Module information

Modern civilization, which on the one hand boasts of having discovered the behavior of subatomic particles, has also to its credit the impending intensified energy crisis and global warming. The urgent need to address these challenges has now become obvious. The course will acquaint students with the role of scientific development towards understanding the current global energy crisis and global warming. Emphasis will be given on how scientific progress has helped us in understanding the principle and development of various clean energy and storage technologies, their potential and applicability in present day scenarios and in shaping future energy systems.

This is the same module as GEC1010

Taken in AY22/23 Sem 2 under Professor Nidhi Sharma

Schedule

  1. Lectures: 4 hours a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays 2pm to 4pm)
  2. Tutorials: Once every 2 weeks during lecture

Module Breakdown

  1. 2x 30 Qn MCQ (30% each)
  2. Pair work Essay (15%)
  3. Online Quiz (10%)
  4. Group tutorials / Class Activities (15%)

There is no final exam for this module.

Prerequisites

This module has no prerequisites

Preclusion: GEM1535, GEC1010, GEH1034

Module Details

Topics covered

  1. Background (Definition of energy, power, forms of energy, energy statistics, etc)
  2. Science of conventional energy systems
  3. Wind energy
  4. Solar energy
  5. Hydro energy
  6. Geothermal energy
  7. Biomass & Bio-fuels
  8. Nuclear energy
  9. Energy Storage

Lectures

The lectures are conducted in person. However, if you have a valid reason, you can email the Prof and obtain a online zoom link to view the lecture.

The lectures are conducted in a very relaxed manner. The Prof is very friendly and approachable. She ofter provides us with working examples of what she is trying to show and explain them.

Sometimes she forgets to record the lecture so in person attendance is highly recommended to absorb the full lecture content.

Tutorials

Tutorials are conducted in person during lecture slots. Often these tutorials are very helpful for the weekly quizzes.

Online Quiz

Every week (Starting from week 2), there is a take home quiz on Examplify. The time given for each quiz is 2 hours open book with no internet.

2 hours is more than enough time to complete the quiz.

For practice, please take a look at the Quizlet by me for practice questions for the quiz if you are unsure.

Essay

The essay topic is given out way in advance and it is done in pairs. We will get to choose our own pairs. The word limit is 750 Words.

The topic given to us was the following.

Can Clean Energy fight Global Warming? Gather information on how renewable energy can/unable to address global warming? Use some examples to support your point. Conclude the discussion with your personal opinion on this initiative

Tests

Both the tests are Open Book MCQ format on Examplify.

Test 1 topics: Chapter 1 to 4a (Solar Thermal)

Test 2 topics: Chapter 1, 2, 4b (Photovoltaic) to 9

The Quizlet by me really helped me speed up my revision.

It includes the compiled quizzes, PollEv questions and concepts from the lecture notes.

Before the exam for preparation, I would recommend you to do the following:

  1. Compile all the slides, quizzes and PollEv questions into a single document using a PDF Combiner. (For easy searching)
  2. For programmers, you can make a program that compiles all of the equations into a single code file.
    1. During the exam, we are allowed to run the code to get the answers.
    2. I have attached my version in the Study Resources Section

Ratings

Workload 3/10 (light workload)

Due to my background in a STEM course and coming from H2 Physics in JC, the formulas were relatively straightforward and easy to understand. Not a lot of effort was required to complete the weekly quizzes and tests.

Organization 9/10

The lectures and tutorials were very well organized. The professor lectured on the topic in a very funny and easy to understand way. She even bring props to class to show us the concepts of what she is teaching during the lecture.

Learning 8/10

The learning environment is good. The lecture theatre is very conducive for learning. The topics were not too hard and there was no need to memorize the content as the exams were open book.

As a result, I focused more on learning the actual content instead of stressing out over grades and memorizing the content.

Enjoyment 10/10

As someone who was curious about clean energy and climate change, I definitely enjoyed the module. It fills me with hope that we can solve the climate crisis with the help of science and technology. It made my outlook on the future of global warming more optimistic.

Usefulness 3/10

As I am not from the physics course, I do not find it very useful in my day to day life.

Overall 8.5/10

Overall I definitely enjoyed the module and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in clean energy and climate change, especially if you have a physics background. It is also recommended to take this module in pairs for the essay

Expected Grade: A- to A

Actual Grade: A

Study resources

  1. Quizlet By me
  2. Crash course climate and energy
  3. My Code used in exam

Supplementary resources / Textbooks

  1. Renewable Energy Focus Handbook, Elsevier 2008
  2. Energy Science, Principles, Technologies and Impacts, J. Andrews and N. Jelley, Oxford University Press, 2007
  3. Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Process, Aldo V. Da Rosa, Elsevier Academic Press, 2005
  1. GEH1034 NUSMods Link
  2. GEC1010 NUSMods Link
  3. PDF Combiner
  4. Crash course Climate and energy