GENERAL COURSE

1. Introduction to Energy:
a. Defining energy: scientific and engineering foundations
b. Units of measurement
c. Different forms of energy
d. Energy transformations
e. The energy lifecycle

2. Introduction to Energy:
a. Global energy problems
b. Review of global and national energy.
c. Environmental effects of energy
d. Sustainable energy
e. Relation to sustainability

3. Introduction to Energy:
a. Thermodynamics
b. The Second Law
c. Efficiency
d. entropy
e. Analysis of heat engines

4. Introduction to Energy:
a. Rate processes
b. Heat transfer
c. Time scales
d. How energy systems interact with environment

5. Fossil fuels:
Types, importance, and sustainability
Exploration, discovery
Extraction, storage
Transportation
Conversion of fossil fuels
Environmental impacts of fossil fuels
Geopolitics, economics, emerging technologies and sustainability

6. Basic concepts of electric power:

a. Review of circuits, power supplies, power quality
b. Power factor, three-phase systems, transformers
c. Synchronous generators
d. Carnot cycle, steam and combustion generation, gas turbines, co-generation

7. Electric power industry:

a. History, current situation, trends, policies, markets.
b. Generation, transmission, distribution
c. Base-load, intermediate and peaking power plants, load – duration curves
d. Electric transmission line parameters, transformer, substation

8. Power generation:
a. Synchronous generators
b. Equivalent circuits
c. Steady-state and power-angle characteristics
d. Types of alternative power plants: wind turbines, hydropower, geothermal, wave, tidal, solar,
biomass gasifier dual fuel engine generators, biogas engine generators
e. Small scale power generation (distributed generation): Microturbines, reciprocating engines, fuel
cells.

9. Electric power transmission and distribution[practical]:

a. Electric transmission line parameters
b. Two-port networks
c. Transmission line models
d. Transformers
e. Sub-stations
f. Transients
g. Balanced faults, symmetrical components, sequence networks, line-to-ground and line-to-line
faults, system protection and power system security
h. Power flow control
i. Stability considerations, power system state estimation,

10.Basic concepts of environmental systems:

a. Resources and ecosystems
b. Global climate change
c. Pollution, land use, watersheds
d. Sustainability

11.Energy and the Process Industries:

a. Process industries
b. Research initiatives in energy supply
c. Development of sustainable processes
d. Energy efficiency
e. Waste utilisation

12.Energy and the Built Environment:

a. Energy use in buildings, domestic and commercial
b. Sustainable architecture
c. Thermal comfort; passive design
d. Energy performance modeling
e. Building systems
f. HVAC and lighting in buildings
g. Use of computer simulations to show effects of various design techniques on energy usage –
glazing of windows, thermal storage, insulation, and ventilation

13.Energy carriers for storage and transportation:

a. Methanol, ethanol, butanol & DME
b. Hydrogen technology
c. Synthetic diesel and petrol from F-T, Microwave & Nano Diesel processes
d. Batteries
e. Latest advanced batteries: vanadium redox flow battery, sodium sulphur, zinc-bromine, sodium
metal chloride and nickel-hydride
f. Super-capacitors
g. Fuel cells

14.Distributed generation systems [practical]:

a. Micro turbines,
b. Solar PV and thermal
c. Biomass gasification and digestion
d. Pico, micro and mini-hydropower
e. Integrating green and renewable power systems
f. Static inverters

15.Smart grid distributed generation systems:

a. Power converter
b. Power flow and stability
c. Energy end use
d. Metering, monitoring, and conservation
e. Human comfort in buildings
f. Economics
16.Beyond conventional renewable energy:
a. New concepts for wind, solar, and hydro
b. Hydrogen technology
c. Liquid nitrogen,
d. Synthetic diesel and petrol [practical]

17.Geothermal energy:
a. Definition and types
b. How to recover geothermal energy
c. Geothermal energy sustainability, status, and prospects

18.Ocean energy:
a. Tides and waves
b. Energy from temperature difference
c. Technologies for exploitation
d. Status and prospects

19.Wind energy [practical]:

a. Introduction and resources
b. Wind machinery and generating systems
c. Economics
d. Sustainability
e. Status and prospects

20.Nuclear power:
a. Physics,
b. Economics
c. Radioactivity and Safety
d. Types of nuclear reactors
e. Nuclear power fuel resources
f. Fuel cycle
g. Fusion energy and prospects for nuclear power
h. In context of renewable energy

21.Need of energy for rural and peri-urban development

Basic needs of the rural and peri-urban communities and the relevance of energy in the form of
electricity in the context of development [practical field work]

22.General Exam

BIOMASS MAJOR

23.Chemistry:
a. Organic chemistry fundamentals
b. Microbiology

24.Organic chemistry:
a. Carbohydrate chemistry
b. Sugar
c. Starch
d. Cellulose
e. Hemicellulose

25.Organic chemistry:
a. Lignin
b. Pectin
c. Vegetable oil

26.Biomass resources:
a. Energy crop cultivation [practical]
b. Agricultural residues
c. Herbaceous biomass
d. Woody biomass
e. Wastes: msw, animal and human

27.Biomass logistics [practical]:

a. Harvesting
b. Transportation
c. Storage

28.Biological process:
a. Enzymatic reactions
b. Bioprocess Microbiology

29.Anaerobic digestion:
a. Anaerobic microorganisms
b. Methane production process

30.Anaerobic digestion :
Methane production process

31.Exam

32.Anaerobic digestion:
a. Hydrogen production process
b. Gas purification

33.Anaerobic digestion for biogas production [practical]

34.Bioethanol production process [practical]:

a. Saccharification and hydrolysis
b. Starch; Pre-processing, Saccharification [practical]
c. Lignocellulose; Pretreatment, Hydrolysis

35.Bioethanol production process [practical]:

a. Fermentation process
b. Fermentation microbiology
c. Metabolism and pathways

36.Bioethanol production process[practical]:

a. Ethanol purification
b. Fractionation
c. Dehydration

37.Biobutanol production process[practical]:

a. Metabolism and pathway
b. Fermentation
c. Technology (practical)
d. Biobutanol recovery

38.Biodiesel production process[practical]:

a. Materials
b. Biochemical reactions
c. Biodiesel production process

39.Thermo chemical conversion processes[practical]:

a. Combustion
b. Wood stoves
c. Boilers and steam turbines
40.Thermo chemical conversion processes[practical]:
a. Gasification and gasifier designs
b. Producer gas
c. Synthetic gas
d. Modified diesel engine generators

41.Thermochemical conversion processes[practical]:

a. Pyrolysis
b. Torrification
c. Charcoal production
d. Wood gas
e. Tar and acid
f. Plasma arc assisted pyrolysis and gasification
g. Fast high temperature pyrolysis for production of liquid fuels

42.Project final report

Project presentation

43.Final Exam

HYDROPOWER MAJOR

23. Introduction:
A. Historical development of hydropower
B. Economic and political development and role in comparison to other
C. Conventional and renewable energy sources
D. Classification of hydropower plants by layout types and size (generation capacity)

24. Appropriate Small-scale hydropower [SHP]:

A. The definition of mini, micro and Pico hydropower
B. Relevance of small hydro to development
C. Possible contribution to overall energy needs
D. Contribution to rural development

25. Water resources

A. Natural conditions for SHP
B. Managing and sustaining natural resources.
C. Technical approaches of hydropower utilisation
D. Steps in planning and implementation of a MHP (from the first site visit to normal operation
of the plant)

26. Basic hydraulic engineering

A. Fluid flow and hydraulic engineering
B. Flow in channels open
C. Flow in pipes
D. Bernoulli’s principle

27. SHP Components and their arrangements

A. General overview and terminology:
B. Major components
C. Civil
D. Electro-mechanical equipment
E. Power transmission
F. Power distribution

28. Site layout principles

A. Different types of hydropower schemes,
B. Low head
 C. High head
D. Run-of-river
E. Dam and Reservoir
F. Pumped storage

29. EXAM

30. Feasibility and Initial Project Planning

A. Site assessment and field work
B. Analysis and initial design
C. Conclusions and decision-making

24. Feasibility of a mini hydropower project

A. When a project is considered feasible
B. Aspects to be considered
C. Technical feasibility
D. Financial feasibility

25. Assessment Levels

A. Desk study: first assessment before visiting the site
B. Initial site assessment: first brief site reconnaissance
C. Pre-Feasibility Study: field work, analysis and reporting on pre-FS-level
D. Analysis of development options
E. Feasibility Study: detailed feasibility assessment of the option selected on pre-FS level.

26. Topography and mapping [practical]

A. Simple head measurements
B. Detailed topographic survey
C. Alignment of MHP components (design principles for civil works)

27. Hydrology [practical]

A. Flow measurements: spot and long term measurements of river flow
B. Analytical flow estimates: determination of flow available for power
C. Design flow: determination of the most suitable flow
D. Flood analysis: determination of the expected flood flow
E. Safe and appropriate dimensioning of components

28. Geological investigations and Environmental aspects [practical]:

A. Requirement and type of geological investigations
B. Environmental aspects to be considered
C. Mitigation of possible adverse conditions

29. Socio-economic assessment [practical]

A. Analysis of the possible impacts (positive and negative) of the planned hydropower plant on
the local population
B. Assessment of the current demographic, economic, cultural etc. condition of the people and
of the community as a whole affected by the project
C. Determination of expected energy consumption patterns of the consumers of the electricity
D. Domestic use
E. Public and services
F. productive utilisation
G. Income, ability to pay and willingness to pay
H. Set tariff sufficient to cover the costs of implementation, operation and management

30. Cost estimating

A. Costs for implementation
B. Costs for operation
C. Costs of management
D. Costs of maintenance
 31. Economic and Financial analysis
A. The economic analysis estimates returns to the national economy as a whole
B. The financial analysis estimates returns to the developer

32. Exam

33. Design principles and requirements: hydraulic structures & engineering

A. Weirs, dams and Diversion structures
B. Intake
C. Headrace channel and associated components
D. Settling basin
E. Forebay tank
F. Power house
G. Tailrace

34. Design principles and requirement: hydraulic steelworks

A. Gates
B. Trash rack
C. Penstock

35. Hydraulic machines: General information

A. Fundamental working principles
B. Historical development

36. Turbine types: working principles and applications [practical]

A. Waterwheels
B. Cross flow
C. Propeller turbines
D. Pumps as turbines

37. Turbine types: working principles and applications

A. Kaplan
B. Francis
C. Turgo
D. Pelton

38. Applications of Turbine power in very small hydro projects [practical]:

A. Direct coupling
B. Belt transmissions
C. Gear boxes
D. Alignment and vibrations
E. Coupling to electric generators
F. Coupling to Directly driven machinery

39. Turbine design for local fabrication [practical]

A. Turbines types for local manufacture
B. Appropriate technology
C. Design rules
D. Introduction to the turbine manufacture
E. Monitoring and supervision of turbine manufacture

40. Basics on electricity

A. AC and DC systems
B. Single line diagrams
C. Design principles of captive and on-grid power generation

41. Electrical components

A. Description, functions and requirements of:
B. Generators
C. Control systems
D. Switchgear and protection equipment
E. Metering
F. Earthing system
G. Transmission and distribution
H. House wiring

42. Institutional set-up

A. Business plan: The business plan describes the overall organisational structure of the entity
operating and maintaining the MHP in cooperation with the local community
B. Financing and ownership: project finance and legal status (ownership) of the asset
C. Organisational structure and responsibilities: Composition of staff and professional
requirements of the entity
D. Legal status of operating entity: Legal statuses might include private ownership (for example
as limited company of Shareholder Company)
E. Determination of appropriate and sustainable tariff: Setting of the tariff based on a number of
considerations such as ability and willingness to pay, expected cost for operation and maintenance,
payback of loans etc

43. Exam

44. Tendering and contract awarding

A. The process of tendering and contract awarding, legal requirements, sample documents
B. Minimum table of contents of tender documents
C. Process of tendering
D. Criteria for the evaluation of bids
E. “Minimum table of contents” of contracts
F. Sample contract documents

45. Site management

A. How to manage, monitor and administrate a construction site?
B. Required administrative facilities on site
C. Required social facilities on site
D. Scheduling and coordination of works
E. Monitoring and supervision of construction progress
F. Quantity survey
G. Site and progress reports
H. Rules on safety on the construction site

46. Civil works

A. Basic material and tools: provision and storing
B. Quality and safety of works
C. barricading of working areas to the public
D. excavation and storing of excavated material
E. cofferdams (temporary structures like diversion weir, intake, tailrace)
F. compacting of backfill
G. stone and brick masonry
H. concreting
I. Minimum requirements and supervision of
J. on-site welding
K. alignment of equipment
L. Cabling and electrical safety

47. Community mobilisation and awareness campaign

A. Awareness of Benefits and dangers: Potential dangers of electricity, Benefits of electricity and
how to attain them, and possible productive and commercial utilization of electricity
B. Cost of energy and tariff system: Awareness rising towards the value (and cost) of energy,
Campaigning the application of a tariff system
C. Commissioning of the MHP: Planning and coordination of test runs and commissioning,
Commissioning protocol
 48. Operation and Maintenance of a MHP
A. Preventing problems instead of solving them (preventive maintenance)
B. The regular duties of the operating staff
C. Typical operation schedule
D. Typical maintenance schedule
E. Samples of operation schedules, logbooks and maintenance protocols
F. Typical maintenance schedule
G. Samples of operation schedules, logbooks and maintenance protocols

49. Management and administration of a MHP

A. Implementation of the business plan
B. Monitoring of practices and interference