The course aims to analyse and compare the availability and exploitation technologies of different energy sources and evaluate both the economic and environmental impacts. This course also intends to provide students with skills tools necessary to tackle energy management issues, which are a critical factor of the economic system, in a typically interdisciplinary way. At the end of the course the students must be able to characterize the various sources of energy from technological, economic and environmental points of view and must be able to understand the current national and international energy policy guidelines.
Course program
- The energy problem: present and future.
- Trend of reserves, production and consumption of the main fossil energy sources (oil, coal, natural gas), nuclear energy and hydroelectricity at world and national level.
- Scale of the energy problem.
- Energy economics elements and technology aspects with reference to various energy systems.
- Energy demand and supply in the world.
- Energy efficiency and saving.
- EU energy policy.
- Energy situation in Italy.
- Energy demand across all sectors of the economy.
- The national energy balance.
- Future energy needs and forecast models.
- Energy management.
- Natural Resources and Energy Reserves.
- Raw Materials for Energy Production.
The lesson plans are divided into the following points:
- Fossil energy sources: oil, natural gas, uranium;
- Nuclear energy from fission and fusion;
- The environmental impact of fossil energy;
- Development of renewable sources of energy (solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, from the sea, biomass, waste).
