This course differs from most standard academic curriculae on energy. There is no coverage of centralized options, but all attention is directed on energy efficiency and distributed generation (mainly renewable sources because cogeneration is covered extensively in the course Electricity Economics), on energy markets, issues of exhaustion and pollution related to commercial energy use. The material covered consists generally of:

• Concepts: energy, power, entropy, energy transfer and conversion, heat & power, heat integration
• History of energy supply and use in Belgium since world war II
• Energy efficiency: economics, barriers, experiences (guest lecture by CENERGIE www.cenergie.be)
• Fossil fuels: combustion, reserves & resources and peak-oil debate, climate change (Stern review and IPCC. Climate Change 2007. Synthesis report)
• Renewable energy: properties of resources, economics, renewable energy versus atomic power as low-carbon sources, policy instruments to price externalities of non-sustainable energy and support sustainable energy