Program : Energy Policy, Regulation and Management (EPRM)

Degree : MSc/MEng

Course Code : ACE 611

Course Name : Introduction to Renewable and New Energy Technologies

Course Category : Compulsory Core Courses

Semester : First Semester

Credit Hours : 3

Overview of renewable energy technologies with focus on Solar, Wind, Bioenergy, hydropower (Pico, Micro, small scale & large scale), geothermal, tidal, wave, hydrogen and fuel cells etc. Brief review of conventional and emerging energy systems (technical, economic and environmental relevance and impact). Identification of renewable and non-renewable energy sources. Renewable energy resources assessment techniques and exploitation technologies. Solar resource evaluation techniques, physical basis of solar radiation, photoelectric effect, definitions and explanations of key terms in photovoltaic (PV) technology-direct/diffuse/ global radiation/
Albedo/Air mass, solar cells, module make-up, mono and polycrystalline and amorphous modules, thin-film, dye sensitized and organic cells. Solar thermal technology, geothermal tidal, and wave technologies. Advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy technologies. New energy technologies: Hydrogen, fuel cells, free energy (fly wheel etc). Nexus between renewable energy and Africa’s development. Types of biomass and their basic properties. Overview of biomass processing technologies. Applications of biomass. Economics of biomass. Trends in biomass energy utilization in Sub-Saharan Africa. Introduction to RE softwares such as RETScreen, HOMER, etc).