To provide students with knowledge of renewable energy technologies.

From the following Renewable Energy topics, 3 areas will be addressed in detail each year Topics: Wind Turbines, Solar, Hydro, Wave, Tidal, Geothermal, Biomass, Fuel Cell Hydro Power: Introduction; Principles; Assessing the resources for small installations; An Impulse Turbine; Reaction Turbine; Hydroelectric systems; Social and environmental aspect Biomass: Processes for the use of biomass: Drying, Gasification, Fluidized Beds; Feedstock/Fuel: Particle characterisation, Flow through packed Beds, Carmen-Koseny equation, Ergun equation, Geldart classification, Grace-Reh diagram; Fluidization: flow through fluidized beds, minimum fluidizing velocity, regimes of fluidization; Elutriation of fine particles and pneumatic transport. Wind Power: Wind Characteristics and Resources; Aerodynamics of Wind Turbines: Momentum theory and the Betz limit, Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine, Aerofoils, Blade element theory, Effect of drag and blade number on optimum design; Wind Turbine rotor dynamics; Wind Turbine Design: Topologies, Materials, Machine Elements, Wind Turbine loads, Design Evaluation, Powel Curve Prediction; Wind Turbine Control; Wind Turbine Siting; Wind Energy System Economics; Environmental Aspects and Impacts of Wind Energy Systems Wave Power: Introduction, principle of wave motion, wave energy, power and resources, wave patterns, wave conversion devices, social and environmental aspect. Tidal Power: Introduction, the cause of tided, enhancement of tides, tidal current/stream power, tidal range power, world range power sites, social and environmental aspect of tidal power, Geothermal: Physics of geothermal resources; Technologies: Steam power plants, Ground source heat pumps, Hot dry rock technology; Environmental Implications & Economic potential; Geothermal Energy in Ireland - ground temperatures, soil types. Solar: Thermal Energy: Active Solar Heating, Passive Solar Heating, Solar thermal engines and electricity generation, Economics, potential and environmental aspects Electricity Generation - Photovoltaic: Semiconductors and Doping, Monocystalline silicon cells, Polycrystalline silicon, electrical characteristics of PV, remote power, grid connected PV systems, cost of PV, environmental impact & safety Fuel Cell: Fuel Cell principles: Thermodynamics, Charge Transport, Mass Transport, Fuel Cell Modelling and Characterisation; Fuel Cell technology: Fuel Cell types, System integration and subsystem design, Environmental impact of fuel cells

1. Assess resources for given Renewable Energy. (written exam) 2. Perform advanced analysis of the theory for the given Renewable Energy. (written exam) 3. Evaluate designs in given Renewable Energy, focussing on selection criteria and performance parameters. (written exam)

1. Discuss the economic, social and environmental impact of these Renewable Energies. (written exam)

1. Working in teams, perform experiments, analyse the results and identify sources of error. (laboratory work)

The module will consist of lectures, tutorials and laboratory work to demonstrate theory and principles from lectures.

Students will be exposed to latest developments due to heavy involvement of faculty in this field of research.