402 - Fundamentals of Natural Resources Distribution
Core/Elective: Core
Credits: 1.0
Quarter Taught: Fall
Synopsis:
This course serves as a graduate entry-level introduction to the broad subject of Natural Resource Distribution. The course will introduce various natural resources (electricity, hydrocarbons, water, etc.), and explore the motivations and governance of its stakeholders, and detail its critical operations and optimization now and in the future. Topics covered will include stakeholder analysis, systems of governance, key infrastructure, the role and impact of digitalization, short and long term planning, and the implications of energy transition.
Course Objectives:
- Understand the overall goals, constraints and opportunities associated with natural resource distribution;
- Learn the key players, their motivations, business models, and systems of governance that impact them;
- Understand the hardware, software, tools, and terms of natural resource distribution;
- Assess the trade-off between key metrics ranging from economics to reliability, resiliency, and sustainability;
- Understand the impacts of renewable resources and the various issues and opportunities associated with their integration; and,
- Understand the implications of a grid edge that is becoming much more complex, and the role that others will have on its operations in the future