Conference Session

Sustainable-energy Education: Lessons Learned

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Linfeng Zhang, University of Bridgeport; Xingguo Xiong, University of Bridgeport; Junling Hu, University of Bridgeport

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

encourage a wide range of alternative energysources, President Obama voted in favor of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, proposed a NewEnergy for America plan, and signed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Thekey points in these policies are as following:≠ Reduce the overall U.S. oil consumption by at least 35%, or 10 million barrels per day, by 2030 in order to offset imports from OPEC nations.≠ Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.≠ Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.≠ Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to

Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Max Rabiee, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

Page 14.378.3 Proceedings of the 2009 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright ©2009, American Society for Engineering Education Ü Industrial HVAC Craftsmanship Program (Tri-Gen) Ü Energy and Technology Expo – (Energy conference coordinated with Tech Expo) Ü Welding Skills Certificate – AWS certification planned Ü Construction Management Ü Architectural Engineering Technology Ü Technical Professional Development ̇ Fundamentals of Engineering Preparation ̇ Professional Engineering Preparation ̇ Professional development Continuing Education Units (CEUs)EET and MET Departments’ Shared Future in Energy and Power Systems:CAS is

Conference Session

Learning about Power Systems and Power Consumption

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carl Spezia, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

present and defend their work before the course faculty,students, and project sponsors in formal oral presentations. Page 14.534.3III. University Power Plant and Distribution System OverviewPlant Service Operations (PSO) handles all maintenance functions for the university, fromgrounds keeping to building operations. PSO works with university administration to developlong term plans and construction for campus. PSO employs skilled crafts and engineeringpersonnel to support these functions. Plant Engineering Services (PES) is the design branch ofPSO at the university.Two electrical engineers provide electrical system design and maintenance

Conference Session

Investigating Alternative-energy Concepts

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Narayanan Komerath, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

2008 course developed a series of products, focusing onfive projects in teams of two each. They did an initial comparison of realities in two verydifferent regions, then selected projects, and did a Requirements Definition for their project.They then developed design analyses and presented them at the Institute’s UndergraduateResearch Opportunities Seminar midway through the semester. At the end of the semester, theysubmitted detailed reports as well as Business Plans for their projects. This exercise was repeatedin Fall 2008, with a graduate section of the course added to focus on the issues where Spacetechnology linked to renewable energy.The course lecture material, evaluation methods, and course assessment comments fromstudents, as well as

Conference Session

Sustainable Education and the Environment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Roger Beardsley, Central Washington University; Stephen Morton, Central Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

this goal, universities are leading the way in determining practical ways toreduce the GHG effects, and along the way are training future professionals who may implementthese changes in industry and society.The ACUPCC commitment consists of three basic parts: 1) Develop an action plan to bring the campus to climate neutrality, 2) Immediately initiate two or more actions toward that goal while developing the plan, 3) Make the action plan, GHG inventory document, and progress reports publicly available, including reporting to the American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)2.In order to mark the progress toward campus climate-neutrality it is crucial to develop andregularly update the GHG

Conference Session

Solar, Wind, and Novel Energy-System Initiatives

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Samuel Lakeou, University of the District of Columbia; Ben Latigo, University of the District of Columbia

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

administrator. The slow access of rural electrification in these areas was cited as the maincause for the lack of water supply projects. Further investigation with other regional governmentofficials narrowed the needs to two major areas: • Need of pump systems for shallow wells; and • Need to have an alternative energy source to replace the gasoline operated generators.Following the visit with the city administrator, a meeting with the president of Ambo MicroBusiness College, as shown in Fig. 8, was held in order to explore the possible business plans for Page 14.217.6sustaining a future rural renewable energy power system. Schemes which

Conference Session

Sustainable Education and the Environment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elaine Scott, Seattle Pacific University; John Lindberg, Seattle Pacific University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

class evaluates the results in a discussion format. After significantdiscussion the students begin to see the interaction of the various variables and have a better feelfor the formulas in the text. Only after seeing the operation of the small scale turbine andworking with the data do they begin to appreciate the problem of matching the volume flow rateof the water to the turbine and load on the generator. On the last day of the field trip, the classtours the existing 35 KVA commercial hydroelectric plant (Figure 6) to get a better Page 14.230.9understanding of this technology.Program AssessmentAn assessment plan is and will continue to

Conference Session

Solar, Wind, and Novel Energy-System Initiatives

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Recayi 'Reg' Pecen; Jill Humston, University of Northern Iowa

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

with participating teachers after theweek of implementation to determine the effectiveness of the curriculum and to collectinformation regarding students’ level of understanding. Tryengineering.org offers excellent freematerial for educators in STEM curriculum and a number of lesson plans are provided forworkshop participants8. Project Lead the Way and STEP activities are other very useful on linematerial available to STEM educators 8-11. Page 14.889.10 Weekend Professional Development Workshops Goal 1: Increase content

Conference Session

Sustainable-energy Education: Lessons Learned

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Bass, Oregon Institute of Technology; Thomas White, Oregon Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

first of its kind in North America, and it was created to preparegraduates for careers in the various fields associated with renewable energy. These include, butare not limited to, energy management, energy auditing, energy systems planning, energyeconomics, energy policy and development, carbon accounting and reduction, and energy-relatedresearch, as stated in OIT’s 2005-2006 catalogue.In 2008, however, the BSRES degree was discontinued and replaced by the Bachelors of Sciencein Renewable Energy Engineering (BSREE). Analysis of the market place and observed growthin career options across the renewable energy fields revealed significant opportunities forgraduates with a solid energy engineering education. This paper discusses these and

Conference Session

Learning about Power Systems and Power Consumption

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kala Meah, York College of Pennsylvania; Wayne Blanding, York College of Pennsylvania

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

over 100 projects worldwide, more than 25,000 MWHVDC is under construction in 10 projects, and an additional 125,000 MW HVDC transmissioncapacity has been planned in 50 projects5. To account for the rapid growth of DC transmissionand its technology it is necessary to include the HVDC transmission into the undergraduatepower systems curriculum. Most undergraduate curricula have only one course on powersystems which is typically devoted to AC transmission systems. The Electrical and ComputerEngineering program at York College of Pennsylvania has four concentration areas: powersystems/energy conversion, embedded systems, signal processing/communication, and controlsystems. Every student is required to complete two of these four concentration

Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig Somerton, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

focused on the design process and how it applies to the problem atWoodcreek: how to keep the worm bin at a warm temperature so that composting continuesthroughout the winter. The lesson began with background on the problem; which includedexplanations of composting, vermicomposting, and the worm bin at Woodcreek. The designprocess was then presented as an ongoing procedure including: 1. Problem recognition 2. Imagination 3. Plan and Analyze Page 14.109.10 4. Optimization 5. ImplementationIt was explained that the design process can be applied to all engineering problems; specificallythe solar heated worm bin

Conference Session

Sustainable-energy Education: Lessons Learned

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tom Ferguson, University of Minnesota, Duluth; Paul Weber, University of Minnesota, Duluth

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

forecasts. In additionto these results, this research will illustrate the implementation of such class projects, describecommon student strengths and weaknesses relative to energy conversion, and explain theimportance of defining appropriate prerequisites for a diversity of engineering majors.1. IntroductionEnergy touches every aspect of human behavior, spanning a spectrum of use that ranges frompowering the human body to satisfying creative and recreational needs. The complexity of itsvarious uses, forms, and means of transport is complicated further by the level of requiredinvestment, lengthy planning and implementation timelines, and public policies (includingenvironmental protection). Public awareness on energy is continuously shaped by the

Conference Session

Learning about Power Systems and Power Consumption

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mike Hay, University of Northern Iowa; Recayi 'Reg' Pecen

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

AC 2009-2411: A STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECT: MYTH AND FACTS ONINRUSH POWER CONSUMPTION AND MERCURY CONTENT OFINCANDESCENT VERSUS COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHTSMike Hay, University of Northern Iowa Mr. Mike Hay holds a BT in Industrial Technology/Mechanical Design from the University of Northern Iowa and an MA in Industrial Technology from the University of Northern Iowa. Mr. Hay has over 30 years of professional work experience in various Engineering positions and is listed on seven US patents. His graduate research was in planning optimum small-scale wind-electric systems. He has worked on several renewable energy and electric vehicle projects as well.Recayi "Reg" Pecen, University of Northern Iowa

Conference Session

Alternative-energy Laboratory Experiences

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bret Bosma, California State University, Chico; Gregory Kallio, California State University, Chico

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

information on different turbine designs, wind farms, and scaling laws. 1V. Conclusions and Future ImprovementsThe PV Power System and Wind Turbine Power System labs have proved to be valuablerenewable energy teaching tools in our Energy Systems course. Mechanical engineering studentsurveys reveal increased operational understanding and interest in solar and wind energy.Written student comments have produced several excellent suggestions for improvement. Basedon these comments, the following activities are being planned for implementation in futuresemesters:PV Power System Lab1. Include a design assignment that requires each student to determine the PV siting, array size,and appropriate components for a particular electric power

Conference Session

Sustainable-energy Education: Lessons Learned

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sharon deMonsabert, George Mason University; Jeremy Jessup, George Mason University; Lenna Storm, George Mason University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

elements, and provide some safety aspects. Even if the ultimatestructure is chosen and it cost around $40,000, the pay-back period of the biodiesel system will Page 14.532.15only be a little over three years. The University must decide what level of a structure they wantand continue with the completion of the implementation of biodiesel.Once a structure is chosen, the location of the structure must be determined. GMU isexperiencing tremendous growth and future plans are in flux. One suggestion is to locate thesystem near the facilities management staff that will be charged with operating the system.Unfortunately, space near Facilities Management