CASE STUDY: Energy Course at Arizona State University

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Changing the Course of Energy by James Copper

At Arizona State University one energy course teaches students about building environmental ratings systems. This is one of the energy courses that actually prepares its students to become certified solar power assessors.

The premise behind this energy course is that buildings, both residential and commercial, have a significant impact on our environment. The construction of buildings uses up 40 percent of the worlds gravel, sand and stone each year and one quarter of its virgin wood.

In the United States alone, the use, construction, and demolition of buildings accounts for almost 45 percent of the countries domestic energy use. This works out to approximately 10 percent of the global energy use. What this means is that this U.S. practice significantly contributes to harmful greenhouse gas production. In fact, its impact and volume is about equal to the entire municipal garbage production of the country. In 30 percent of these buildings the air is unhealthy.

This energy course teaches the responsibility that architects and other design professionals play in preserving our environment and making it more energy efficient. Converting this responsibility into a detailed system of environmental ratings is the subject of this energy course. Studied in the course is the United States Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design System LEED, part of the federal Green Building Councils energy efficiency program.

This energy course should give students an excellent understanding of LEED, and prepare them to pass its certificate exam.

Graduate ASU students can actually come away with a Masters in environmental technology. The degree called a Masters in Technology, specialises in the management of environmental technology. All the graduate energy courses are Internet based. Three majors are offered: emergency management, environmental management or the more expansive international environment management. The program is ongoing for a total of 24 months, beginning in January and ending in December.

Additional power courses include the design of photovoltaic systems, the analysis of building energy, energy analysis and technique, environment control systems, and the evaluation of experiments. The study of photovoltaic systems, for instance is an energy course that looks at the design of systems that may or may not provide for storage of energy, and that may or may not have investors. It looks at grid-connected and standalone systems, as well as discussions about hybrid energy systems.

Energy courses that look at the analysis of the energy use of buildings, include computer simulations of the thermal behaviour of buildings, a review of the software that can help with the analysis and evaluation, and a detailed look at various simulation models and case studies. Laboratory work is part of this energy course.

James Copper is a writer for http://www.become-a-carpenter.co.uk

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