Renewable Energy: An Interdisciplinary Problem Solving Course

This paper describes a new intermediate course given in the Environmental Studies Program at The New School. It incorporates research activities by the class as a whole, in the process of which the class learns a great deal about the science and technology of non-fossil fuels, their promises and difficulties. Since ameliorating human influenced global climate change, educating and training students in the skills necessary to accomplish the necessary transition is essential. The course embodies a class project on which everyone works, entitled "Fueling America," whose purpose is to determine what technologies deployed in what manner and in what quantities can eliminate the use of fossil fuels in the United States by a date certain. Knowing that it was impossible, we nevertheless chose an early date, 2030, so that it seemed reachable for the students. The project resulted in a technical paper, which included an economic analysis. In addition to alternative energy technologies, the technologies of energy efficiencies were also included.