Sustainable Energy Systems

Graduate credit

Examines the production and consumption of energy from a systems perspective. Students will examine sustainability by studying global and regional environmental impacts, economics, energy efficiency, consumption patterns and energy policy. The physics of energy and energy accounting methods are introduce, followed by the current energy system that encompasses resource extraction, conversion processes and end-uses. Responses to current challenges such as declining fossil fuels and climate change are then explored, including unconventional fossil fuels, carbon sequestration, emerging technologies (e.g., renewable sources: biomass, wind, and photovoltaics; fuel cells) and end-use efficiency/conservation.