• Length:
    5 Weeks
  • Effort:
    2–5 hours per week
  • Price:

    FREE
    Add a Verified Certificate for $49 USD

  • Institution
    ImperialX
  • Subject:
    Energy & Earth Sciences
  • Level:
    Intermediate
  • Language:
    English
  • Video Transcript:
    English
  • Course Type:
    Self-paced on your time

Associated Programs:

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About this course

Skip About this course
This course looks at how increasing greenhouse gases are warming the climate and what it means to decarbonise - reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of - the power sector. It will also provide a range of arguments in favour of decarbonisation, including consideration of  ease of access to a secure and affordable energy supply and improvements to health and the environment.

This course gathers together information about these different motivating factors for building a lower carbon power sector in one place, and includes a careful consideration of the importance of the political context. This course will challenge you to critically analyse your own political context.

We would welcome advisors to senior decision makers in government, civil society activists and others interested in understanding and promoting renewable electricity to take this course. This course will help you develop a better understanding of the different dimensions of a move towards a cleaner power sector and develop more nuanced and detailed arguments.

What you'll learn

Skip What you'll learn
  • Improved understanding of the key drivers behind decarbonising the economy in general and the power sector in particular; including an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of action
  • Empowerment to make decisions and develop policies that deliver a low-carbon power system that is relevant to their local context.
  • Enabling presentation of the arguments in favour of their approach confidently, and relevant to their local circumstances.
  • Preparation for a more detailed course on the policies needed to support a low-carbon power sector.

Syllabus

Skip Syllabus
Introduction: Why Decarbonise?

Module 1: Political Economy
Shane Tomlinson, Director, E3G

Module 2: Climate Change
Professor Joanna Haigh, Co-Director, Grantham Institute, Imperial College London

Module 3: Energy Policy 
Professor Richard Green, Professor of Sustainable Energy Business, Imperial College London

Module 4: Energy Access
Dr Clementine Chambon, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Oorja; Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Imperial College London

Module 5: Climate Change And Health 
Dr Kris Murray, Lecturer, School of Public Health, Imperial College London

Meet your instructors

Imperial College London
Jo Haigh
Professor
Imperial College London
Kris Murray
Dr
Imperial College London
Shane Tomlinson
Mr
Imperial College London
Richard Green
Professor
Imperial College London

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This course is part of a group of courses offered as part of the Clean Power Hub. This first course, ‘Why Move Towards Cleaner Power’, explores the many advantages and opportunities of shifting to a low-carbon power system, and is useful to those new to the sector as well as those wishing to expand their knowledge. The second course, ‘Creating a Pro-Renewables Environment’, explores the different policies, incentives and measures to help develop and deploy renewable energy in the electricity sector, and offers a practical grounding for those working towards this. The third course, ‘Incorporating Renewable Energy in Electricity Grids', explores the technologies and measures that can help to successfully integrate variable output renewables such as wind and solar into electricity systems, including a variety of case studies. The courses can be taken one after another, or equally you can select the one most appropriate to your existing knowledge and your desired learning outcomes.

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