, some commentary is required on the results. Also carry out sensitivity analysis of at least one key variable that impacts the project IRR (initial input assumptions given as Annex 1). Pages Limit: Maximum 1,500 words of additional text (excluding title page, references and appendices e.g. software outputs) Attendance and Class Participation Attendance is taken through a class list at the beginning of every class. Any absence must be clearly explained. An unexplained absence will result in a reduction of marks for attendance. Two unexplained absence will result in a zero mark for attendance and a meeting with the Resident Director. Student are expected to be interactive in class, contribute to discussion and be involved in seminar participation. Participation will be noted by the instruction in terms of frequency and, particularly, relevance. The students will be asked to present their results as a team on Assessment II. Course work must be completed and submitted on time. Unless students receive an extension from the professor, assignment grades are reduced by 10% daily if turned in after the deadline. If the Download RETSCREEN 4 at Note this is a free version, the most recent version RETSCREEN Expert requires a fee for an annual license.

4 assessment is more than 3 days late then students will be required to meet with the Resident Director. No coursework will be accepted after the last day of class. Weekly Schedule (Subject to change) Week 1 Orientation Week 22 May Ireland s Renewable Energy Sector Energy Conversion Solar Power Generation (theory and technical class) Wind Energy (theory and technical class) Week 2 29 May Biomass and Bioenergy (theory and technical class) Hydroenergy (theory and technical class) Energy Storage Field Trip: West of Ireland Day 1 - Site Visits themes:.wind farm Day 2 - Site Visits themes: Day 3 Site Visits themes: Assessment I - Due Week 3 5 June Engineering Economy and Design Economics Assessing a Single Project Case Study (Retscreen) Sustainable Transport and Biofuels Assessment II - Due Week 4 12 June Environmental and Social Impact Considerations of Renewable Energy Final Remarks and Conclusions Assessment III - Due Exit presentation and Review

5 Selected site-visits/tours (To be confirmed) Sustainability and Renewable Energy in Ireland The trip includes visits to local windfarms that provide opportunities for individuals and communities to benefit from sustainability projects. There are also disagreements and challenges locally which will be addressed by guest speakers. Cultural visits to a National Park and local cities are included, but the focus of the visits is always on environmental sustainability. Mount Lucas Wind Farm, Edenderry, Co. Offaly. Selected Readings Connolly, D., Lund, H., Mathiesen, B. V., & Leahy, M. (2011). The first step towards a 100% renewable energysystem for Ireland. Applied Energy, 88(2), Rourke, F. O., Boyle, F., & Reynolds, A. (2009). Renewable energy resources and technologies applicable to Ireland. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 13(8), Del Río, P., & Burguillo, M. (2008). Assessing the impact of renewable energy deployment on local sustainability: Towards a theoretical framework. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews, 12(5), Komor, P., & Bazilian, M. (2005). Renewable energy policy goals, programs, and technologies. Energy Policy, 33(14), Warren, C. R., Lumsden, C., O'Dowd, S., & Birnie, R. V. (2005). Green on green : public perceptions of wind power in Scotland and Ireland. Journal of environmental planning and management, 48(6), Welch, J. B., & Venkateswaran, A. (2009). The dual sustainability of wind energy. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 13(5), Goodbody, C., Walsh, E., McDonnell, K. P., & Owende, P. (2013). Regional integration of renewable energy systems in Ireland The role of hybrid energy systems for small communities. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, 44(1),

6 Van den Broek, R. (2000). Sustainability of biomass electricity systems. An assessment of costs, macroeconomic and environmental impacts in Nicaragua, Ireland and the Netherlands. Jørgensen, U. (2011). Benefits versus risks of growing biofuel crops: the case of Miscanthus. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 3(1), Huber, C., Ryan, L., Gallachóir, B. Ó., Resch, G., Polaski, K., & Bazilian, M. (2007). Economic modelling of price support mechanisms for renewable energy: Case study on Ireland. Energy Policy, 35(2), Connolly, D., Lund, H., Mathiesen, B. V., Pican, E., & Leahy, M. (2012). The technical and economic implications of integrating fluctuating renewable energy using energy storage. Renewable Energy, 43,

7 Annex 1: Assumed inputs for Assessment III Solar capacity factor: 11% Specific capital cost: 1000 per kw capacity installed Price for electricity sales: 100/MWh Inflation rate % 2.0% Project life yr 20 Debt ratio % 80% Debt interest rate % 5.00% Debt term yr 15 Annual O&M estimate: 2% of the capital cost No payment for GHG/CO2 credits