Seminar about Energy and Climate Change
Code
73224109
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
Geografia e Planeamento Regional
Credits
5
Weekly hours
2
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
Students should understand the intrinsic relationship between energy and climate change in the technological, economic and environmental , so that they can come to analyze, evaluate and decide in the context of energy and climate change.
Students should acquire knowledge and skills in the fields of renewable energy vs. fossil fuels, energy efficiency and other climate mitigation options. It is intended that students acquire knowledge from the perspective of public policies, particularly on mitigation instruments such as the European emission trading scheme, as well as from the companies, as corporate climate strategies , carbon footprint of products in markets mitigation voluntary , voluntary carbon markets .
It is expected that students apprehend the approach of systems analysis in order to straddling the inter - relationships between the various components of the energy system and its implications for climate change.
Prerequisites
None
Subject matter
The syllabus includes the following topics :
i ) fundamental concepts and calculations for energy and emissions of greenhouse gases;
ii ) modeling of energy systems and their relation with emissions of greenhouse gases: tools for designing and analyzing the drivers of energy projection , consideration of uncertainty;
iii ) renewable energy: state of the art conversion technologies (marketing and R&D) , endogenous resources, resource costs and technology learning curves;
iv ) energy efficiency, technological potential and conditioning factors; regulatory framework in Europe .
v ) climate mitigation: technological options and decision criteria; regulatory framework in Europe (the Energy - Climate Package)
vi) mechanisms to promote low carbon economies: cap and trade schemes; corporate climate strategies: carbon footprint of products in markets mitigation voluntary, voluntary carbon markets.
Bibliography
- Sustainable Energy - Choosing Among Options, Tester, J. W., Drake, E. M., Golay, M. W., Driscoll, M. J. and Peters, A. - 2005,Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005. ISBN: 0262201534
- Renewable Energy, Godfrey Boyle-2004, Oxford University Press, USA; 2 edition (2004). ISBN-10: 0199261784
- Energy Efficiency: Principles and Practices, Penni McLean-Conner-2009,PennWell Corp. (2009) ISBN-10: 1593701780
- World Energy Outlook annual reports, International Energy Agency
- Selected Technological roadmaps, developed by International Energy Agency
- IPCC, 2011: IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation. Prepared by Working Group III of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [O. Edenhofer, R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, K. Seyboth, P. Matschoss, S. Kadner, T. Zwickel, P.
Eickemeier, G. Hansen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow (eds)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, 1075 pp.
Teaching method
The unit (UC) is based on a set of presentation sessions on the various topics, also including an extended slot for discussion.
The UC dedicated to renewable energy resources and technologies have the additional support from specialists, particularly those relating to biofuels and solar energy, which allows students to emerge with some depth on their topics.
One session is devoted to a workshop on the relation between energy and climate change, in which students are required to read and analyze previously a scientific article that illustrates the essence of the goals of UC (van Vuuren et al (2012) An energy vision: the transformation towards sustainability interconnected challenges and solutions. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 2012, 4:1834).
Evaluation method