Energy has become one of the basic requirements for mankind. Starting from the Industrial Revolution of the previous century, mankind has never been more reliant on energy than before. Just look around you. If you are in your home, at your office, or on a commute, many of the objects that you see around you either consume energy in real-time as you read this or must have been manufactured using machinery that consumed energy. Over the past few decades, energy consumption has steadily increased multifold. Recent forecasts have predicted that the energy requirement will only grow as we become more and more energy-dependent.

However, the advent of global warming and an increased environmental concern have drastically changed how energy can be generated, transported, and dispersed away without having serious consequences. On the other hand, the advancement in “intelligent” digital control has been a blessing to energy systems.

So what is the way forward for the energy systems of today? What will the future of the energy system look like?

Intelligence, Integration, and Synergy. The future energy systems will be integrated on several levels, automated by smart controls, and highly flexible to changes and fluctuations.

In this course, you can find out about emerging technologies in energy systems, how it paves the way for integration, and how you can design a sustainable integrated energy system.

 

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The following are the topics you will learn about in detail in this course.

• Electricity is the most widely used form of energy domestically and industrially. The transportation of electricity is a complex but indispensable part of the energy system of today. With electrical and electronic systems undergoing a digital and “intelligent” revolution, the power grid network is all ready to be automated. This energy system is the focus of the first module.
• A solar panel on the roof might help in reducing some of the electricity costs throughout the year. To be able to handle fluctuations in energy input and use energy wisely, you need to know about demand management strategies. This is addressed in module 2.
• This decade will be the first to see a worldwide adoption of electric vehicles. With many countries pledging to stop sales of cars running on gasoline, the future of transportation is electric. But is transportation the only purpose of EVs? Can they be integrated into the energy system? You will find out about this in module 3.
• Over the year, domestic and commercial heating consumes the majority of energy consumption. Heating and cooling systems are indispensable in the modern world. Many such systems are highly localized to a small society – a single apartment complex for example. How do we centralize and integrate such systems? And more, how do we combine the heating grid with the electricity grid? This is the focus of module 4.
• Last but not least, with four important energy technologies discussed, you will learn how to design a sustainable, integrated energy system by combining different energy systems together. This is the topic of module 5.
• And finally, you get to use the knowledge gained from this course by designing a small integrated energy system, combining different energy technologies, with publicly available energy data in the final assignment.

 

And now, a brief video about the course from one of the co-founders: Dr. Milos Cvetkovic.