Sustainable Energy Innovation
The Manhattan Project is arguably the most important research and development program in U.S. history. From modest beginnings in 1939, the project progressed enough in just 6 years to help end World War II. Regardless of your feelings about the use of atomic weapons, there is no doubt that the Manhattan Project changed the course of history.
Some Manhattan Project Scientists: from left to right: Bohr, Oppenheimer, Feynman, Fermi
Addressing our energy and climate problems requires a similar effort, which we’ll call the “Brooklyn Project.” Your participation in this experience is a chance to change the course of history. The Brooklyn Project has two related parts. First, you will learn the basics about our current energy situation. More than 100,000 people worked on the Manhattan project, yet only a few dozen knew the big picture, the full implications of the project. This cannot be the case with energy. To come up with effective solutions, you must know the big picture. The second part of the Brooklyn Project is to develop and implement innovations for sustainable energy. As journalist Tom Friedman says “We need 100,000 people in 100,000 garages trying 100,000 things.” You are those people!
A few of your predecessors. Click here to read about their Brooklyn Project stories.
As a participant in this course, you will evaluate demand-side (e.g. more efficient buildings and automobiles) and supply-side (e.g. solar and wind) strategies for more sustainable use of energy. Using this information and your unique background, you will work in small groups on a project to design one approach for more sustainable energy. The course will emphasize the collaborative, multidisciplinary approach required for sustainable energy. The course will require fact-based analysis of the energy and economic impacts of alternatives.
More and more, education cannot be about simply consuming knowledge (which you could easily Google). I expect you to ask questions, work with others to find answers, do real projects for real people, and add to the world's body of knowledge. My minimum goal for this course is that you will develop your technical and creative ability to innovate for a sustainable energy future. Some of you will develop and implement sustainable energy innovations as a direct result of this course. For as many of you as possible, I hope this course will be a life-changing experience.
The learning outcomes for the course are for participants to:
- create a positive life-changing experience for themselves;
- engage in the multidisciplinary collaboration that is essential to sustainable energy solutions;
- practice skills for lifelong learning about sustainable energy as it evolves;
- educate others about sustainable energy; and
- evaluate demand-side and supply-side strategies for sustainable energy.
Specific learning outcomes are also listed on assignments.
Instructor
Leidy Klotz, Ph.D.
Clemson University
leidyk@clemson.edu
https://twitter.com/#!/leidyklotz & http://essoresearch.org
Reading Information
The following free book is required for this course. Other required reading is provided on the course website.
Sustainable Energy: Without the Hot Air. David MacKay, 2008. Download for free at: http://www.withouthotair.com/download.html
"Google it!"
In addition to the assigned reading, I expect you to constantly use Google. Google everything. Google your project ideas, Google your obstacles, Google for more information on specific topics. Don’t ask someone else a question before you Google it. You’ll either find the answer or come up with a better question.
Expectations for work turned in
Academic Integrity
Please don't cheat, lie, or steal in this class (or elsewhere). Any violations will result in your removal from the course.
$ Funding $
We have some funding to support your projects as you develop them. So, if there is something you need to buy to advance the project, please discuss with me. Of course no guarantees, but in the past we have been able to pay for things such as a solar oven, an infrared camera for energy audits, and travel to see similar projects.
Also, at the end of each semester, at least one selected project from this course (as voted on by participants) will receive up to $5,000 to continue work on the project (Non-Clemson participants submitting their project by the due date posted are also eligible). You may try to develop a project that requires very little start-up funding, or a project that requires lots of funding. Either type of project is eligible for the $5,000 in seed funding. If your project has a large budget, you can use the seed funding to prepare proposals for larger sources of funding like the Department of Energy's National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition.
Course Summary:
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This course content is offered under a CC Attribution Non-Commercial license. Content in this course can be considered under this license unless otherwise noted.