Energy

• • Why Energy?
  • What is Energy? – some basic physics about energy
  • Human Energy Usage – an historical overview
  • The Carbon Cycle and Coal Formation – biochemical and geochemical carbon cycles
  • Coal properties, mining and utilisation
  • Global and Australian Coal Resources
  • Petroleum – formation, classification and exploration
  • Petroleum – resource distribution, extraction and refining
  • Natural Gas and Unconventional Petroleum Resources
  • Carbon Capture and Storage
  • Nuclear Energy – energy resources and nuclear technology
  • Hydroelectricity
  • Geothermal Energy
  • Solar Energy
  • Wind, Waves and Tides
  • Biomass and Hydrogen
  • Energy Storage Alternatives
  • Electrical Power Distribution Systems
  • Global Change and Future Energy Technologies
  • Markets, Demand and Consumer Behaviour
  • Costs, Supply and firm behaviour
  • Externalities – production and consumption externalities
  • Externalities – the social cost of carbon
  • Mitigation strategies
  • Economics of power systems
  • Energy, Inequality and Development
  • The Geopolitics of Energy
  • The Institutions of Energy Governance
  • Energy and Environment: Deciding on Trade-offs
  • Planning, Technocracy and Accountability
  • Case Study: Hydroelectric Power in Tasmania
  • Case Study: Ontario Hydro and Nuclear Power
  • Conservation and Least-Cost Utility Planning
  • Governing Transboundary Pollution
  • The Politics of Climate Change
  • The Governance of Climate Change
  • Review: The Politics of Energy

No eligibility requirements

Special requirements

No special requirements

This subject will explore the interlinked scientific, technical, environmental, economic, social and political factors that have shaped society’s energy usage and which will impact on future energy policy and decision making. 

Energy science, technology, usage and energy policy affect almost all facets of modern life. Energy is the single most traded commodity in the global economy, it is a significant factor that affects political decision making at global, national, state and local levels, and a major determinant of economic and social wellbeing. Ensuring future responsible, equitable, access to affordable energy for both developed and developing societies is probably the most significant challenge currently facing humanity. Critical and wide-ranging examination of this key issue will be a major focus of this subject. 

This subject will facilitate active and informed student participation in the ongoing debate regarding current and future global energy policy and alternatives. Students will learn about currently utilised, alternative and potential future energy sources and then set this knowledge in the context of important economic, environmental, social and political factors that affect energy policy.

• Energy Audit (25%%)
• x6 Multiple Choice and Short Problem Solving Quizzes (25%%)
• Energy Science Poster (20%%)
• Presentation (30%%)