Course syllabus for Energy transitions

Course syllabus adopted 2024-02-22 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameOmställning av energisystem
  • CodeSEE161
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerMPSES
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • Main field of studyEnergy and Environmental Systems and Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • DepartmentSPACE, EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 39141
  • Maximum participants50 (at least 10% of the seats are reserved for exchange students)
  • Block schedule
  • Open for exchange studentsYes

Credit distribution

0124 Project 4.5 c
Grading: UG		0 c4.5 c0 c0 c0 c0 c
0224 Take-home examination 3 c
Grading: TH		0 c3 c0 c0 c0 c0 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Aim

The course aims to improve students’ understanding of change and continuity in energy systems and equip students with the state-of-the art tools to understand, measure and evaluate the pace of change of energy transitions to a more sustainable society. The focus is on learning to analyze energy transitions from different perspectives and using different types of evidence to assess the feasibility of accelerating transitions. A specific emphasis is placed on methods for evaluating new technologies at different levels of development – from pre-commercial (e.g. hydrogen) to the pilot phase (e.g. CCS) to already growing (e.g. solar and wind).

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

  • analyse energy transitions from techno-economic, socio-technical and political perspectives using the key variables appropriate for each discipline;
  • describe and map the causal similarity of energy transitions across multiple perspectives (techno-economic, socio-technical and political);
  • diagnose different phases of energy transitions and measure their speed using a method appropriate for the level of development of a specific technology and different types of data on energy transitions
  • articulate the strengths and weaknesses of different metrics for measuring the speed of energy transitions
  • apply principles for identifying analogies (context, sectoral, technological) and use different types of evidence to evaluate the feasibility of current or planned transitions
  • understand the challenge of projecting transitions and the limitations of different types of projections and be able to relate empirical observations to long-term modelling outputs and policy targets
  • be able to communicate to policy audiences about the challenges and opportunities associated with energy transitions

Content

In this course, students learn how to use different types of empirical evidence to evaluate historical and ongoing energy transitions to better understand the output of mathematical future-oriented projections.

The course covers three major themes: the first is how to describe and analyze energy transitions from different perspectives (techno-economic, socio-technical, political). Under this theme, students learn how the main disciplines dealing with energy transitions explain change and continuity in energy systems.

In the second theme, students learn how to identify causal similarity between different changes in energy systems. Many of the changes in energy systems needed to meet climate change are unprecedented in their pace and scale and involve deploying technologies which are not yet commercial. Here, students learn the principles for identifying appropriate analogies and develop the skills to characterize the difference between relevant analogies and the target change.

Finally, in the third theme, students learn how to measure energy transitions and technological change. Here, students are introduced to different models of S-curves and their parameters. Students learn the strengths and weaknesses of different metrics for measuring the speed of energy transitions and how to apply these metrics to measure the pace of the energy transition and compare this speed to the change needed to reach climate and energy targets.

Organisation

The course includes: lectures, exercises, a group project, and a take-home examination. The lectures introduce students to tools and method for assessing future energy transitions. The exercises give students hands-on experience with key methods in evaluating transitions. In the project students apply their knowledge to assess the pace and dynamics of a specific transition case as well as its potential for acceleration.

Literature

Literature will be available at the web page of the course during the course.

Examination including compulsory elements

The requirements to pass the course are:

  • passed exercises and project (4.5 hec);
  • passed take-home exam examination (3 hec).

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.