ES SEMINAR: RENEWABLE ENERGY

Spring 2010

Professor Womersley, Activities 204

(Office hours every afternoon when not in class)

From the UC Catalog:

ES 4511-02 ES SEMINAR: RENEWABLE ENERGY

This course is a one-credit/one week junior/senior seminar and field study center visit at the Centre for Alternative Energy in Wales (CAT), UK. The course is focused around green building and renewable energy and associated museum/interpretive displays. Students will study the displays and perform hands on work projects or educational modules each day under the direction of CAT staff. Each day a 2-hour debrief/seminar discussion will be held in which studentsÕ participation is required. Students will travel as a group to Wales during the March two week spring break (3/12 – 3/20). Some pre-trip planning sessions will be required during the beginning of the spring 2010 semester. This course will go well with the content in PS 3003 Energy and Energy Efficiency and EC 2023 Economics of Resource Conservation also offered in the spring semester or can be taken as a stand-alone course.

Introduction:

How can we move towards widespread understanding and approval of renewable technology? Without familiarity with the equipment and ideas many people are afraid of renewable technology, or see it as an option only for environmentalists.

But the truth is that any house could be more efficient than it is, and that in many climates in the US, with proper design or retrofit, heating and cooling is not really needed. Even in Maine a properly designed passive solar house may still require only a tenth of the heat energy of an ordinary house, for only a little additional up-front cost, or a lifetime savings, while a efficient retrofit can reduce energy bills by two thirds. It makes little practical sense that people do not explore these savings. The main reason is lack of knowledge and awareness.

One way to make people less afraid and more aware of renewable energy and energy efficient building design is to provide attractive, interactive public demonstrations. The Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth Wales, has been doing just this since 1973. It has a wealth of displays, and a wealth of ideas, to explore.

Background Information:

History: CATÕs history, from a bootstrap start-up in the 1970s, to EuropeÕs leading sustainability research and demonstration center in 2009, mirrors that of Unity College. Unity College wishes its campus to be such a demonstration center and has made great strides in that direction with recent green buildings, especially the Unity House project. We can learn from them and they can learn from us.

History of CAT, from the centerÕs published materials:

ÒThe Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) was founded in 1973 on the site of the disused Llwyngwern slate quarry near Machynlleth, in Mid Wales. When founder Gerard Morgan-Grenville started the organization, he conceived "a project to show the nature of the problem and show ways of going forward." It was originally a community dedicated to eco-friendly principles and a 'test bed' for new ideas and technologies - the Visitor Centre was a later addition. In the beginning, progress in the quarry was slow, and the early attempts to raise money were frustrating. Volunteers worked long hours, often by candlelight - there was no electricity on the site at that time. Liz Todd, one of the early volunteers, remembers shrews running across the table during mealtimes and eating from plates. An old engine shed with a leaking roof was the only habitable building on site at that time.

ÒSlowly, increasing numbers of interested people came to CAT, and many stayed as volunteers. As more workers arrived, they brought a wide range of skills and experience.

ÒIn 1974, The Duke of Edinburgh visited CAT. After his visit, some members of staff suggested turning part of the site into a Visitor Centre: a permanent exhibition to explain CAT's work and generate interest in alternative technology. It opened to the public in 1975. Since then, CAT has grown to become Europe's leading eco-centre. It is staffed by 90 permanent staff and volunteers all year round, and a further 60 people during the summer months. We receive around 65,000 visitors every year, who come to learn about our work. CAT (as a Visitor Centre) celebrated its 30th birthday in 2005. Far from settling down to a quiet life, the Centre is constantly changing and adapting. We continue to produce exciting new projects, schemes and ideas, building on over three decades of knowledge and experience.Ó

Mission (From CAT materials):

ÒCAT is concerned with the search for globally sustainable, whole and ecologically sound technologies and ways of life.

Within this search the role of CAT is to explore and demonstrate a wide range of alternatives, communicating to other people the options for them to achieve positive change in their own lives.

This communication involves:

á Inspiring - instilling the desire to change by practical example

á Informing - feeding the desire to change by providing the most appropriate information

á Enabling - providing effective and continuing support to put the change into practice.

ÒCAT has a holistic approach to its work, integrating ideas and practice relating to land use, shelter, energy conservation and use, diet and health, waste management and recycling.

ÒThrough its resident community and work organization, CAT is also committed to the implementation of co-operative principles and best achievable environmental practices.Ó

Book:

1) Free online or in paperback: David MacKay, Sustainable Energy, Without the Hot Air, http://www.withouthotair.com/

Exams and other requirements:

There will be three requirements, each worth 33.3% of the total grade. You are required to produce 1) a formal response in the form of an essay or creative media project, for which video and photography are allowable, due by the end of the semester, and 2) an informal response in the form of weblog posts to your classmates back home. You are also required to 3) participate in discussion sections. Your vocal participation is mandatory in these, as is your attendance, primarily because our class size is very small. Students who skip discussion, or who sit in silence the entire trip, run the risk of flunking the course.

Jobsite safety

We will find ourselves on several UK workplace health and safety system regulated job sites. We will follow general safety procedures common to the gardening, construction, and technical trades. All students are responsible for safety, and all must follow rules explained by CAT Staff at all times. All accidents and dangerous conditions must be reported to CAT Staff or 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 sites. Students will wear head and ear protection and steel-toed footwear whenever CAT staff, the instructor or regulations require. Non-compliance with safety instructions and regulations is grounds for dismissal from the class and an automatic failing grade.

Special Instructions

Special gear/equipment needs: You will need the following:

Hiking or work boots, waterproofs, hat, gloves, flashlight, work clothes, safety glasses (buy at bookstore), backpack for luggage (no suitcases!), and a two or three-season sleeping bag (rent from OAC) are required. Limit yourself to the one backpack for luggage and a small secondary item for personal belongings. Be sure you can easily carry your backpack for some distance.

Wear your boots on the airplane if they donÕt fit in your backpack. Be sure to follow the TSAÕs safety regulations for air travel:

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm

Other special considerations:

Students should be capable of lifting 25 lbs without equipment, hiking up to four miles with or without light packs, and mentally prepared for the culture shock of a weekÕs living in another country, where a different language (Welsh) and/or a dialect (Welsh-accented English) is commonly spoken.