Sustainability in Engineering Practice: A Focus on Renewable Energy Technologies

A critical task for engineering practitioners is the management of schemes to support society to become more sustainable. Nearly every activity of modern life must reduce its environmental impact for sustainability goals to be delivered, this in turn requires both technological innovation and behaviour change. As engineering practitioners undertake innovative and problem solving activities it is important that the needs of diverse stakeholders are considered.

A core activity for engineering practitioners employed within the renewable energy sector is the management of the deployment of energy generating technologies within the urban, rural, coastal or wilderness environment. In addition to understanding the function of generating devices, their supporting infrastructure and project management such engineers must be familiar with general aspects of sustainable development.

You will work in a group for this component of assignment on LCA study. The group work involves planning, specifying goal and scope, obtaining data and doing the inventory analysis. The interpretation and critical discussion of findings along with discussion on data and ethical/social issue should be your individual work, please take note of the marks allocation for the division of group and individual marks.

Using the LCA software SimaPro, conduct a short Life Cycle Assessment following the four step approach outlined in ISO14040 standards on an allocated scenario. Each group will be allocated a scenario to develop during the assessment during the timetabled workshop sessions

Based upon a selected or allocated product use the CES EduPack EcoAudit tool to obtain potential impact figures for a range of material selection choices. Consider how you determine potential range of values that may be obtained to represent the use of the product and present these data in terms of the use that may be made of the tool’s output. You will include all cradle to cradle considerations such as extraction, primary processing, secondary processing, transportation, use, recovery and unavoidable disposal. You will also discuss aspects of material supply chain risk such as abundance, Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, conflict and legislation and regulation.

Present your results in a short report which will define your inputs and assumptions with an evaluation of conclusions reached, their impact and potential limitations of the 'EcoAudit' analysis approach. You should include both the available data for the item itself and also the subsequent use. This will require you to make some assumptions, you may use assumptions within public sources and/or your own experience as a guide.

The following items will be made available on the eLP module site:

Student copy of the CES EduPack software

CES Edupack support tutorial and guide material.

An example exercise and solution

The allocated renewable energy component will be made available during the classes in addition workshop facilities may be called upon during the initial investigation.

You are required to consider a product and to carry out an EcoAudit of the original and modified product or artefact.

You are expected to consider alternative material types (note not material grades) and may make and state assumptions for any parameters not given.

Consider in your discussion the output from the EduPack EcoAudit and additional factors relating to sustainable material choices informed by the full contents of each material's database within the software. Make suggestions as to the whole life energy impact.

The University has several policies for assessment. The following information, which is available to you from the link below, provides guidance on these policies, including relevant procedures and forms.

(1) Assessment Regulations and Policies

(a) Assessment Regulations for Taught Awards

(b) Group Work Assessments Policy

(c) Moderation Policy

(d) Retention of Assessed Work Policy

(e) Word Limits Policy

(2) Assessment Feedback

(a) Anonymous Marking Policy

(3) Late Submission of Work and Extension Requests

(4) Personal Extenuating Circumstances

(5) Technical Extenuating Circumstances

(6) Student Complaints and Appeals

(7) Academic Misconduct

(8) Student Disability and Unforeseen Medical Circumstances