Welcome to "Sustainable Energy Systems" at Dalarna University

This course runs in the third year of the Bachelor's program in Sustainable Energy Systems and is also open to exchange students with the right qualifications. The course starts in week 4 and ends in week 13. You will be able to join activities in the course on campus or online (some activities are only online). There are no compulsory campus meetings, although you are encouraged to join campus activities if you are able to (especially try to join on campus for guest lectures by external persons). Lecture-type content will be recorded and available here in Canvas. 

First things first

Below, on this page, you will find general information about the course, it's learning outcomes and learning activities (overview course guide). To view the course content you will then need to go to the Modules section (this requires you to be registered). Contact details to teachers in the course can be found at the bottom of this page. If you should encounter any problems of a more general nature, don't hesitate to contact our support staff, either through the support E-mail or our support Zoom room.

Why study this course?

One of our time’s largest challenges is to move entire societies and set structures in a more sustainable direction, with the energy sector being of outmost importance for a change to renewable energy. Both large and small energy systems are today in many cases built around fossil or other non-sustainable energy sources. In order to evaluate, improve and design energy systems of tomorrow, we need to put energy technologies and systems in a context that connects all aspects of sustainability both on a local and global level.

In the Bachelor Program in Sustainable Energy Systems, this is the final course before the thesis project and knowledge gained in previous courses will come together and be the basis when choosing and working with an energy system related project. The previous courses most directly linked to this course are Renewable Power Generation, Industrial Heat Technology, Energy Efficiency and Active Electric Networks (somewhat depending on the type of project chosen). For the students in the program, this course in Sustainable Energy Systems also connects directly to the final thesis project.

What does the course contain?

The learning outcomes in the course are as follows:

1. identify, formulate and handle questions relating to energy systems and sustainable development,
2. explain the role of energy systems and their development from a socio-technical and techno-economic perspective,
3. use methods to calculate resource use from a life cycle perspective and critically evaluate these,
4. present and discuss, both orally and in writing, project results in a scientific manner

Learning outcome (1) is a basis for this course and is required in order to describe and understand the energy system chosen as basis for the project (the main part of the course). This learning outcome is mainly assessed in the final report (system description). The main project chosen may not have a direct connection to energy systems, so here the task is to put the project into a larger context and what energy system(s) that may be affected.

For energy systems, especially on a larger scale, not only technical and environmental aspects are important, but also socio-technical and economical aspects. How are people being affected by these systems and how are they used? What is required to actually reform or develop larger energy systems with regards to regulatory instruments, regulations, opinions etc? (2) connects to these questions and is assessed in the form of a literature assignment together with a seminar. A lecture is included on regulatory instruments and economical aspects.

When working with energy systems and sustainability, one important aspect is looking at the bigger picture. For this reason, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one method discussed in the course (3). A lab/workshop is used for assessment. 

The final learning outcome (4) is assessed in the project work. To be able to interact with external parties as well as present findings both orally and in written form are central both in academic and professional situations.

Learning activities and grading

The main learning activities, and how they connect to the course examination, are described below. All activities in the course can be attended on distance (there are no compulsory campus visits). The lab and individual assignment are graded as pass/fail, while the project is graded U, G, VG.

Lectures

The lectures in this course are not very numerous and mainly contain guest lecturers with an expertise in certain aspects related to energy systems and/or sustainability. Some of the lectures connect directly to learning outcomes (mainly the LCA lectures), while others should be seen as inspiration and help with your own literature review and project work.

Lab/workshop

In the course there is one lab/workshop connected to LCA. During this activity, you will be playing a boardgame/card game that connects life cycle thinking to sustainability. This part is examined through active attendance and hand in.

Literature assignment

Learning outcome (2) is examined as an individual hand in based on a literature assignment together with a compulsory follow up seminar (1 credit in total).

Project (written report, progress report seminars, oral presentation and opposition)

The main part of the course is examined in the project work (5 credits). The project can be done alone or together with another student. One important part is the background literature study mainly consisting of “self-study”. There are also several progress report seminars in the course, where you are given an opportunity to show progress and discuss questions and problems with other students as well as the teacher. The course is ended with a compulsory seminar, where you present your work as well as give a written and oral opposition to another project. For grading the project, the following criteria are used:

Grade G: The student has handed in a well written report following given template and instructions. The questions are clearly understandable with some motivation and support from the background and at least one question is related to a sustainability issue. The main contents of the report have a clear foundation in previous literature, of at least part is of good scientific quality. The described energy system is defined in a clear way with necessary connections to the questions, results and discussion. The student has made an adequate presentation of the project as well as completed peer review of another student’s work according to instructions. The student has reflected on AI-tools used during the project.

Grade VG: The student has handed in a well written report following given template and instructions on time and shown clear progress through the project course. The report has well formulated questions clearly supported by the background, where at least one of the main questions is directly related to a sustainability issue. The contents of the report have a very good foundation in previous literature, of which a majority is of good scientific quality. The described energy system is defined in a clear and relevant way and well connected to the questions, results and discussion. The student has presented well selected important parts of the report in a clear and coherent way as well as made a well-founded peer review of another student’s work. 

	Course Syllabus			Contact information
	Reading List			Johan Heier Course Coordinator jhe@du.se
				Santiago Valencia Gonzalez Teacher in LCA (lectures + lab/workshop) svg@du.se
				Magdalena Kania Lundholm Responsible for assignment in sociotechnical aspects of energy systems mkd@du.se
				Ravi Dar Teacher for policy instruments and economical aspects (lecture)