MEC5888 Renewable energy systems
Faculty of Engineering
MEC5888 Renewable energy systems is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Engineering, offered in 2027 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2027
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
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Requisites
Before MEC5888
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
After MEC5888
No unit lists MEC5888 as a prerequisite in the 2027 handbook.
Enrolment rules
You must be currently enrolled in a master’s course in engineering or related STEM and in a related discipline. The unit assumes that you have the necessary foundational knowledge.
Equivalent units
The same content under another code. Only one of them counts.
Overview
This unit examines the thermodynamics of renewable energy systems (principally solar, wind, tidal, hydro, biomass and variants of these); their efficiency; the design of such systems and their selection for differing environments around the globe; reliability of the energy source; trends in renewable energy systems; and the associated environmental and economic factors. The unit also examines the regulatory environment as a predictor for the uptake of renewable energy systems.
Offerings in 2027
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Moodle quizzesQuiz / TestThreshold hurdle18%
- In-semester test(s)Quiz / TestThreshold hurdle20%
- Workshop/Individual presentationPresentationThreshold hurdle12%
- Final assessmentProjectThreshold hurdle50%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Formulate, identify and interpret the efficiencies of current and research renewable energy systems.
- 2
Design a renewable energy system, select different sites in Australia and around the world based on renewable energy resource maps and predict the energy output from the system.
- 3
Analyse the trends in development and deployment of renewable energy systems in terms of the regulatory, economic, and social environment.
- 4
Engage in regular self-assessment and appraise peer-assessment of individual and team performance as a primary means of tracking continuing professional development.
Workload and teaching
- Workshops24 hours
- Practical activities24 hours
- Teaching approachPeer assisted learning
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
- Teaching approachCase-based teaching
The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-6 hours of scheduled learning activities and 6-9 hours of independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.
You will work in a group to complete a project on a topic of your group's choice in Renewable Energy. Projects could focus on new technologies, improving the efficiency of existing approaches, economic analysis of different renewables or an experimental investigation/demonstration.
Weekly practice sessions will be delivered both on-campus and online. These will assist you in solving problems and discuss case studies. Tutorial questions help reinforce concepts presented in lectures and will serve as the most effective means of gauging your level of understanding.
Lectures covering renewable energy systems will be delivered online. Interactive simulations will be used to illustrate the topics.
Learning resources
Recommended resources
The recommended textbooks, references and further readings are listed below:
- Renewable energy and sustainable design by Scott Grinnell, Cengage, 2016.
- Introduction to renewable energy for engineers by Kirk D. Hagen, Pearson Pub., 2015.
- Renewable energy engineering by Nicholas Jenkins, Janaka Ekanayake, Cambridge University Press.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Professor Raman Singh
- Unit Coordinators
- Professor Raman Singh
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for MEC5888?
MEC5888 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is MEC5888 offered?
In 2027, MEC5888 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
How much work is MEC5888?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does MEC5888 have an exam?
No. MEC5888 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.