CHEME 6660

Analysis of Sustainable Energy Systems

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

Quantitative methods of engineering and life cycle analysis for energy choices in a contemporary sustainability context. Fundamental principles of thermodynamics, transport, and reaction kinetics applied to representative energy supply and end use technologies. Topics include: resource assessment, energy extraction/capture, conversion, distribution, storage, consumption, environmental and economic consequences, local to global scales.

Exploratory Studies (CU-SBY)

Last 4 terms offered (None)

Outcomes REF-FA25

• Quantify current energy supplies and demands. Learn and appreciate the importance of geopolitical/social context in sustainability analysis.
• Develop advanced skills for engineering analysis, including process thermodynamics, 2nd-law/availability analysis, transient heat conduction, and economics.
• Minimize energy consumption or maximize energy production in processes, e.g., heat-to-work in Rankine cycles, heat and work inputs for chemical conversions, work inputs for refrigeration.
• Assess and compare options for sustainable energy recovery from our natural environment, including geothermal, bio, and solar energy.
• Complete a comprehensive design project, working in teams of typically two students each, that involves both oral and written communication of results.

View Enrollment Information