Renewable Energy Technologies, EnS 483 Spring 2004
Instructor: Jim Taulman, 605-745-3959, firstname.lastname@example.org
Course Description This course provides information about sustainable living methods and technologies. The importance of living in harmony with natural cycles and processes is emphasized, including reducing energy use, reducing consumer wastes, conservation of natural resources, recycling, and energy efficient building design. The use of renewable energy sources for our electricity and other power needs forms the primary thrust of the course. Photovoltaic and wind turbine power production technologies are featured prominently. Hydro and biomass power methodologies are alto discussed. In order to understand design and installation of renewable energy systems, electrical theory is also presented.
Required Text Solar 1, The Basics of Renewable Energy. This is a CD with articles on all aspects of general interest to this course. The CD is available in the bookstore at Piya Wiconi.
Attendance This course will be pictel. Please make the commitment to attend each week. A student may be dropped after 3 consecutive absences and will automatically be dropped after 5 total absences.
Homework Homework will consist of reading assigned articles on the Solar 1 CD and handouts. I will arrange with remote students to get hand outs to them on a timely basis. Since many of these additional articles are not available online, there will not be a convenient way to post them at a Blackboard site.
In addition to readings, we will often have class projects related to the topic covered, such as building a solar cooker in the class in which solar cooking is discussed. These projects will consist of tasks that can be accomplished in the pictel room, in order to include remote students. Remote students will not be able to participate in person, but will be able to watch class activities on the monitor and participate verbally and visually.
A = 90 - 100
B = 80 - 89
C = 70 - 79
D = 60 69
F = 59 and below
Food You can bring a drink into class but we wont be eating in class.
Class Field Projects These projects are still under development and subject to change, but it is planned to take several outings which will most likely take place on weekends in order to avoid conflicts with other classes and work and to allow driving time.
1. We will travel to the Rosebud Reservation to tour the wind turbine installation there at the Hotel/Casino complex.
2. Honor the Earth organization has plans to install a wind turbine at the KILI radio station site this spring and hopefully we will be able to get involved in that project at least one weekend.
3. OLC has plans to erect a wind speed data collecting anemometer at Piya Wiconi this spring. I will attempt to get the class involved in that project at least to observe and possibly to assist.
Renewable Energy Technologies EnS 483 Spring 2004
Instructor: Jim Taulman
Jan. 22 - Introduction
Background on Current Energy Sources and Issues
Jan. 29 - Energy Conservation
Ecological and environmental need for energy conservation
Recycling, reusing raw materials
Feb. 5 Energy Efficient Buildings
Passive Solar Design
Home building for energy efficiency
Feb. 12 Test #1
Design and use of solar cookers
Feb. 19 Guest speaker Winona LaDuke (Ralph Naders running mate in the 2000 Presidential election and currently leader in Native American environmental issues and Honor the Earth)
Solar Water Heating
Examination of design and installation of open and closed-loop systems
Feb. 26 - Basic Electrical Theory
Utility grid interconnection issues
Mar. 4 Test #2
Evaluation of wind generators, small to large
Application of wind energy
Mar. 11 - More on Wind Energy
Mar. 18 Storing and Transferring Generated Energy
Mar. 25 Spring Break
Apr. 1 Test #3
Design and operation of photovoltaic cells and arrays
Apr. 8 - Photovoltaic System Design
Design and installation of photovoltaic systems
Apr. 15 - Micro-Hydro Power
Micro-hydro generators and their application
Apr. 22 - System Considerations
Integrating technologies into a whole renewable energy system
Apr. 29 Open
May 6 Test #4