Introduction to Renewables (San Francisco)
A 2-day Comprehensive Overview of of Renewable Energy Resources, Technologies & Markets
9—10 November 2010, San Francisco, United States
Introduction
Course objectives
Whether you are new to the industry or want to refresh and update your knowledge, this comprehensive yet time-effective two-day training course will ensure you are up-to-speed with the key aspects of the renewable energy/power industries and the economic factors and technologies that are driving them. It is ideal for those new to the industry, or in related sectors such as finance, law, regulation, publishing etc.
You will learn how to evaluate renewable energy resources and the economic cases and market conditions which argue for (or against) them. You will understand the different, competing and complementary technologies available to harness and store renewable energy - including solar, wind, biofuels and geothermal - exploring the potential of each to contribute to current energy needs.
Level & Style
While the course will explain some key concepts in energy physics and technology, it assumes no prior technical knowledge and will do so at a very basic level. Indeed the course is specifically designed to be of value to those working in non-technical functions - those who need to understand the fundamentals of the industry; its economics and the development of technologies and market applications, but not the nuts-and-bolts of engineering or hands-on installation.
The course will run in an informal manner, encouraging time for discussions and questions to ensure that participants get the most out of their time. In order to better understand and illustrate the various topics, some simple calculations and other explanatory exercises will be incorporated.
About your trainer
Dr John Massey is Green Power Academy's Training Director and in-house renewables expert.
He combines a strong academic science background with over fifteen years experience
researching and analysing technology industries and trends in the commercial sector (covering a
range of technologies and markets including renewables, telecoms and electronics). He has
delivered training globally, explaining the workings and financial / commercial context of rapidly
evolving technologies to senior, non-technical executives. He has also developed educational
material for both live and distance learning courses.
Following a 1st Class Honours degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, John gained a PhD in Earth Sciences and – in addition to his commercial experience - has undertaken further study in topics including Economics, Innovation and Sustainability.
About Green Power Academy
Green Power Academy exists to provide the quality, impartial, informative and enjoyable training needed to increase and distribute knowledge and skills to green energy industry professionals. Whether you are new to the industry, have recently changed jobs or simply wish to refresh your knowledge, our training should become a key part of your personal or company professional development programme.
“Excellent Tutor”
“Comprehensive overview in a short period of time”
Agenda Details
Key concepts in understanding Renewable Energies
- Introducing key energy concepts:
- Energy, work and power
- Forms of energy and energy conversion
- Energy cycles and engines
- Energy demand in the various industrial and residential sectors
- Renewable resources:
- Understanding the real physical and practical limits on available resources for solar, wind, bio-energy and geothermal
- Tools, resources and simple calculations for analysing and comparing renewable energy proposals
Integrating Renewable Energy into the World Economy
- Power Grids
- Understanding the structure and operation of The Grid - and how this affects the deployment of renewable power
- Power Demand and its impact on Price and Generation/Supply
- The future: "Smart Grids"
- Energy Storage
- Methods of energy storage, local and grid-based
- The impact of energy storage on the renewable energy business case
- The technology and infrastructure basis of a ‘Hydrogen economy’
Introducing the key Renewable Energy technologies
- Solar Energy
- Photovoltaics (PV) and a comparison of different types of PV material
- Solar thermal and solar cooling
- Concentrated solar power (CPV and CSP) for utility-scale applications
- Bioenergy
- Sources of biomass feedstock, including processing residues, waste sources and energy crops
- Conversion of biomass into fuels and/or electricity
- ‘Next-generation’ biofuels, such as algae
- Wind Energy
- The characteristics of wind
- Wind turbine basics: operation, siting and control
- Issues of intermittency and grid supply
- Geothermal Energy
- Mechanisms for deep geothermal heat extraction and power generation, including hydrothermal and engineered (EGS) systems
- Understanding drilling and project risks
- Wave & Tidal
The Markets and Economics of Renewable Energy
- Market context: the wider energy market and competing energy/power sources
- Grid Parity and Levelised Electricity Costs
- Renewable Market Drivers (and hurdles):
- Competition between and beyond renewable energies
- Regulatory instruments and their impact
- Financial markets, trading instruments and investment trends
- Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) from fossil sources
- Consumer and social factors
Approximate Timing
Day 1: Course begins: 09:00 Course ends: 17:30
Day 2: Course begins: 09:00 Course ends: 16.30
(NB. timings are approximate and include lunch plus morning and afternoon refreshment breaks)