Energy Conversion ECM3151 Assignment

Submission deadline: Tuesday 2nd December 2014 via BART

Introduction
There is an upward trend in energy consumption. The major resource for energy still
remains crude oil. Other sources include gas, coal, nuclear, tide, wind, and so on. The
growing demand for energy has both short and long term social, political,
environmental, technological and economic implications both in the developed and
developing world. As a professional you need to be aware of technology and policy
based solutions and their potential consequences. This assignment is aimed at
encouraging you to explore wider issues rather than just focusing on conventional
design aspects.
Assignment
You are required to develop a critical review (in the form of an essay) on the
Renewable Energy. Your essay should at least address (but not limited to) the
following points:

Energy consumption trends (UK, regional and global) for different sectors
(e.g. transportation, domestic consumption, industry)
Trends in the uptake of various sources of energy
Renewable energy options, their future and viability.
Who are/were the main producers (and consumers) of energy resources and
who will be the main producers (and consumers) in future and how long?
Are there any technological options to manage energy demand? If so,
comment on their feasibility.
What are the potential environmental implications of increase in energy
consumption and identify the UK, regional and international strategies and
comment on their effectiveness?
Innovations in the automobile sector to minimise carbon footprint.

In addition, you are also required to make:

A critical commentary on energy situation in developing countries (where

energy consumption was not as high as in the developed world but they (e.g.
China and India) are catching up, meaning potentially further environmental
implications).
Proposals for helping the developing world to mitigate environmental
implications without compromising their legitimate right to progress.

Submission instructions

The total length of essay should not exceed 8 A4 pages (typed with single line
space, font size 12 in Times Roman).
Present your arguments under suitable headings.
Your arguments must be supported by data, diagrams and evidence from
properly referenced published and web based material. Please cite the figures
with appropriate sizes.