Water Resources Assessment and Development module (GE32024)

This module is for Engineering students. It will compliment your more traditional engineering education with an application-focused module. This will include practical challenges and the wider aspects of energy generation.

You will learn the skills and knowledge to assess water resources of a catchment. These skills will be in particular reference to hydropower generation. You will learn sustainable development of natural resources. You will also gain insight into how the needs of society can be achieved with minimal impact on the environment and maximum gain for the investor.

What you will learn

In this module, you will:

• develop critical thinking abilities in relation to the sustainable use of water resources. This will focus particularly on hydro power development
• gain knowledge of hydro power development
• adopt a critical approach to understanding major areas of applied environmental activity

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• assess the water resource of a catchment for the purpose of an abstraction licence application. You will also understand the legal requirements for this
• know about main modules of hydro development. These are:
  • run of river
  • storage
  • flow diversions
  • public
  • commercial
  • specific community ownership models
• derive a catchment/estimate flow at a given point of a stream
• give a good estimate of possible energy production from a scheme

Assignments / assessment

• a report (50%)
• an exam (50%)

Teaching methods / timetable

• lectures
• a field visit