The course gives an introduction to volcano monitoring techniques, magma movements and volcano unrest.  It also presents some aspects of why volcanoes are dangerous and volcanic hazards. Volcano monitoring relies on diverse approaches to infer the state of a volcano so many different instruments and techniques are used to monitor volcanoes. Predicting eruptions or forecasting future activity of a volcano is based on monitoring data. If activity level rises above normal the volcano is in a state of unrest. Magma often intrudes in the roots of volcanoes prior to eruptions. This process generates earthquakes as stress level is increased and ground deformation as the volcano expands in response to additional mass in its subsurface. Seismology and geodetic measurements on the surface of the volcano are thus key to monitoring subsurface conditions. As magma, molten rock inside volcanoes, approaches the surface it releases volcanic gas that finds its way to the surface, and geothermal activity can change.  In addition to ground-based techniques, satellite observations are extensively used. The main monitoring techniques for volcanoes are explained in the course, with the aim that students understand both the concept of volcanic unrest and how it can be monitored, how eruptions can be monitored, and signs of volcanic eruptions as seen on instruments. Understanding the possibilities and limitations of present-day volcano monitoring for detecting magma movements is an important step in understanding volcanoes, evaluating hazards and for giving warnings of impending eruptions. The course thus provides information on how scientists predict future activity of volcanoes and volcanic eruptions. Monitoring data are interpreted in terms of models of subsurface processes such as magma accumulation during volcano unrest, and magma withdrawal during eruptions. The course gives an introduction to such models, used to infer the volume and location of magma movements in volcano roots, in particular those based on mapping ground deformation. The course presents examples of monitoring data and interpretations from recent eruptions and periods of volcanic unrest in Iceland and around the world, including the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull that closed Europe’s airspace.

The production of hydrocarbons from extremely low permeability unconventional reservoirs through horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing has transformed the global energy landscape. Although hundreds of thousands of wells have been drilled and completed, recovery factors remain low in both tight oil (2-10%) and shale gas (15-25%) reservoirs. This course, designed for both geoscientists and engineers, covers topics ranging from the physical properties of reservoir rocks at the nanometer- to centimeter-scale to the state of stress on fractures and faults at the basin-scale. The course follows the textbook Unconventional Reservoir Geomechanics by Mark Zoback and Arjun Kohli, available in print or electronic versions. Unconventional Reservoir Geomechanics, Cambridge University Press 2019 https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/unconventional-reservoir-geomechanics/39665444034A2EF143D749DF48A5E5DC The first part of the course covers topics that become progressively broader in scale, starting with laboratory studies of the microstructural, mechanical, and flow properties of reservoir rocks and concluding with field observations of fractures, faults, and the state of stress in unconventional basins. The second part of the course focuses on the process of stimulating production using horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing. Important engineering concepts will be reviewed, including microseismic monitoring, production and depletion, well-to-well interactions, and hydraulic fracture propagation. The final part of the course addresses the environmental impacts of unconventional oil and gas development, in particular the occurrence and management of induced seismicity. Two units will be released each week on edX. Each unit will be comprised of 3-5 video modules 10-20 minutes in length. Videos can be accessed at any time before the end of the course. Grading will be based entirely on 6 homework assignments. Homeworks are due on edX at the start of each week at 07:00 UTC (00:00 PST). Students who select the verified enrollment option and earn at least 70% on the homeworks will receive a certificate from edX.

How can economic strategies bring our current, fossil fuel based energy system into a carbon neutral future? According to the International Panel on Climate Change, we have only limited time left to keep global temperatures below 1.50 C and to avoid a climate crisis. How do we go about decarbonizing our economy? What are the best renewable energy sources to bring about this transition? And how do we convince investors that renewables really are the best option? These and more questions will be addressed in this course. Moreover, we will identify the steps the European Union needs to take to reach its goal of a carbon neutral economy by 2050. In order to understand the energy transition options, we will examine the impact the introduction of carbon free energy production has on the market. Increasingly wind and solar power and other technologies, are integrating into the energy mix at a high level. Looking at real life cases and expert predictions, you will look into these technologies, their integration in current market designs and the economic strategies needed for their implementation. None of this can be done, of course, without the help of governmental policies. Using real life case studies, you will learn about the business case for renewable energies and how government support schemes, such as subsidies and green certificates, are currently driving the boom in the renewable energy sector. You will also learn about the implementation of carbon markets and carbon pricing and be able to discuss how effective this strategy has been in the European Union. Finally, we will be looking to the future, examining the visions that have been outlined for 2030, 2050 and beyond. The course will ask you to envision the future of energy supply: how would you shape the carbon free world? There are already many ideas out there, but nothing is certain. You could be the next great mind helping to mold the future into the sustainable and carbon-free world we all want to live in. This course is the second one in the program: The Economics of the Energy Transition. This program aims to help strategic decision makers, economists, policy advisors and regulators as well as practicing and future engineers to obtain a deeper understanding of the topic. Its aim is to increase your understanding of energy markets, the current European electricity market and to be able to promote the transition to a carbon neutral economy.

Desert regions may seem optimal for solar energy and the deployment of photovoltaic (PV) applications. However, the heat and dust experienced in the region poses a challenge for the optimal performance of PV modules and reliability of the applications. In this course, you will learn how to mitigate these challenges by understanding the components of solar radiation and the characteristics of solar cells and the solar spectrum. You will also learn about forecasting and nowcasting and how this influences selecting a site for PV application. The economic impact of PV applications is a key area of interest and this course provides you with knowledge on the costs and benefits of solar energy from PV applications.

This course looks at how increasing greenhouse gases are warming the climate and what it means to decarbonise - reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of - the power sector. It will also provide a range of arguments in favour of decarbonisation, including consideration of  ease of access to a secure and affordable energy supply and improvements to health and the environment. This course gathers together information about these different motivating factors for building a lower carbon power sector in one place, and includes a careful consideration of the importance of the political context. This course will challenge you to critically analyse your own political context. We would welcome advisors to senior decision makers in government, civil society activists and others interested in understanding and promoting renewable electricity to take this course. This course will help you develop a better understanding of the different dimensions of a move towards a cleaner power sector and develop more nuanced and detailed arguments.

Join this course if you want to learn how to create a sustainable future by moving away from dependence on fossil resources to biomass resources for the production of food, chemicals and energy-carriers. You will learn what biomass is, how to produce biomass renewable energy- and biomass fuel and how to make biobased products. The course will give you a solid understanding of how chemistry works in a biobased economy and in the production of biomass renewable products. Your valuable knowledge will help your company drive into sustainability and actually make the transition to use biomass resources to produce biobased products. You will learn about the products that can be derived from biomass and the processes used to do so. We will explore catalytic conversion of biomass by discussing types of catalysts, special challenges for catalysis when converting biomass into biomass energy and the interplay of catalysis and up/down stream processes. Then we dive into biorefinery. Biorefinery deals with the challenge of extracting valuable biomass components and converting them to final products. To achieve this you first need knowledge of the different types of biomass, the molecules present and their chemical characteristics. Biorefinery is all about efficient processing. Aspects of processing include the harvesting, pre-treatments, conversion and separation technologies. Join the MicroMasters programme This MOOC is part of two MicroMasters programmes, Economics and Policies for a Circular Bio-Economy and Business and Operations for a Circular Bio-Economy . The Business and Operations for a Circular Bio-Economy MicroMasters will provide you with the knowledge and tools to analyse the business and operations side of the switch to biobased products. The MicroMasters Economics and Policies for a Circular Bio-Economy covers the economic and policy side of converting biological resources into biobased products. You will able to contribute substantially to managerial decision-making as well as policy development. Both programmes consist of 3 courses and a final project; the capstone. Explore the other courses in the MicroMasters programmes: Economics and Policies in a Biobased Economy or Business Strategy and Operations in a Biobased Economy Circular Economy: An Interdisciplinary Approach Capstone Economics and Policies for a Circular Bio-Economy or Capstone Business and Operations for a Circular Bio-Economy

Climate change is arguably the greatest challenge of our time. Human activity has already warmed the planet by one degree Celsius relative to pre-industrial times, and we are feeling the effects through record heat waves, droughts, wildfires and flooding. If we continue to burn fossil fuels at the current rate, the planet will reach two degrees of warming by 2050—the threshold that many scientists have identified as a dangerous tipping point. What is the science behind these projections? Join climate science expert Michael Mann to learn about the basic scientific principles behind climate change and global warming. We need to understand the science in order to solve the broader environmental, societal and economic changes that climate change is bringing. By the end of this course, you will: Develop a deep scientific understanding of HOW the climate system has been changing; Articulate WHY the climate system is changing; Understand the nature of these changes; Develop a systems thinking approach to analyzing the impacts of climate change on both natural and human systems. The course covers the basic principles of atmospheric science, methods of climate data collection and tracking of greenhouse gas emissions. It introduces basic climate modeling and explores the impact of various greenhouse gas emissions scenarios. Finally, it outlines the impacts of climate change on environmental, social, economic and human systems, from coral reefs and sea level rise to urban infrastructure. The course follows the general outline of the 5th Assessement Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change .

Wind turbines and solar panels are likely to play a critical role in achieving a low-carbon power sector that helps address climate change and local pollution, resulting from fossil fuel power generation. Because wind and solar power output is weather-dependent, it is variable in nature and somewhat more uncertain than output from conventional fossil fuel generators. It is therefore important to consider how to manage high penetrations of solar and wind so as to maintain electricity system reliability. This introductory course, delivered by Ieading academics from Imperial College London, with technical input and contributions from the National Energy Renewable Lab (Golden, Colorado), will discuss what challenges variable output renewables pose to the achievability of a reliable, stable electricity system, how these challenges can be addressed and at what costs. Its overall objective is to demonstrate that there is already a range of established technologies, policies and operating procedures to achieve a flexible, stable, reliable electricity system with a high penetration of renewables such as wind and solar. The course uses a variety of country and context-specific examples to demonstrate the concepts. Policy makers, regulators, grid operators and investors in renewable electricity will benefit from a solid understanding of these considerations, thereby helping them drive forward the development of a fit-for-purpose clean power system in their own regional context.

Please note: The capstone project is only accessible for ID-verified MicroMasters learners who successfully obtained verified certificate in all MicroMasters programme courses. In the first three courses of the MicroMasters, you will learn about all the different steps in a biobased process and the business and operations aspects you should consider before choosing a certain process. In this capstone project, you will work on integrating the technological section with the business and operations sections to develop a sustainable biobased practice. The focus is on linking the various aspects into an integral research, based on literature research and applied to a practical case. The final product in this capstone project is a written report. From a business perspective, you will write an advice for an audience of your choice, for example the executive board of a company, an investor or a governmental agency. You are free to choose the subjects you want to address in this advice. This means you get the opportunity to work on a case of your choice and receive feedback from experts in the field. In order to find the information and publications you need, you will get tips and advice on how to do proper literature research. Along the way, you will get feedback on your proposal, draft and final report. The final report should reflect the academic research capabilities on a master's level, i.e. defining a research proposal, proper literature research, methodology, data, results and conclusions and discussion. You can start the capstone project after completing all other courses in the MicroMasters programme Business and Operations for a Circular Economy , with a verified certificate for every course: Circular Economy: An Interdisciplinary Approach Business Strategy and Operations in a Biobased Economy From Fossil Resources to Biomass: a Chemistry Perspective

The high insolation in desert regions can result in a lower cost of solar energy. While this may be a key motivation to deploying PV in desert climates, there are also several challenges related to the technology that must be considered. In this course, you will learn what effect temperature and dust has on the solar cells and PV modules. The course looks at the cleaning methods used to reduce soiling, how to measure solar cell and PV module performance and optimize the design of the technology to enhance the energy yield. Finally, you will have the opportunity to consider how you would deploy PV technology in your specific context.