ONLINE, Spring 2010

• For Credit, must be admitted to WTAMU
  • Undergraduate: ET 4395-70, Research/Problems
  • Graduate: ET 6392-70, Seminar/Engin Tech
• Continuing Education, ENRGY 1000-01, 4.5 CEU units, Cost $720

Enroll through Continuing Education,  Dec 16 – Jan 20 or call 806-651-2037

How to Register and Pay (THROUGH CONTINUING EDUCATION)

• Under Topic Code, select ENRGY Renewable Energy, then click submit.
• Click in the box, then submit and fill out personal form and pay.

Instructors

• Vaughn Nelson and Gerald Chen
  • Support: Ken Starcher
    • Dr. Nelson, Director, Alternative Energy Institute (AEI) and Professor of Engineering
    • Dr. Chen, Associate Professor of Engineering Technology
• Bios:
  • www.wtamu.edu/~vnelson
  • www.wtamu.edu/academics/gerald-chen-bio.aspx
• Phone:
  • AEI 806-651-2295
  • Eng and CS 806 651
• Emails:
  • vnelson@wtamu.edu
  • gchen@wtamu.edu
• Address: Box 60248, WTAMU Canyon, TX 79016-0001

Nelson and Starcher have taught two courses online a number of times: 1) Wind Energy and Wind Turbines, and 2) Solar Energy. They have over 60 years experience in renewable energy, primarily in wind energy. Drs. Nelson and Chen have been thesis chairs on a number of projects at AEI. Department of Engineering and Computer Science and AEI are developing a renewable energy degree program.

Course Description

Renewable Energy (ET 4395-70) is an overview course with the use of spreadsheets for some analysis.

At the end of the course you should be able to:

• Understand energy and power as it relates renewable energy production.
• Be able to analyze data and predict energy production of renewable energy systems.
• Understand operational parameters of renewable energy systems (mechanical, electrical, control).
• Size systems and predict performance.
• Understand institutional issues; local, environmental, and national.
• Calculate economic values from simple payback to life cycle costs.

Course Information

No Required Text

• Suggested Textbooks
  • Vaughn Nelson, Wind Energy, Renewable Energy and the Environment, CRC Press, 2009
  • Robert Foster, Majid Ghassemi and Alma Cota, Solar Energy, Renewable Energy and the Environment, CRC Press, 2010
  • Aldo Vieira da Rosa, Renewable Energy Processes, 2nd ed, Academic Press, 2009
• General:  Godfrey Boyle, Ed., Renewable Energy, Power for a Sustainable Future, 2nd ed, Oxford University Press, 2004

Dr. Nelson is in the process of writing textbook, Renewable Energy, Overview, so online course will cover much of the same material.

RENEWABLE ENERGY: OVERVIEW

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1.0 Introduction
• 2.0 Energy
• 3.0 Sun
• 4.0 Heat transfer and storage
• 5.0 Solar heating and cooling
• 6.0 Concentrating Collectors
• 7.0 Photovoltaics
• 8.0 Electricity
• 9.0 Design of systems
• 10.0   Wind Energy
• 11.0   Biomass
• 12.0   Geothermal
• 13.0   Micro and Mini Hydro
• 14.0   Applications
• 15.0   Ocean
• 16.0   Storage
• 17.0   Institutional
• 18.0   Economics

Tentative Schedule

Cover one to two chapters per week.