The course is given in Italian and it aims at providing students with basic tools
D1 (KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING)
to know and fully understand the issues of the availability, the production procedures and the distribution of the energy resources, as well as of relationship between energy and environment.
D2 (APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING)
to apply the acquired knowledge to the reading of energy/environment reports.
D3 (MAKING JUDGEMENTS)
to carry out autonomously an analysis of articles on energy issues.
D4 (COMMUNICATION SKILLS)
to use specific technical language to describe appropriately the concepts learned in the course
D5 (LEARNING SKILLS)
to be able, at the end of the course, to apply the learned knowledge and skills also in specialized courses of study

No mandatory prerequisite is required. Only the basic knowledge acquired during the first course year is required.

1. Energy: a fundamental commodity. International standard units of measure. The concept of energy, its transformations and yields. The concept of power. Classification and use of energy sources. Energy supply and demand: energy balances.
2. Fossil fuels. The difference between resources and reserves. The calorific power of fuels. CO2 emissions.
3. The coal. Origins, composition and properties. Deposits and their geographical distribution, production and consumption, transport, coal market prices. Uses: electricity generation, environmental problems associated with the burning of coal and clean coal technology. Coking, gasification, liquefaction, coal bed methane.
4. The oil. Origins, composition and properties. Upstream activity. Deposits and their geographical distribution, production and consumption. The “peak oil” question. Transport. The oil market: finding and development costs, lifting costs, production agreements, crude oil benchmarks, spot market, financial markets, OPEC's role. Downstream activity: topping, vacuum distillation, refining, cracking and reforming. The main oil products: liquified petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline, kerosene, diesel oil, fuel oils, lubricating oils. A comparison with biofuels.
5. The natural gas. Origins, composition and properties. Deposits and their geographical distribution, production and consumption, transport, gas market prices. Uses: electricity generation, heating, transportation. Italian natural gas market.
6. Unconventional fossil fuel resources: UCG, oil shale and shale gas.
7. Environment and energy policies: the renewable energies. The role of the renewable energies in the electric energy market.

Maugeri L. Petrolio. Storie di falsi miti, sceicchi e mercati che tengono in scacco il mondo. Sperling & Kupfer, 2001
S. Carollo. C'era una volta il prezzo del petrolio. Libri Scheiwiller 2010
Bradford T. The Energy System: Technology, Economics, Markets, and Policy. The MIT Press, Cambridge , MA (USA) and London (UK) 2018
Capè C.M., Lo Bianco N., Sampeck F. La guida del Sole 24 Ore al management dell'energia. Mercato e catena del valore, modelli di business, sistemi di gestione e normative. Il Sole 24 Ore, 2011
Ranci P. Economia dell’energia. Il Mulino, Bologna 2011

Additional readings and support material (lecture slides, scientific papers and reports in PDF format) will be posted on MS Teams under the file tab during the course.

Lectures. Readings and discussion of scientific papers and news articles, to guarantee a critical and active participation of the students. Any changes to the procedures above described, necessary to ensure the application of COVID-19 safety protocols, will be communicated on the Department’s website .

Intermediate self assessment tests will be carried out by means of Moodle platform.

The exam consists of an oral discussion, that is the only assessment with a final mark. The examination covers all the topics treated during the course.
The examination lasts an average of 20 minutes.
The grading system applied is:
(18-24): sufficient or fair knowledge of the subject, adequate mastery of the technical language
(25-27): good or very good knowledge of the subject, technical language proficiency, essential ability to connect the themes addressed during the course
(28-30 with honours): excellent knowledge of the subject and technical language proficiency, autonomous critical and analytical skills, and ability to apply acquired knowledge to concrete scenarios.
Any changes to the procedures above described, necessary to ensure the application of COVID-19 safety protocols, will be communicated on the Department’s website.

This course explores topics closely related to one or more goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs)