Principles of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficient Systems
This module aims to provide students with a comprehensive grounding in renewable energy sources and allied conversion systems with the focus on their application within the built environment.
Specifically the module will cover:
- energy principles
- solar energy resources
- solar thermal collectors
- solar photovoltaics
- wind energy
- district heating and heat pumps
- biomass energy
- CHP
- efficient boilers
- heat recovery
For each of the renewable and energy efficient systems, the student will learn and develop an understanding of principle of operation, basic components, merit and limitations, and investigate the contribution they can make to a building's energy requirement with reference to their environmental impact.
Entrepreneurship in Practice
This module explores the intersection of entrepreneurial creativity and sustainable venture development, equipping students with the mindset, tools, and practical experience to turn innovative ideas into impactful ventures. It blends theory with hands-on application to foster ingenuity in addressing real-world challenges, particularly those aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
Launching New Ventures
This module encourages learning about the process of launching new ventures in three ways. First, students gain access to world-leading theoretical frameworks. These cover topics including the role of the founder, strategy formation and business modelling. Second, working in groups and using business modelling software, students will learn about the practical aspects of launching a new venture.
Groups work through each segment of the business model canvas to design and test hypotheses about the desirability, feasibility and viability of their new venture. Third, speakers from the Ingenuity Lab and local entrepreneurial ecosystem will provide their personal accounts of the process of launching a new venture.
Research Skills
This module covers the skills and resources needed to conduct independent academic research, including how to present findings effectively.
It will cover choosing a research topic, how to shape research literature search techniques, including the use of the web. As a result, students will be able to conduct their own primary research, including quantitative and qualitative methodologies; data collection and simple statistical analysis.
Opportunities to practice these skills will be presented through participation in a mixture of lectures, seminars and workshops designed to introduce specialist subject areas relevant to the field of architecture and related disciplines.
Renewable Energy Technology Design and Appraisal (spring)
This module will examine aspects of performance analysis and system design/sizing of renewable energy systems for building integration. The course provides opportunities to gain experience in issues of technology selection, system design, installation and performance analysis of a range of renewable energy systems. The module will emphasize solar energy technologies (photovoltaic and solar thermal systems) and small-scale wind turbines, and their integration into buildings.
This will include aspects of weather data resource/collection, system performance analysis, system design parameters, design/simulation tools, performance evaluation of these technologies and cost appraisal.
Managing Innovation in Entrepreneurial Organisations
The module engages students with leading thinking in innovation management. It will help students to better understand how to build an innovative organisation and diagnose an entrepreneurial change programme. The module does so through examination of topics and issues such as innovation strategy and culture, the role of organisational structure in innovation, the role of external stakeholders within the innovation process, and how to develop and manage ambidexterity within an organisation. It typically uses a combination of lectures, case studies and interactive methods to deliver the content.
Renewable Energy Technology Transfer Project (summer)
The purpose of the dissertation project is to undertake independent research into a topic appropriate to Renewable Energy or Energy Efficiency Technology Transfer. In undertaking the project, students should draw on and extend material presented in the course. The project has several aims, beyond reinforcing information and methodology presented in the taught modules. Students will gain experience by:
- addressing the challenges involved in developing the commercial potential of a scientific advance
- giving a PowerPoint presentation that describes some aspects of the work achieved
- producing a written report in a style that would be useful, not only to the scientists involved in the field of your investigations, but also to potential investors
The project will commence in June after the end of the examination period.