PHYSICS 108G Science and Technology of Sustainable Energy

Schedule E: Physical Sciences
Semester: Semester Two
Campus: City Campus

Note: You cannot take this course for General Education if you have a concurrent or prior enrolment in any of the following subjects: CHEM, CHEMMAT, ENGGEN, GEOG, GEOLOGY or PHYSICS.

Description

Introduction
The introductory section of the course will discuss the biological, social, international and legal aspects of sustainability by examining biological evolution, human transformation of the biosphere and our responses to global crisis.
Physics fundamentals
This section will introduce a number of important physical concepts associated with our use of energy by exploring how our understanding of them developed historically.
Fossil fuels
In order to provide a basis of comparison with other forms of energy, the science and technology of fossil fuels use will be examined.
Sustainable energy, established and new: solar, wind, tidal, wave, biogeneration, geothermal
Each section will discuss the science and technology associated with a sustainable form of energy including the practicality and the pros and cons associated with its use: how green is green? Global warming will also be discussed. The course will finish with nuclear fission energy and its historical context, and nuclear fusion which may one day become a viable source of energy.

Purpose (who should take this course and why)

You should take this course if you have an interest in sustainable energy, the approaches currently being taken in New Zealand and around the world to meet our future energy needs, and the issues at stake.

You should take this course if you are concerned with the science and other real life problems and solutions of future energy generation. Historical patterns of world energy use have raised important issues of sustainability and climate change. This course will help you to appreciate the science “behind the scenes” of the newspaper headlines.

Learning outcomes

You will be able to:

Understand and discuss the reasons new and sustainable sources of energy are being sought.
Understand and describe and use some of the basic physics concepts associated with energy.
Describe, compare and critique a number of sources of energy for human use, both sustainable and non-sustainable.

Topics covered