Energy Resources, Economics, and Sustainability

ABOUT THE COURSE: The course aims to explain the present global energy demand, the environmental effects of energy use, and what can be accomplished to alleviate the environmental effects of energy use and ensure an adequate energy supply. A technical and quantitative approach using simple algebra would be undertaken to explore the energy sources, usage, economics, and policy. Life cycle assessment (LCA) training would assist the students in understanding the future net-zero targets. Finally, the course would also aim to debunk misconceptions related to energy production and the environment.INDUSTRY SUPPORT: Any industry/corporate that wants to formulate net zero or environment, social, and governance (ESG) targets.

Week 1: Overview of World energy scenario, primary energy demand and supply, fossil fuel reserves - estimates, an overview of India's energy scenario and its comparison with other countries, formulation of energy Sankey diagrams, trends in energy use patterns.
Week 2: Energy and development linkage, energy prices, economics and politics, energy chain, primary energy analysis, net energy analysis examples.
Week 3: Fundamental concepts of economics, decision-making process, investment appraisal methods (net present value, annual worth method, payback period, internal rate of return, profitability index)
Week 4: Financial analysis of renewable energy projects, government incentives and disincentives, project financing for energy projects, case studies: wind energy, green hydrogen, electric vehicles.
Week 5: Environmental effects of energy production and utilization, recent successes in abatement of acid rains, lead emissions, and ozone depletion, uniqueness of climate change problem.
Week 6: The Kyoto protocol, the Paris agreement, the Kigali agreement, myths and realities related to global climate change, nuclear waste, thermal pollution, energy-water nexus.
Week 7: Introduction to Life cycle assessment (LCA) and its relation with environmental decision support, LCA framework methods, and standards.
Week 8: LCA: mass flow, data estimation, multi-functionality, impact categories, mid-point and end-point indicators, interpretation: consistency and sensitivity. Case studies in LCA of energy systems.