A one-semester introduction, focusing on a central concept: energy, energy sources, and the environment. Gives students the necessary physics background to form opinions on energy questions. The physical laws of thermodynamics, electricity, and magnetism, and nuclear physics in connection with energy related topics such as: thermal pollution, fossil power, fission and fusion, nuclear power, and solar power. Economic and environmental impacts.

This course aims to provide basic concepts towards understanding the world energy
problems, renewable and non-renewable energy sources, their advantages, shortcomings
and impacts to the environment.
After the course, the students should be able to
• Identify different types of energy in energy sources, systems or processes.
• Be able brake down the energy conversion mechanisms in systems such as power
plants, air conditioners, solar collectors etc.
• Identify renewable and nonrenewable energy resources.
• Calculate thermodynamic efficiency limits of heat engines and heat pumps.
• Be able explain the working principle of the various energy conversion systems including
heat engines and heat pumps, photovoltaic cells, fission reactors.
• Calculate the power and energy capacity of windmills, hydropower plants, geothermal
plants etc.
• Approximately estimate the energy content of fossil fuels and nuclear fuels.

There is no specific textbook for the material presented in this course. Below listed
are some references that can be useful. Additional reading materials will be shared at
SUCourse when necessary.
• David JC MacKay, Sustainable Energy-without the hot air , 2009.
(Free e-book available on the web)
• Ernie L. McFarland, James L. Hunt, John L. Campbel, Energy, Physics and the
environment,3rd Edition, Cangage Learning, 2007.
• Christian Ngo, Joseph Natowitz, Our Energy Future: Resources, Alternatives and the
Environment, 2nd Edition, Wiley, 2016.
(Online access available at IC)
• Ziyad Salameh, Renewable Energy System Design , Academic Press, 2014.
(Online access available at IC)
• Robert A. Ristinen, Jack J. Kraushaar, Jeffrey Brack, Energy and the environment,3rd
Edition, Wiley, 2016.
• George G. King, Physics of Energy Sources, Wiley, 2017.