Syllabus
Course Overview
This is a 12-day comprehensive overview of the commercial renewable energy industry using Costa Rica and its infrastructure as our classroom. For many of our students, the course work, site visits, and cultural exposure to the people and practices of the Costa Ricans will spark a life long passion for renewable energy and sustainable living practices. The educational approach is a blend of Interactive Lectures from Distinguished Faculty, Hands-on Exclusive Energy Plant Visits, Community Service Initiatives, and a culminating Team Capstone Project. These activities are combined with a traditional focus of individual study on provided materials, corresponding class time, and interactive discussion.
Course Objectives
- Gain a comprehensive understanding and personal familiarity of the science and technology behind renewable energy systems: hydroelectric, wind, geothermal, solar, biomass, and bio fuels
- Analyze financial costs and environmental impact of renewable energy production facilities in a historical, present, and possibly futuristic context
- Develop evaluation skills of energy sources and projects in terms of feasibility within the matrix of technical, economic, environmental, and political perspective approaches
- Gain the necessary vocabulary to allow one to further discuss concepts related to comemrcial energy production, transmission management, and legislative policies within the industry to allow one to discuss the subject matter more extensively
- Enhance one's leadership, teamwork, and networking skills through exciting adventure excursions and exposure to professional relationships
- Network with industry professionals and like-minded students who aspire to excel in the field of renewable energy
- Expand one's perspective of cultural awareness for Costa Rica and its people
Courses to Attend
(80 minutes Plus Discussion)
Note Reading material is provided to students for these courses at the beginning of the program. Students are expected to come to class prepared with a working knowledge of the reading material content.
- Introductino to Energy
- Hydro Power
- Wind Power
- Biomass Cogeneration
- Geothermal Power
- Solar Electricity
- Sustainable Homes
- Sustainable Farming/Bio Methane
- Water
Hands-On Site Visits
Over the course of the program, GREEN students visit a renewable energy plant in each of the following categories: Biomass, Hydroelectricity (both High and Low Head), Wind, and Geothermal. In addition, Solar power applications are observed and mastered in a residential setting. Please note the physical proximity of these commercial plants to one another in Costa Rica, combined with the exclusive touring access with a plant manager, make the educational experience possible here like nowhere else in the world.
In addition, our group visits a biogas methane production farm, a series of natural potable water springs collected and gravity fed to its end use, an endemic tree reforestation walking tour, and a GREEN homes development project.
Capstone Project
As part of the GREEN Educational Program, each student is required to choose and develop an independent project dealing with topics related to Renewable Energy, Public Policy, Business, Ecology, Environmental Science and others. Each student will be partnered with another to collaborate on this Capstone Project.
The project must address a current issue which can be solved or improved through the application of renewable energy policy, technology, business, sustainable ecology, and environmental policy.
The Capstone Project inspires and motivates students to think outside the box and implement the learned materials, while creating the innovations of tomorrow. A number of student projects have been presented as proposals and are currently in their beginning stages of implementation.
Historically, on each Capstone Presentation night, there have been several industry professionals present and so the Project should be taken seriously by the students.
