ELEC ENG 4062 - Distributed Generation Technologies

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2017

Introduction to distributed generation; Overview of distributed energy resources, including generator sets, combustion turbines, photovoltaic systems including converters and control (maximum power point tracking), microturbines, fuel cells and energy storage technologies; wind turbines, converter and control aspects; Principles of control of distributed generation systems; Electric power distribution systems, installation, interconnection and integration; Economic and financial aspects of distributed generation, the regulatory environment and standards.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ELEC ENG 4062
    Course Distributed Generation Technologies
    Coordinating Unit School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 4 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Assumed Knowledge ELEC ENG 1009 or ELEC ENG 1010, ELEC ENG 2008
    Course Description Introduction to distributed generation; Overview of distributed energy resources, including generator sets, combustion turbines, photovoltaic systems including converters and control (maximum power point tracking), microturbines, fuel cells and energy storage technologies; wind turbines, converter and control aspects; Principles of control of distributed generation systems; Electric power distribution systems, installation, interconnection and integration; Economic and financial aspects of distributed generation, the regulatory environment and standards.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Nesimi Ertugrul

    Course Coordinator and Lecturer: Assoc. Prof Nesimi Ertugrul
    Email: nesimi.ertugrul@adelaide.edu.au
    Phone: 8313 5465Office: IW 3.54
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes

    1. Photovoltaics. Understand the operating principles including solar resource calculations and basic semiconductor theory and types. Develop electrical equivalent circuit models including effects of irradiance, temperature and shading. Review basic power electronics theory. Investigate alternative power electronic converters to perform maximum powerpoint tracking and to interface to different loads.

    2. Wind turbines. Understand the operating principles including wind resource calculations, wind turbine types and wind turbine blade modelling. Review basic electrical machine theory. Examine and analyse alternative electrical generator and power electronic converter configurations for wind turbines. Discuss maximum power point tracking.

    3. Distributed thermal generation. Understand the operating principles including fuel sources and thermodynamics. Examine diesel, gas turbines and biogas sources. Discuss applications.

    4. Fuel cells and energy storage. Understand the operating principles and types of fuel cells and energy storage methods. Develop electrical equivalent circuit models to predict performance. Examine alternative converter technologies.

    5. Distributed electric power systems. Review basic power system theory. Understand the major components and basic operation of electric power systems. Examine the effects of introducing distributed generation on control, protection, standards and economic aspects.

    6. Develop a practical understanding of the application of the above theory by performing two laboratory experiments and assignments.
    University Graduate Attributes

    No information currently available.

  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources

    The following required resources are available on MyUni:

    Lecture notes: these will be made available as the course progresses

    Tutorial questions: these will be available on the MyUni website in the week leading up to the tutorial.
    Recommended Resources

    Reference Books

    The course lecture notes should provide sufficient information for most students, however you may find the following reference book useful if you are have difficulty with the material or are interested in learning more about any of the topics in this course.

    Copies of the following book is available in the Barr Smith library.

    G.M. Masters : “Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems”, Wiley.
    Online Learning

    All course announcements will be made via MyUni. They will be available on the MyUni announcement board. In addition, important announcements will also be emailed to all course participants.

    The use of the MyUni discussion boards is strongly encouraged for questions relating to course material. Anonymous posts will be permitted, offensive posts will not. Lecturers will make a best effort to respond promptly to questions raised on the discussion boards.

    The MyUni Gradebook will be used to return continuous assessment marks. Students should check the Gradebook regularly and confirm their marks have been correctly entered.

    Course lecturers may choose to make audio (and if facilities are available, also video) recordings available on MyUni. These recordings are normally available within one working day of the lecture. The video recordings consist of the image displayed on the digital projector. 

    In addition, the following material will be provided on MyUni at the start or during the course of the semester:

    Lecture notes and tutorial questions
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes

    This material is presented in lectures and supported by problem-solving tutorials.

    Tutorial problems should be attempted before the tutorial and this preparation is assessed at the start of each tutorial. The lecturer will also go through selected questions on the board and students will be given opportunities to ask questions.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    This is a 3 unit course. The University expects students to spend around 156 hours of work for a 3 unit course. This corresponds to roughly 12 hours per week. The following breakdown is a guide only. Some students will need to spend more time, some less.

    Activity Contact
    Hours
    Non-Contact
    Hours
    Total Hours
    Lectures 2h/wk 3 (prep & revise) 60
    Quizzes 4 5 (prep&revise)* 20
    Special (Guest) Lectures 8-10 2 (prep&revise*) 16-20
    Tutorials 4 4 (prep&revise*) 16
    Practical and Assignments 3 15 (prep & write up time) 36
    Total 152
    * This includes the time spent revising for quizzes
    Learning Activities Summary

    No information currently available.

    Specific Course Requirements

    Laboratory clothing restrictions apply to the workshop sessions: closed-toe shoes; covered shoulders; long hair must be tied back. In addition, students must remove all hand and wrist based jewellery (including material bracelets), and must not eat or drink in the laboratories. Failure to adhere to these requirements will result in your removal from the laboratory.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Item Weight  
    Type   Learning
     Objectives    
         Notes
    Three quizzes
    wks 3, 7, 12
          25%  each Summative      1-5 About 40 min each, covering the material  since the previous quiz, and closed book.
    2 Practical assignments/reports  12.5%  each Summative       6
    Assessment Related Requirements
    No final examination hurdle in this course.
    Assessment Detail
    See the notes provided above.
    Submission

    All written submissions to formative assessment activities are to be submitted to designate boxes within the School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering by 3:00pm on the specified dated and must be accompanied by a signed cover sheet. Copies of blank cover sheets are available from the School office in Ingkarni Wardli 3.26.

    No late submissions will be accepted . All formative and summative assessments will have a two week turn-around time for provision of feedback to students. 

    Full details can be found at the School policies website:

    http://www1.eleceng.adelaide.edu.au/students/undergraduate/policies/
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.