Course detail

Economy and Ecology of Power Engineering

FEKT-BKC-EEEAcad. year: 2024/2025

The course informs about the basic theory of the environment and the ecology and the economy basics in the power engineering. The power engineering is closely related to the economy and the environment. In all power engineering-related areas, environmental and economic aspects can be identified. In connection with power engineering it identifies the main problems of the environment and presents methods and means of environmental protection and also shows corresponding laws etc. The course presents the basics of financial mathematic and the issues of the costs and the evaluation of the effectiveness of investments and others, which are the basis for understanding the connections between economy, ecology and power engineering.
Due to the innovation of curriculum, this subject was formed from previously separate - seemingly unrelated - subjects. For these historical reasons, the subject is partially taught as two separate issues, but there are efforts applied to interconnect individual chapters of both subjects.

In this course, the focus is on mastering the basics of financial mathematics that are fundamental for all other economic-energy calculations. Knowledge of issues such as interest rates, discounting and time value of money is crucial for understanding as well as successful completion of economic subjects in the master studies. Similarly, it is important to learn the basic rules and principles of ecological thinking and connections between ecology and power engineering.

In this course, emphasis is placed on both the numerical exercises in which students learn various methods of financial techno-environmental calculations, and the exercises and computer laboratories where the series of practical exercises and case studies, contributing to a better understanding of the topic, are solved.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

Ing. Michal Ptáček, Ph.D.

Department

Department of Electrical Power Engineering (UEEN)

Entry knowledge

The subject knowledge on the secondary school level is required and knowledge from the subjects mathematics and physics of the first academic year of the bachelor's degree program.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Requirements for completion of a course are specified by a regulation issued by the lecturer responsible for the course and updated every academic year. Assumend requirements for successful completion of the course:
- Completion of numerical practicum, laboratory and computer exercises and tests - 30 points
- Written and oral exam: 70 points
The content and forms of instruction in the evaluated course are specified by a regulation issued by the lecturer responsible for the course and updated for every academic year.

Aims

The aim of the course is to make acquaintance with the theory of the environment and issues related to the impact of power devices on the environment as well as environmental influences on power facilities. Furthermore, the goal of this course is to introduce students to the basics of financial mathematics, which is important for a good understanding of the related issues concerning costs in power engineering and the evaluation of investment effectiveness of energy projects. The aim is also to demonstrate to students the interdependence of the ecology, economy and power engineering.
After completing the course, student probably will be able to answer the following questions:
- What kinds of costs are known and what are the specifics of power engineering costs?
- What kinds of air protection techniques exist?
- What kinds of water protection techniques exist?
- What kinds of waste management systems exist?
- What effects can have ionizing and non-ionizing radiation on the environment?
- What are the basic components of a solid fuel?
- What pollutants come from burning coal?
- What are the causes of noise in power stations and what are the limits of noise?
- How do we define emissions, air pollution and what are their units?
- What is the interest, discount, supplier?
- What is the present value of money?
- What are the methods of evaluating the effectiveness of investments?
- What are depreciations and what is the amortization principle?
- What is the cash flow and what is the cash flow within the company?
- What is the cost allocation and what is the specificity of energy costs?
- Can the energy industry be considered as a specific project evaluation?
- What are mutual funds?
- What types of loans are available?
- What types of companies can be set up?
- How can energy projects be evaluated?
- What does an effective interest rate mean?
- etc.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

MACHÁČEK, Jan, PTÁČEK, Michal. Ekonomika a ekologie v elektroenergetice. Brno, Česká republika: Vysoké učení technické v Brně, 2015. s. 1-197. (CS)
MATOUŠEK, Antonín. Ekologie v elektroenergetice. Vyd. 1. Brno: Zdeněk Novotný, 2004. 94 s. ISBN 80-214-2538-5.
ŘÍHA, Josef. Úvod do teorie životního prostředí. 1. vyd. Praha, 1979.