Schedule

Contacts and office hours

Course Requirements

(2) Submit a topic suggestion for the session on Transition issues and controversies. What problem, obstacle, issue or controversy would you like to know more about? Think, read, formulate and suggest one such issue for discussion at the Transition controversies session. The suggestions should be submitted by October 21 via this excel sheet (sheet "Controversy suggestions") Late submission will be penalized by a loss of 1 point.

(3) Prepare the workshop assignment. Your task will be to find the cheapest decarbonization path for the German energy system. Background information such as relevant characteristics of energy technologies and load variations in grids will be provided. The deadline for the assignment is November 25. Late submissions will be penalized by 1 point.

(5) Pass the final exam. The exam is written and taken in person at the faculty. You will choose one of two general discussion topics and write a short essay about it.  The topics will reflect the course materials and lecture content. A full list of possible exam topics will be provided prior to the exam period. The use of study materials during the exam is not permitted.

Workshop assignment
Choose the optimal (low-carbon) energy mix that will provide Germany with the required amount of electricity for 8,760 hours (a whole year). Who can decarbonize power generation at the lowest price?

The model is available here:

What are your goals?

1. Reduce emissions by 50% compared to 2022 at the lowest cost.

2. Reduce emissions by 90% compared to 2022 at the lowest cost.

3. Reduce emissions to zero at the lowest cost.

What to submit and where?

(1) Submit numbers for tasks 1-3:

• Find your solution for each task.
• For each task, select the whole row in the sheet (click at the row number (no. 5) on the very left part of the screen)

• Copy-paste the whole row to the shared excel sheet 
• Task 1 =>  sheet "Decarbonization 50%"
• Task 2 =>  sheet "Decarbonization 90%"
• Task 3 =>  sheet "Decarbonization 100%"

(2) Write a report. Play with the model, try different settings, see how outputs change with different input parameters. Prepare several scenarios for tasks 1-3. In the report, do the following

1. Discuss your learning process.
2. Compare your strategies and explain your choices for each of the three tasks.
3. Discuss the incremental decarbonization efforts as you move from 50% to 100% decarbonization. Do you use the same strategy for all tasks or do you use different solutions for each task? Are your solutions compatible?
4. Discuss the feasibility of your solutions - what are their strengths? What implementation issues might hinder them?
5. Write a personal evaluation. What was not clear to you? What surprised you? How would you improve the model? You can also include questions for discussion.

Submit your reports here:

Presentations

Six students can volunteer to research and present three of the submitted presentation topics. The selection will be made by the course lecturer after the submission deadline.

The presentations should
- be well presented within a 15-20 minute timeframe (1 point)
- be focused (no long introductions, get to the point) (1 point)
- summarize a thorough literature review and go beyond the common knowledge (1 point)

Exam evaluation criteria

Understanding of the topic (5 points)
- The essay demonstrates a clear grasp of the chosen topic.
- Engages critically with the discussion topic, showing insight into relevant issues.

Argumentation and critical thinking (5 points)
- The essay develops a coherent and logical argument.
- Provides well-reasoned explanations and analysis.
- Supports arguments with relevant examples or evidence.

Relevance and focus (3 points)
- The essay stays focused on the selected topic and avoids irrelevant information.
- Addresses the topic in its entirety.

Grading

Grading details

The final grade will be determined by the exam (up to 13 points), the workshop assignment (5 points), the transition controversy suggestion questions (2 points).

Bonus points

Researching one of the selected controversies and presenting it to the class (in pairs): 3 bonus points

Winning the simulation game: 3 points (1st place), 2 points (2nd place), 1 point (3rd place)

Points and grades

A                     20-19
B                     18-17
C                     16-15
D                     14-13
E                      12
F                      11 and less