SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS University of Virginia, Academic Sponsor

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1 SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS University of Virginia, Academic Sponsor Voyage: Summer 2014 Discipline: Engineering, open to non-engineering students ENGR 2595: Energy for the World Lower Division Faculty Name: Michael Maniates Credit Hours: 3; Contact Hours: 38 Pre-requisites: None (but bring a calculator) COURSE DESCRIPTION Energy use is the single greatest source of environmental damage, and energy consumption is expected to increase dramatically as more of the world s people climb out of poverty. New technologies have opened up a wealth of fossil fuels previously thought to be inaccessible or too expensive, yet concern grows about the climate impact of burning even a small portion of the world's remaining fossil-fuel reserves. What, then, are our most realistic and desirable options? Proceed with our heavy reliance on fossil fuels, hoping that environmental systems prove more resilient than some now argue? Intensely explore other supply options (energy efficiency, nuclear, the familiar renewables, and exotic technical options) while entertaining fundamental changes to systems of transportation, food production, and settlement? Or pursue an anything goes strategy while investing in systems and technologies that enhance our resilience to climate change? Most important, what light does the European experience shed on these questions, especially for citizens of the United States? This course explores these questions by (i) reviewing past and present patterns of energy supply and use, (ii) assessing the range of energy options for the future, (iii) analyzing the technological responses to the energy challenge by the countries on our itinerary, and (iv) drawing informed conclusions about energy futures from this wealth of information. Methods of evaluation include five field reports of 800 words each (20%), three exams (45%), and four qualitative/quantitative homework assignments meant to foster practical problem-solving skills (35%). COURSE OBJECTIVES Understand the varied answers to the why care question re: energy Analyze past and present patterns of energy supply and use: data, drivers, and trajectories Weigh the major energy supply and end-use options for transportation, buildings, and electricity generation worldwide, within Europe, and for the United States Develop basic analytic tools for assessing the environmental, economic, political, and technical feasibility of a range of future energy options Draw on the European experience to explore innovative solutions to energy problems Suggest and defend a particular energy trajectory for the United States, based on course 1

2 readings, field investigation, and class debate and discussion REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AUTHOR: McKay, David TITLE: Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air PUBLISHER: UIT Cambridge Limited ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: February 2009 NOTE: Hardcopies of the book list at $49.95, but a pdf is available free of charge, courtesy of the author, at Can we encourage students to download the book free of charge before they join the voyage? AUTHOR: Friedman, Thomas TITLE: Hot, Flat, and Crowded 2.0 PUBLISHER: Picador ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: November 2009 COST: $16.00 TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE C1 C5 Course Logistics and Class Introductions The Energy Challenge Fundamental Energy Concepts Global, regional, and U.S. energy supply and use Energy Transitions: A history Bioenergy in the poor world and rich Friedman, Hot, Flat, and Crowed, Part I and II ( Where We Are and How We Got Here ) McKay, Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air, chapters 1 and 2 Holdren, The Energy Innovation Imperative, Innovations, Spring 2006 (intranet). Sagar and Kartha, Bioenergy and Sustainable Development?, Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 2007 (intranet). Richard Rhodes, Energy Transitions: A Curious History, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University (intranet). 2

3 KEY ACTIVITIES: Develop basic quantitative tools of analysis (conversions, units, estimation) Identify fundamental patterns of energy supply and use Brief case study of Spain rise of wind energy (which is now threatened by austerity measures) Problem Set # 1: fundamental tools of quantitative analysis, exponential growth, essential units, basic energy concepts (thermodynamics, energy and power, efficiencies and supply). C6 C8 Transportation: Oil Supply and Use, Transportation, and Alternatives Charles Mann, What if We Never Run out of Oil?, and Sarewitz and Pielke Jr., Learning to Live with Fossil Fuels, both in The Atlantic, May 2013 McKay, Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air, chapters 3, 5, 13, 20, and 27. Video to be shown on ship system during the evening: Taken for a Ride KEY ACTIVITIES: Comparative analysis of oil consumption and transportation patterns in Europe and the United States Assessing the Peak Oil Debate Tools for comparing transportation options Case study of UK Problem Set #2: Transportation energy flows, rate of oil depletion vs. discovery Exam # 1 (C9) C9 C10 Catch up and Review First Exam: C9 3

4 C11 C17 Electricity (Coal, Nuclear, Renewables, and/or?) Building Energy Use Friedman, Part IV ( China ) McKay, Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air, chapters 4, 6 12, 14, 16, 17, 22 and 24. KEY ACTIVITIES: Assessment of global supply of fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas, oil shale, tar sands), and of trajectories of atmospheric carbon loading Cataloguing renewable energy resources and barriers in the United States and Europe Case studies for Norway and Russia (oil production and consumption, renewable electricity, and end-use efficiency) Identifying major opportunities for building energy efficiency Problem Set #3: Calculating energy-efficiency possibilities in electric appliances and building design Exam #2 (C18) C18 C19 Catch up and Review Second Exam: C19 C20 C23 The Energy Choices Ahead Friedman, Part V ( America ) McKay, Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air, chapters KEY ACTIVITIES: Compare competing visions for a sustainable energy future Mini case-study of Poland natural gas imports from Russia Closing class discussion on energy trajectories and possibilities for the United States (set up by Problem Set #4, which explores a best-case combination of energy supply and demand technologies for the U.S., as informed by the European experience) C24: Final Exam 4

5 Good luck, rock on, stay in touch, and make a difference! FIELD WORK Field lab attendance is mandatory for all students enrolled in this course. Please do not book individual travel plans or a Semester at Sea sponsored trip on the day of our field lab. Field work for this course falls into two categories. The first is a day-long field lab focusing on one aspect of our course. We will draw from this field lab in later class sessions, and material from the lab will appear on our in-class exams and problem sets. You will also write an 800 word reflection on this experience. The second category of field work is a series of four port reflections of 800 words each that report on your observations of energy use patterns and attitudes in four cities on our itinerary. More detail on these reflections will be provided on the first day of class. FIELD LAB (At least 20 percent of the contact hours for each course, to be led by the instructor.) We will spend much of the day on 27 June, our first day in Bilbao, learning about the growth of wind energy in Spain. We will speak with technicians and entrepreneurs behind the wind revolution in Spain, and visit at least one wind-electricity generation site to gain a better understanding of the engineering issues involved. Our inquiry will focus on the advantages and challenges of both land-based and offshore wind energy in Spain, and the challenges of integrating wind-generated electricity into the national and regional grid. Alternatively, we will spend much of the day on either 31 July or 3 August (our first and last day in Stockholm) investigating the policies and practice of cutting-edge building energy efficiency in Stockholm. We will visit high-performing buildings in the Stockholm area, meet with academics and policymakers working to implement and evaluate Sweden s efforts to become the world leader in building energy efficiency, and consider the nextgeneration technologies now being developing for future use. FIELD ASSIGNMENTS Twenty percent of your final course grade flows from field-based work. You will document this work via five 800-word essays that you will submit periodically throughout the semester. One essay will be a response piece to the issues raised in our field lab. The remaining four essays will report on your investigation and reflections in four ports. More detail on these essays will be provided on the first day of class. 5

6 METHODS OF EVALUATION / GRADING RUBRIC You will be evaluated on the quality and comprehensiveness of your five field reports of 800 words each (20%), your performance on three in-exams (45%), and your work on four qualitative/quantitative homework assignments meant to foster practical problem-solving skills (35%). You will be allowed to rewrite one of your field reports for a higher grade, and student collaboration is encouraged on the homework assignments, which are meant to prepare students for subsequent in-class exam exercises. RESERVE LIBRARY LIST None at this time ELECTRONIC COURSE MATERIALS As noted above. The instructor will provide the necessary PDFs, if this is acceptable to UVa library staff. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES None HONOR CODE Semester at Sea students enroll in an academic program administered by the University of Virginia, and thus bind themselves to the University s honor code. The code prohibits all acts of lying, cheating, and stealing. Please consult the Voyager s Handbook for further explanation of what constitutes an honor offense. Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: On my honor as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment. The pledge must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed [signed]. 6