Course description
Overview
The 12-month full time MSc course is available at our Orkney Campus. It is based on the successful completion of seven core modules, three elective modules and a dissertation. While the core and elective modules provide a broad sweep of knowledge the individual research dissertation gives time for in-depth specialization in a particular area of interest. The modular structure is summarised below:-
Course Modules
Each student must successfully complete the following core modules:-
1. Energy in the 21st century - Sets the context for the rest of the course. Patterns of energy use and demand, energy resources. Politics of energy, policy initiatives and global warming.
2. Economics of Renewable Energy - The pricing mechanism and energy. Economics of extracting energy. Economic instruments for the environment: pollution taxes, tradable pollution permits, and environmental valuation. Economic incentives or renewables ROCs. The cost-efficiency of renewable technologies.
3. Renewable Technology I: Generation - Energy converters: wind; wave; tidal; solar; biomass. Energy and transport. The measurement of energy resources. (Recommended Elective Module)
4. Environmental Processes - Environmental and ecosystem processes. Energy in the environment: its origins and estimation. Environmental disturbance associated with energy use.
5. Environmental Policy and Risk - Principles of international law. Property rights and energy resources. Environmental impact assessment, risk assessment methods and techniques. Environmental risk assessment contexts and constraints.
6. Renewable Technology II: Integration - Technical aspects of generation and integrating renewable energy into distribution networks. Including generation; integration (electricity, heat or fuel networks), distribution and energy use; storage of renewable energy. (Recommended Elective Module)
7. Development Appraisal for Renewable Energy - Development constraints and opportunities: EIA; landscape assessment, Strategic environmental assessment, capacity studies and the planning system. Valuation of capital assets (discounting, years purchase valuation) and developer's budget.
8. Project Appraisal for Renewable Energy - Financial appraisal of renewable projects (payback, ROCE, IRR and NPV). Sources of finance and company structures. Project management for renewables, organizational structures, cost control, project planning and network analysis.
9. Team development project - Team project completing the pre-development planning for a hypothetical development. Including resource assessment, site selection, development layout, consents licensing, planning, economic appraisal, development plan; economic social and environmental impact assessment.
10. As well as these there is an optional design project module and a dissertation selected with agreement of supervisor.
As well as these there is an optional Design Project module and a dissertation selected with agreement of supervisor.
Other Elective modules include:
* Applied Coastal/Estuarine Science
* Coastal and Estuarine/Island Management
* Applied Environmental Science
* Environmental Economics
Applied Coastal/Estuarine Science
This module provides an understanding of ecological/environmental processes in the estuarine and coastal environments. It reviews the uses of these and develops an understanding of the ecological implications of coastal and island/estuarine developments. The module also reviews the regulatory framework and methods for assessing and monitoring impacts.
Coastal and Estuarine/Island Management
This module familiarises students with the process of managing coastal resources and conflicts that arise from their use. It considers how coastal resources may be managed in a sustainable manner.
Applied Environmental Science
This module develops the basic understandings of environmental assessment introduced in the core module "Environmental Policy and Risk" and elaborates these in the context of scientific assessments of environmental impact and risk.
Environmental Economics
This module introduces the basic concepts of environmental economics, the nature of property rights and externalities in public goods and the principles of environmental
Exemption assignments are available for certain modules where the student is able to prove existing subject competence. The assignment gives the opportunity for more in depth exploration of a selected aspect of the subject area. The topic for the assignment will be agreed between the student and the module leader.
