Energy and the environment

Energy is all around us. From powering household appliances and gas heaters to driving a car across town, it is responsible for making everything that involves movement or activity happen. Although energy cannot be created or destroyed, it is still important for the available energy within our environment to be conserved and used wisely. Our decisions on how we use energy impact the plant's natural systems in complex ways. It is vital that we choose our energy sources carefully and be mindful of the amount of energy we use. The true cost of energy is more than just dollars and cents; there are important environmental and political factors and consequences to consider.

This unit provides a qualitative and quantitative survey of the physics behind conventional and alternative energy sources. The choice of energy source is also assessed in terms of its environmental impacts, its dependence on critical or scarce resources and the social or political consequences of reliance on that energy source concerning long-term sustainability. Building services and transport are among the largest end-use sectors responsible for energy consumption. Their energy efficiency and decarbonisation will be reviewed. Electricity is one of the most important energy commodities. The discussion on its generation, supply and demand will be expanded.