LEARNING OBJECTS. To provide methodologies for the definition of the reference scenarios of the characterization of water-energy nexus. To provide tools for analyzing and estimating the water – energy nexus, for resources enhancement.
TOPICS: Fundamentals of fluid mechanics. Energy from the sea: quantification of the resource; exploitation devices. Quantification of resources at the river basin scale even in ungauged river basins. Hydropower potential.
There is not a single reference book illustrating the whole set of course contents. The teaching material (slides presented within the lectures, articles, short reports) will be distributed by the teacher during the lessons or made available on the moodle platform.
Learning Objectives
The course aims to provide the methodologies for the definition of the reference scenarios for the characterization of the water-energy nexus.
Moreover, the course aims to provide the knowledge and the tools for analyzing the water – energy nexus, estimating the resources, for their management and enhancement, in an integrated approach with reference to the wind wave motion. tidal streams, and river basins.
Specific Learning objectives achieved by the student at the end of the course:
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
1. Knowledge of the methods for the characterization of the energy from the sea related to water. 2. Knowledge to the main tools for the estimation of the resources with reference to the sea wave motion and tidal currents, the definitions of the enhancement devices. 3. Knowledge of the methods for the characterization of the hydrological phenomena at the river basin scale. 4. Knowledge of the main hydrological modeling tools, also distributed, aimed at defining long-term flows and hydropower potential.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
1. Ability to estimate the energy from the sea water. 2. Ability to apply the tools for the quantification of the resources of see wave motion and tidal currents, the definition of the enhancement devices. 3. Ability to estimate hydrological quantities for hydrological modeling, to apply hydrological models, also in distributed form, with the aims to estimate the resources. 4. Ability to analyze modeling results, assess the sensitivity of the hydrological response to changes in climatic forcings and land use.
MAKING JUDGEMENTS
1. Identify and define indicators and descriptors to critically evaluate data and results. 2. Identify possible and potential connections between the various aspects of a topic and/or problem.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
1. Articulate and present in written and oral form an essay. 2. Expose clearly and in appropriate language the information learned in the course.
Prerequisites
Base knowledge (bachelor level) of hydrology, hydraulic, geographic information systems.
Teaching Methods
The course is developed in lectures and students-teacher collective discussions, seminars and practical applications possibly on specific topics by experts, primarily dedicated to some topics.
Part of the learning process is also the review activity of the case study/project work, which can be carried out individually or collectively during the course as well as the field trips specifically organized for the course.
Further information
Lectures notes, in-depth documents, useful dataset, can be available during the course development on the Moodle platforms at UNIFI http://e-l.unifi.it/
During the first weeks of the course the enrollment to the platform is required to the students who intend to attend the course.
Type of Assessment
The assessment of the student advancement is carried out with an ORAL EXAM on all the topics of the official program of the course. A substantial part (40%) is constituted by the PROJECT WORK, defined in agreement with the teachers, developed individually or in a group, in which the students examine in depth one or more topics of the course.
The spirit of the PROJECT WORK is to show the knowledge of the methods and/or topics discussed within the lectures of the course and to carry out a professional technical presentation, written and oral, of the work done.
The synthetic form of scientific article is proposed for the report of the project work. The report will have to thoroughly investigate the examined topic.
The structure of the document is proposed by the student and agreed with the teachers. Indications on the contents and useful references for writing it are given within the course and as written document of the course material.
The assessment will consider the following aspects:
- Presentation quality: correct use of language, clearness of the presentation (figures and tables, with captions included), organization of the report;
- Technical quality: structure of the report, validity of the methods, correctness of data analysis, of the evaluations and of calculations.
The ORAL EXAM covers the entire program/syllabus of the course and it consists of two parts.
The first part of the examination consists of a presentation of a written report using slides (in a limited number for a duration of about 10-15 minutes) and its subsequent discussion/defense.
The second part of the examination test consists of a series of questions on the program/syllabus of the course.
If the second part of the oral exam is not passed, the grade of the practical test of the project work (if sufficient) can be saved for any successive examination.
The examination aims to verify through the discussion of the report and the questions, the following: i) Knowledge and ability to understand the topics covered in the course program; ii) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding in developing the project work;
Autonomy of judgement in critically assessing the choices made in the report; iii) Communicative skills in presenting through slides the main contents of one's own work (context/state of the art, motivations, general and specific objectives, data and methods description, results, limits and possible developments).
In the assessment of the learning process is included also the student’s activity during the lectures period: a) in the frame of review activity of the project work, shared and collectively carried out; b) presentation and discussion of specific topics, suggested by the teachers or for the student interest, to study in depth on the basis of available literature.
Course program
Fundamentals of fluid mechanics.
Energy from the sea linked to water, tidal currents, tidal gradients and wave motion. Quantification of the resource with reference to wave motion and to tidal currents. Devices for exploitation.
Quantification of resources at the river basin scale even in non-instrumented basins.
Distributed hydrological modeling: techniques for characterizing the hydrological parameters of the model in distributed form; characterization of phenomena and application examples.
Evaluation of the sensitivity of the hydrological response to changes in climate forcings and land use.
Hydropower potential.
Estimation of the flow duration curve. Estimation of the environmental flow and ecological flow. Characterization, quantification and management of the water-energy and food nexus and climate change.