TEL401 — Advanced Renewable Energy Systems: Lecture Note

About this lecture note

This is the complete lecture note for TEL401 Advanced Renewable Energy Systems. You can read it online below, open it in the full viewer, or download the PDF for offline study. It pairs with the course's video lectures, so you can read and watch together.

Preview: opening of the note

Course code: TEL 401 Course title: Advanced Renewable Energy Systems Course credit load: 2 Units Series 1: Energy Fundamentals and Global Energy Landscape • Part 1.1: Energy, Civilisation, and Fossil Fuels o Sub Part 1.1.1: Energy and Civilisation o Sub Part 1.1.2: Fossil Fuel Availability and Depletion o Sub Part 1.1.3: Nuclear Energy • Part 1.2: Global Warming and Renewable Energy Sources o Sub Part 1.2.1: Global Warming and Greenhouse Gases o Sub Part 1.2.2: Green and Renewable Energy Sources o Sub Part 1.2.3: Estimates of Energy Costs • Part 1.3: The Electric Grid and Nigeria's Energy Outlook o Sub Part 1.3.1: Components of the Electric Grid o Sub Part 1.3.2: Electric Energy Outlook in Nigeria o Sub Part 1.3.3: Challenges Facing Nigeria's Power Sector • Part 1.4: Distribution and Generation Technologies and Economics o Sub Part 1.4.1: Distribution Technologies o Sub Part 1.4.2: Generation Technologies o Sub Part 1.4.3: Economics of Distribution and Generation Introduction This is the opening Series of TEL 401: Advanced Renewable Energy Systems. Every modern civilisation runs on energy, and the choices a nation makes about where that energy comes from, fossil fuels, nuclear power, or renewable sources, shape its economy, its environment, and its

future for generations. Before any of the specific renewable technologies examined in later Series can be properly appreciated, a learner needs a clear picture of the wider energy landscape: how energy has shaped civilisation, why fossil fuels are finite, what nuclear energy offers and costs, and why the world is turning toward renewable sources at increasing urgency. The aim of this Series is to equip you with a broad understanding of energy and civilisation, fossil fuel depletion, nuclear energy, global warming and renewable energy sources, the structure of the electric grid, Nigeria's own energy outlook, and the technologies and economics of electricity distribution and generation, forming the foundation on which every later Series of this course is built. We shall commence this Series by examining energy, civilisation, and fossil fuels. Next, we will consider global warming and renewable energy sources. Following that, we will examine the electric grid and Nigeria's own energy outlook. Finally, we will conclude by examining distribution and generation technologies and their economics. Series Learning Outcomes Upon completing this Series, you should be able to: • SLO 1.1: make interpretation about the various energy sources, • SLO 1.2: comprehend energy and energy types and the adverse consequences of greenhouse gases, • SLO 1.3: describe fossil fuel availability and depletion, • SLO 1.4: describe nuclear energy and green and renewable energy sources, • SLO 1.5: estimate energy costs, • SLO 1.6: describe the components of the electric grid, • SLO 1.7: understand the various energy sources in Nigeria and Nigeria's electric energy outlook, • SLO 1.8: describe distribution and generation technologies and their economics. 1.1 Energy, Civilisation, and Fossil Fuels 1.1.1 Energy and Civilisation

Energy is the capacity to do work, and access to abundant, reliable energy has been the single most powerful driver of human civilisation's development, from the domestication of fire, through the agricultural revolution powered by human and animal muscle, to the industrial revolution powered by coal and steam, and finally to the modern electrified world powered by a mix of fossil, nuclear, and increasingly renewable sources. Each major leap in the quantity and quality of energy available to a society has historically been accompanied by a corresponding leap in that society's population, productivity, and standard of living. Energy exists in many interconvertible forms, including kinetic energy of motion, potential energy of position or configuration, thermal energy, chemical energy stored in fuels, and electrical energy, the most versatile and widely distributed form in a modern economy. Understanding how these forms convert into one another, and the inevitable losses that accompany every real conversion, is essential background for evaluating and comparing every energy technology examined throughout this course, since no conversion process, however advanced, achieves perfect efficiency. Worked example: A hydroelectric plant converts the gravitational potential energy of water held behind a dam into kinetic energy as it falls, then into mechanical energy via a turbine, and finally into electrical energy via a generator, illustrating a typical multi-stage energy conversion chain. Application: Recognising energy conversion chains, and the losses at each stage, is essential for fairly comparing the true delivered efficiency of different renewable technologies examined later in this course. Fill in the blank: Energy is defined as the capacity to do ________. 1.1.2 Fossil Fuel Availability and Depletion Fossil fuels, coal, petroleum, and natural gas, formed over millions of years from the compressed remains of ancient organic matter, currently supply the majority of the world's primary energy and remain deeply embedded in electricity generation, transport, and industry. Because fossil fuels form over geological timescales far longer than any human lifetime, they are properly classed as non-renewable resources, meaning that the rate at which they are consumed today vastly exceeds the rate at which nature replenishes them. The reserves-to-production ratio (R/P ratio) estimates how many years a known fuel reserve would last at current production rates, and while new discoveries and extraction technologies periodically extend these estimates, the underlying resource remains finite. This depletion concern, combined with the environmental consequences of fossil fuel combustion examined later in this Part, is the central motivation behind the worldwide shift toward renewable energy sources that forms the subject of this entire course. Worked example: A country has proven oil reserves of 40 billion barrels and produces 2 billion barrels per year. Its R/P ratio is 40/2 = 20 years, meaning reserves would be exhausted in 20 years at current production, absent new discoveries.

Application: The R/P ratio is a standard metric used by energy planners and investors to assess the long-term security of a fuel supply before committing to major infrastructure investment. Fill in the blank: Fossil fuels are classed as ________ resources because they form far more slowly than they are consumed. 1.1.3 Nuclear Energy Nuclear energy is released by the fission of heavy atomic nuclei, typically uranium-235, inside a reactor, where the heat produced boils water to raise steam that drives a turbine and generator in essentially the same way as a fossil fuel power plant, differing only in how the heat itself is produced. A single kilogram of uranium-235 releases roughly two to three million times more energy than a kilogram of coal when fully utilised, making nuclear fuel extraordinarily energy-dense compared with any fossil or renewable alternative. Nuclear power plants produce electricity with essentially zero direct greenhouse gas emissions during operation, but face significant challenges including high capital construction costs, long construction timescales, the need for secure long-term storage of radioactive waste, and public concern over safety following notable historical accidents. These trade-offs mean nuclear energy is frequently discussed alongside renewable sources as a low-carbon option, even though it is not itself classed as renewable, since uranium reserves are, like fossil fuels, ultimately finite. Worked example: A nuclear plant with 1000 MW capacity operating at 90 per cent capacity factor produces 1000 × 0.9 × 8760 ≈ 7.88 million MWh of electricity per year, an example of the high, steady output nuclear plants typically achieve. Application: Nuclear energy's very high capacity factor and low direct emissions are why it is often proposed as a complement to variable renewable sources such as solar and wind, which are examined in later Series of this course. Fill in the blank: Nuclear energy is released by the ________ of heavy atomic nuclei such as uranium-235.

Figure 1.1: A historical timeline of humanity's dominant energy sources. Pilot questions 1.1 1. Define energy. (Linked to SLO 1.2) 2. Name three forms of energy. (Linked to SLO 1.2) 3. Define the reserves-to-production ratio. (Linked to SLO 1.3) 4. Explain why fossil fuels are classed as non-renewable. (Linked to SLO 1.3) 5. State the process by which nuclear energy is released. (Linked to SLO 1.4) 1.2 Global Warming and Renewable Energy Sources 1.2.1 Global Warming and Greenhouse Gases The greenhouse effect describes how certain atmospheric gases, principally carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapour, trap outgoing infrared radiation from the Earth's surface, warming the planet in a manner essential to sustaining life, but increasingly dangerous when these gases accumulate beyond their natural levels due to human activity, chiefly the combustion of fossil fuels examined earlier in this Part.

This human-driven intensification of the greenhouse effect is called global warming, and its adverse consequences include rising average global temperatures, melting polar ice and rising sea levels, more frequent and severe extreme weather events, and disruption to agriculture and freshwater supplies. These consequences are the principal motivation behind international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and directly explain why renewable energy sources, which typically produce little or no greenhouse gas during operation, are being adopted with increasing urgency worldwide. Worked example: Burning one litre of petrol releases approximately 2.3 kg of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, illustrating the direct, quantifiable link between fossil fuel combustion and greenhouse gas emissions. Application: Quantifying the greenhouse gas emissions of

This is the opening of the note. Read the full note or download the PDF to continue.