Energy System Analysis

Teacher(s)

Vingerhoets Pieter; Willems Bert;

Language

English

Prerequisites

Undergraduate courses in energy systems from a technical perspective, microeconomics, systems analysis.

Main themes

Some of the topics treated in the course include:
o Central energy management for generation
o Generation technologies
o Energy transmission and distribution
o Energy storage
o Energy sources, location and constraints.
o Local energy management
o Energy economics, cost function for generation, transmission and distribution.
o New technologies
o Market actors and locations
o Technical regulation of generation and transport

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

The course provides a techno-economic basis for students to understand the energy generation, storage, transmission, distribution and consumption from a system-economic perspective.  The scope includes gas and electrical systems and their specificities.   After the course, the students should be able to understand in the techno-economic interactions of various actors and processes in the energy system. In terms of methodology, the students should be able to perform managerial energy economic analyses using tools and approaches that are applied in the sector.

Content

The course builds a techno-economic basis for understanding the technologies that generate, convert, store and transport energy. Within the Energy Management major it is the technology course: energy economics is treated in LLSMS2052, and the broader energy transition, including energy and industrial policy and system-level modelling, in LLSMS2053.
Thermal generation is being phased out and variable renewable capacity is replacing it, with output that depends on weather and location. Electricity is displacing fuels in heating, transport and industry. Clean molecules cover applications that are hard to electrify, and natural gas retains a smaller role as a transition and flexibility fuel.
Three criteria run through the course: cost, security of supply, and emissions. Evaluating a business case in this sector requires knowing what a technology can physically deliver, what it costs to build and run, and what is actually being sold: a battery, for example, is priced both as power and as energy.
Topics treated include:

• Energy, power and conversion: units, orders of magnitude, and a refresher of the relevant physics
• Generation technologies: thermal, renewable, nuclear
• Intermittency and flexibility: variable renewable output and the role of storage, including batteries
• Transmission and distribution: electricity networks, AC and DC, losses and voltage levels
• Energy carriers beyond electricity: natural gas in a transition and flexibility role, with carbon capture and storage; clean molecules such as hydrogen and ammonia
• Demand-side decarbonisation: heating, transport, and industrial processes such as steel and cement
• Investment appraisal of a single technology: levelised cost, availability, location

Note: The content of the course might be adjusted based on the availability of guest speakers.

Teaching methods

Ex-cathedra lectures, lectures with active student participation such as group work, computer simulations and student presentations, guest lectures, and company visits where these can be arranged.
Students carry out calculations themselves: basic thermodynamics, conversion factors and efficiencies of technologies, network flows, for instance with PyPSA, and investment evaluations using levelised cost.

Evaluation methods

Grading Structure

• Participation (30 percent)
  Participation includes group work, student presentations, and active involvement in class activities.
  
  • Students are expected to attend company visits organized as part of the course and to actively engage when guest speakers are invited.
    
  • Failure to actively participate will result in a lower participation grade.
    
  • The participation grade is final and cannot be retaken.
    
• Exam (70 percent)
  A written exam will take place at the end of the course.
  
  • A minimum score of 10 out of 20 on the exam is required to pass the course.
    
  • If a resit is necessary, the format may be adapted, for example, the resit may be conducted as an oral exam.
    

Use of AI Tools

AI tools may be used for assignments and preparation unless explicitly stated otherwise for a specific task. If AI is used, students must clearly state this in their submission, briefly describing:

1. Which AI tool or tools were used
   
2. For what purpose they were used, such as drafting text, generating ideas, or running code
   
3. A short description of their own contribution, clarifying what was done by the student themselves versus the AI
   

Recording all prompts or outputs is not required, but students should keep a record of key steps if the instructor requests clarification.
Responsibilities when using AI:
Students remain fully responsible for the quality and integrity of their work. They must:

• Understand and verify all results, calculations, and arguments included in their submission
  
• Be able to present and explain their work, including any AI-generated parts, during discussions or presentations
  
• Ensure they have read and understood all references and source materials cited in their work
  
• Check the correctness of all derivations, code, and factual claims
  
• Avoid entering personal or confidential information into AI systems
  

Failure to meet these responsibilities may negatively affect the assignment grade, even if AI use is properly disclosed.

Late Submission Policy

Late submissions of assignments will result in a grade deduction, with the exact penalty depending on how late the submission is.

• Submissions that are several days late may not be accepted, unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor.
  
• Exceptions will only be considered in documented cases of illness or other serious circumstances.
  

Free Riding Policy

All group members are expected to contribute actively and fairly to group assignments.

• Free riding will result in a full grade deduction on the assignment for the student concerned.
  
• Instances of free riding should be reported in Moodle.
  
• Groups are encouraged to keep a simple record of contributions such as meeting notes or task lists to clarify responsibilities if disagreements arise.
  

Other information

Communication between the teachers and the students takes place through Moodle. Students should enrol in the course on Moodle to access course notes, slides and additional material.
This course is part of the Energy Management major. Energy economics is treated in LLSMS2052, and the broader energy transition, including energy and industrial policy, in LLSMS2053. Students looking for a wider perspective on energy rather than on the technologies themselves may find LLSMS2053 the better starting point.
Additional information on the major is available at https://www.bertwillems.com/energy-management-major/, a page maintained by the teacher.

Faculty or entity

> CLSM