ECE 398 CG - Renewable Electric Energy Systems

Summer 2009 | Fall 2009 | Spring 2010 | Summer 2010
Official Description Subject offerings of new and developing areas of knowledge in electrical and computer engineering intended to augment the existing curriculum. See Class Schedule or departmental course information for topics and prerequisites. Approved for both letter and S/U grading. May be repeated in the same or separate terms if topics vary.
Hours 0 to 4 hours.
Course Prerequisites Credit in ECE 210 or ECE 205
Course Directors Thomas J Overbye
Description The course explores the technical, economic, environmental and policy aspects of renewable and alternative energy systems to provide a comprehensive picture of their role in meeting society’s electricity needs. The upsurge in the world-wide demand for oil-based resources, the restructuring of the electricity industry, the advances in engineering technology and the increasing interest in environmental protection are presenting unparalleled challenges to the electric power industry. The role of new energy resource technologies, the application of power electronics, the use of demand-side management, and the effects of market forces in addressing these challenges are discussed. The course covers the basics of energy production from renewable sources, the relevant thermodynamics background, the structure and nature of the interconnected electric power system and the critical need for environmentally sensitive solutions. In addition, the economic and regulatory policy aspects of electricity and electricity markets are treated.
Notes Grading : The course grade is based on the performance of the student in the homework assignments, the midterm exam and the projects. There will be no final exam. Instead, there is a final project and its presentation to the class.
Credit 3 hours.
Topics
  • General overview of electricity demand, supply, industry structure, interconnected system operations and state of technology
  • Nature and role of alternative generation sources
  • Review of concepts in electric circuit analysis
  • Engineering principles of alternative source generation technologies
    • Thermodynamics considerations
    • Solar resource and solar array systems
    • Wind resource and wind generations systems
    • Other renewable resource technologies; hydro, geothermal, closed-system fuel cells
    • Role of power electronic circuits in these technologies
    • Economics of various technologies
    • Environmental attributes
  • Engineering principles of electrical storage technologies
    • Electrical vs. chemical energy storage
    • Batteries
    • Double-layer capacitors
    • Superconducting magnetic energy storage
    • Flywheels
  • The demand picture: nature of electrical loads: time variation, periodicity and price dependence
  • Demand Management – energy conservation; efficiency improvements; load management; price-responsive demand; and role of new technologies
  • Electricity markets basics
  • Integration of renewable generation into the grid
  • Regulatory policy aspects
  • Project presentations and midterm exam
Course Prerequisites ECE 210 or ECE 205.
Texts G. Masters, Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems, Wiley-Interscience, 2004.