GV2EGR: Energy Resources

Module code: GV2EGR

Module provider: Geography and Environmental Science; School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science

Credits: 20

Level: 5

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Maria Vahdati , email: m.m.vahdati@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Dr Eugene Mohareb, email: e.mohareb@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2025/6

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 24 April 2025

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Energy underpins our current standard of living and economic development. The environmental impact of energy use and transition to a lower carbon economy presents significant challenges. This module is concerned with the technical, environmental, economic and social issues associated with the production and use of energy. It includes an overview of energy production and consumption trends, traditional means of energy production, renewable energy, environmental issues and economic concepts in energy.  The rapidly changing role of energy distribution networks, and consideration of urban energy systems is used to introduce wider systems thinking approaches that offer new insights.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Discuss, at a professional level, the significance of energy in the modern world, with due reference to social, economic, historic, environmental and technological contexts.
2. Make rational preliminary choices between energy technologies for any application on the basis of economic, social, environmental and technological factors, using quantitative arguments where appropriate.
3. Describe the uniquely urban factors that impact on the sustainability of energy supply and the factors that limit sustainable energy generation capacity in urban systems.
4. Describe alternative approaches for conveying energy to urban users to meet a variety of needs, including heating, transport and provision of electricity for electric only services.
5. Discuss he characteristics of typical renewable energy sources and demand sectors as well as options to improve balancing the grid, such as energy storage and smarter energy grids.

Module content

• Where does our energy come from (now and in the past) - UK and global view ? Will include fossil fuels, nuclear and renewables.
• How do we produce and use energy?
• Environmental and health impacts of energy production and use
• Energy and meteorology
• Decarbonising  the energy sector.
• Urban energy systems: Energy trilemma, microgeneration, decentralisation.
• Social aspects of  energy use
• Resource intensive cities
• UoR Campus Energy
• Waste
• Landfill gas
• Carbon management
• Site visit

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

• Weekly in person class including delivery and discussion of core lecture content. 
• Setting independent learning tasks to actively engage students with the weekly topic, with follow-up discussion in class. 
• 1:1 appointments and feedforward and feedback sessions to actively engage students with the assessments. 

Study hours

At least 20 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Level 3 (i.e. foundation modules for Part 0) and Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs