PS 3003 Energy and Energy Efficiency
Syllabus
Spring 2010
Room KH 118,
Professor Womersley, Activities 204
(Office hours every afternoon when not in class)
From the UC Catalog:
This course is an application of basic physics and introductory
engineering to the problems of sustainable building and transportation systems.
Topics covered include building structures, envelopes and insulation, household
appliances and appliance efficiency, green automobiles and trucks, with an
introduction to industrial ecology, and basics of solar, hydroelectric, wind,
wave, tidal, and biomass energy systems. Taught as a combination of lecture and
engineering shop, students respond through constructing a major project or
demonstrator in renewable energy or energy efficiency. A final three-to-four
week section covers the technical subjects of energy and climate cost
accounting, cost benefit analysis, energy and climate emissions auditing, and
record keeping.
Introduction:
Professionals working in the
energy field need not be engineers, but they need to know engineering and
physics well enough to make correct and useful energy efficiency and cost
calculations, as well as to assist in planning, permitting, and managing the
business end of energy projects. For every PE involved in a major renewable
energy or energy efficiency project, there may be several more business
managers, accountants, or analysts who know how to think about and account for
energy and climate change solutions.
This is the class that is intended
to impart this most basic professional knowledge. This is therefore the key
engineering and physics class in the Sustainability Design and Technology
degree program at Unity College. It may be the most important college class you
ever take, assuming you succeed in going on in this field.
We will start from the beginning
with a reiteration of your basic physics. We will then study the most important
renewable energy formats in the order in which they appear in your first book
below, Renewable Energy by Godfrey
Boyle. We will follow this up with a study of building energy efficiency
analysis, as per your second book, Krigger and DorsiÕs Residential
Energy. A module on climate accounting will finalize the content material.
The lab section will concentrate on practical projects indoors and out. A hard
hat will be a good professional investment, if you do not already have one.
Safety glasses are required.
But first, a word about how to
think about energy: It will be apparent to most of you that while the problems
of climate change and energy security have been well defined, and solutions
proposed, no silver bullet has been chosen Òon highÓ for implementation. A
national implementation plan exists at the Department of Energy and we will
study it, but that plan will change, is likely to change, and new technologies
and political events will be influential in deciding the energy world you must
find a career in.
It is therefore far more important
that you learn how to think about energy very broadly, than how to implement
specific solutions.
Books:
1) Godfrey Boyle, Renewable Energy: Power
for a Sustainable Future
2) Krigger
and Dorsi: Residential
Energy
Exams and
other requirements:
There will be two examinations,
each worth 30% of the total grade. A practical project also
worth 30% will be chosen by each student, possibly working in groups.
The professor reserves 10% of the grade for participation and to reward special
effort shown. Your vocal participation is mandatory in the lecture section,
primarily because our class size is very small, as is your attendance. Students
who skip, or who sit in silence the entire semester, run the risk of flunking
the course. Reading is also a requirement. Students who do not read the books,
and cannot demonstrate that they have read them by correctly answering basic
comprehension questions verbally or on tests, will find their grade severely
affected.
Jobsite safety
We will find ourselves on several OSHA-regulated job sites.
We will follow general safety procedures common to the construction and
technical trades. All students are responsible for safety, and all must follow
rules detailed in the Occupational Safety and Health AdministrationÕs Safety
and Health Regulations for Construction. All accidents and dangerous conditions must be reported to the
instructor. If an accident or dangerous situation is reported, all work will
stop until the condition is resolved. No student is permitted to use any tool
or piece of equipment unless they have received instruction in its safe use.
All students must wear appropriate clothing and footwear, as well as eye
protection (detailed below) at all times when on the job site. Students will
wear head and ear protection and steel-toed footwear whenever the instructor or
regulations require. Non-compliance with safety instructions and regulations is
grounds for dismissal from the class and an automatic failing grade even after the RegistrarÕs drop-add period
and withdrawal periods are over.
Tools
Tools will be provided, including power
tools. However, some students may
wish to purchase their own set of useful hand tools and other devices, or use
tools you already own. Most energy professionals will own these items, but
student budgets may not permit their purchase. The choice is yours.
The following list is recommended:
110 volt detector
12 volt test light
Pencil and tape measure
Jackknife or craft knife or both (for sharpening
pencil, shaving splinters, etc)
Philips number 3 and number 2
screw driver
Flat screw driver
Pliers (linesmanÕs, small)
Wire cutter-strippers
Multi-meter (volts, ohms)
Small pry bar or ÒcatÕs pawÓ
Screw-gun or battery powered drill and selection
of bits
Hand-held ÒlaserÓ thermometer
Kill-a-watt meter
Calculator