Electrical Industry: Production and Economics (FutureLearn)

Offered by University of Padova,
Electrical Industry: Production and Economics (FutureLearn)

Understand how the electricity system has developed over time, see what the future holds and the need to move to decarbonisation. Discover how electricity is produced and exchanged and the reasons behind it. This innovative, three-week course from the University of Padova is designed to illustrate how electricity is produced, and exchanged, and why.

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Understand how electrical systems have evolved over time
Firstly, you’ll gain insight into what electricity is, what it is used throughout society for and how the electricity system has been evolving steadily over time.
You’ll then assess the importance of electricity within the modern world and will understand how it is generated and exchanged among the different players active in the entire electricity supply chain.

Discover the need to move towards a decarbonised economy
You’ll then explore the new challenges and perspectives of electricity in the 21st century posed by climate change, such as increases in temperature increasing our energy demand, changing our ability to produce electricity and deliver it reliably. You’ll then identify the need to move towards a decarbonised economy going forward, and will discover the ways in which this can be achieved.
Ultimately, the course will tell you how to understand all the components of your own electricity bill, with the end result being that you’ll be able to make the best economic and money-saving choice when choosing an electricity supplier.

Learn from an environmental and energy economics expert at the University of Padova
You’ll be guided throughout this course by an expert of environmental and energy economics at the University of Padova, who has written the worldwide reference textbook on this specific topic.

What topics will you cover?

  • Electricity production and exchange
  • Electricity system
  • Renewable energy sources
  • Decarbonisation

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Develop your ideas about the challenges posed by climate change and understand your own electricity bill and be informed to make the best money-saving choices about electricity suppliers
  • Assess the importance of electricity in modern life
  • Describe how electricity is generated and exchanged among the different players active in the electricity supply chain,
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