FYS272 Energy Technologies

The course covers fundamental principles behind renewable energy generation. Various technologies, some more prominent like hydropower, wind power, and photovoltaic panels, as well as less prominent technologies like wave, biogas, and biofuel power, are discussed. The course covers the physical principles behind the movement of fluids that ground hydropower and wind power generation and the physical principles behind solar irradiation that grounds power generation by solar collectors and photovoltaic panels. The fundamentals of semiconductors are introduced to help explicate photovoltaic technologies. The basis for understanding biogases and biofuels and power generation therefrom is discussed. Renewable energy generation is contrasted with conventional power generation and various implications from the use of renewable energy sources are raised, including their power generation characteristics, their geographical placement, the access to the underlying renewable resources, and their technological development.