Third Year Field Course (Group Project) - 2019 entry

A highly pragmatic module positioned at the very end of the three year BSc Renewable Energy course. It calls on each student participant to use the full curriculum of their knowledge, skill and ability to work together as a valuable and versatile professional team. A set of renewable energy problems must be examined, analysed and solutions suggested for a real client and real stakeholders. Almost all aspects of the 3 years of study can be usefully employed and the majority of preceding year 1, year 2 and year 3 Renewable Energy Course Modules are considered as either pre-requisite or a co-requisite.

This is a module designed for the experienced renewable energy student.

This module aims to provide you with simulated industrial experience by acting as a team of renewable energy consultants. You will be ‘flown in’ to a problem environment and will address a brief provided by a real client.  Working in teams, you will have to devise credible solutions to whatever energy management/energy supply/energy regulatory problems being posed and, in doing so, will broaden your understanding of the operations and management of industrial/commercial or public sector organisations. The module aims to develop a greater degree of industrial awareness than would be gained from a purely theoretical lecture programme and also to allow you to exercise your renewable energy knowledge base such that it can be subsequently deployed autonomously and confidently upon graduation.

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:



Module Specific Skills and Knowledge:

1 develop a detailed knowledge and understanding of renewable energy design principles in practice;

2 produce detailed conceptual designs that are energy efficient / adopt renewable energy technologies and are cost-efficient as well as fit-for-purpose;

3 increase awareness of and can apply the relevant environmental and regulatory frameworks, planning requirements, and associated codes of practice;

4 develop a sense understanding of the need to act responsibly, professionally and ethically in the world of work.

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge:

5 show detailed and coherent understanding of design processes that can be applied in unfamiliar situations, such that this can be applied in critical appraisal of uncertainties, ambiguities and the limits of knowledge in a design brief;

6 understand the need for analysis and enquiry in the design process and justification of decisions throughout a design process;

7 propose innovative aspects in designs for familiar and unfamiliar situations;

8 model and analyse complex systems, processes and products in renewable energy, using scientific principles and to recognise the limitations of each analysis.

Personal and Key Transferable/ Employment Skills and  Knowledge:

9 assess the limitations of design tools applied in particular cases and to select appropriate methodology to solve an unfamiliar problem;

10 autonomy in planning and managing resources and efficient use of these resources;

11 conduct and present / report calculations, to a deadline, with awareness of professional codes of conduct and standards and can incorporate an ethical dimension and/or exercise personal judgement into/on their work;

12 relay technical information effectively using the spoken word, supported by professional quality visual aids, and be to able to defend their reasoning and conclusions against probing questioning;

13 show effective interaction in a group situation and work as part of a team (including, possibly, as the leader) such that they can recognise differing team roles within a team.

The field course will involve a 7-10 day period away from the University campus engaging in client interaction, fact finding, analysis and design activity, resource and opportunity assessment surveys etc., under the supervision and guidance of academic and support staff in a ratio of approximately 1 academic: 10 candidates. As an example, the 2008 activity comprised: An island-wide resource assessment and renewable energy strategy formulation for the island of Samos conducted on behalf of the regional council (equivalent to a UK regional development agency / regional Government Office) of the Eastern Aegean Islands.

As above 1 piece of CW 100%

Basic reading:

Literature relevant to the location will be distributed to candidates in advance of the field trip location.

ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

Reading list for this module: