The course "Energy and Environmental Technologies" is a laboratory course that aims to familiarize and educate students in energy technologies that related mainly to the field of Environmental Engineering. The energy technologies that the course refers to are technologies related to Renewable Energy Sources (e.g. Solar energy, Wind Energy). In addition, issues of determining the emissions of gaseous pollutants from central heating systems and the energy footprint are examined. Finally, the basic principles of indoor thermal comfort and its relationship with energy consumption and air quality are studied.

The course is structured around six laboratory exercises related to the use of instruments for measuring solar radiation and wind velocity (anemometers and pyranometers), basic energy production technologies utilizing solar energy (PV panels and solar panels with flat solar collectors), emissions measurement of domestic heating systems (burner-boiler) with portable exhaust gas analyzers and thermal comfort determination according to ISO7730. It harmoniously combines the introduction of renewable energy and energy consumption optimization in relation to environmental protection and the use of simple instruments to determine key parameters for assessing the performance of energy systems. Students are given the opportunity to directly apply the content of the lectures to experimental settings and thus better understand the basic principles  and improve their critical thinking.

The course helps students to acquire both the necessary basic theoretical and experimental knowledge and skills in order to attend the 8th semester’s course of Renewable Energy Sources (EnvE 444). It also constitutes an experimental follow-up of the courses Meteorology and Air Quality Models (EnvE 332) and Air Pollution (EnvE 311), thus creating a course that provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the use of renewable energy sources combined with energy consumption and reduction of gaseous and particle emissions.

Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

• Recall basic concepts relating to the issues of solar radiation and wind energy, the basic principles of operation of a domestic heating system (boiler-burner), the concept of thermal comfort and the methods of its identification.
• Execute the necessary experimental measurements to study solar and wind potential.
• Calculate basic parameters of wind potential, available wind energy of a region and theoretical power generation from a wind turbine.
• Calculate the efficiency and fill factor (FF) of a PV panel as well as the efficiency of a solar water heater by taking the appropriate experimental measurements.
• Calculate the solar radiation / energy received by a solar collector (PV or thermal solar panel) based on the indications of a pyranometer.
• Calculate the energy footprint in the environment of the emissions from domestic heating systems.
• Evaluate basic parameters of solar geometry and separate the total solar radiation into its direct and diffuse components.
• Assemble a simple electrical experimental circuit for measuring PV electric current and voltage.
• Evaluate experimental data from a simple experimental setting.
• Write a thorough laboratory report in the form of small research paper.

• Adaptation ability
• Decision making
• Teamwork ability
• Promoting free, creative and inductive thinking
• Exercise of criticism and self-criticism
• Search, review, analyze and synthesize data and information, using the necessary technologies

1. Introduction and Aims of the course.
2. Study and assessment of solar potential.
3. Study and assessment of wind potential.
4. Measurement of Emissions in a boiler.
5. Calculation of energy footprint in the Environment.
6. Basic Principles of Thermal Comfort.
7. Indoor Air Quality.
8. Solar energy utilization technologies for the production of heat.
9. Solar water heater with flat solar collector.
10. Calculation of efficiency of solar collector-water heater.
11. Technologies for the utilization of solar energy for the production of electricity.
12. PV panel, Photovoltaic (PV) panel  basic principles and operation.
13. Calculation of PV panel power efficiency.

Use of Information and Communication Technology

Supporting the learning process through the e-class platform and in particular by posting basic and additional educational material (Laboratory Notes, Worksheets, Presentations, Additional Exercises, and Suggested Bibliography). It also includes viewing videos during lectures and laboratory exercises. Finally all laboratory reports are uploaded digitally by the students, corrected and evaluated digitally and returned with rating and feedback also digitally.

Assessment Method

I. Oral examination before the execution of each laboratory exercise/experiment and evaluation of the activity of the student (10%)

II. Six (6) group (per 3 persons) laboratory reports (50%) delivered within the semester of the course

III. Written final examination of the laboratory (40%)

It is noted that each student must have a grade of 5 or greater (≥5) in each of the above assessment procedures.

• KALDELLIS IOANNIS, KAVVADIAS KOSMAS, Laboratory Applications of Renewable Energy Sources (Wind Energy ,Solar Energy, Biomass , Hydro-energy ,Geothermal energy) , Stamou Publications , Athens, 2013
• Tsoutsos Th., Kanakis I., Renewable Energy Sources-Technologies & Environment, Papasotiriou Publications, Athens, 2013
• Robert A. Ristinen, Jack P. Kraushaar, Energy and the Environment, 2nd Edition, Wiley, 2006