Has anyone seen (or even better taken) courses on topics including alternative energy and engineering modelling and design in an environmentally sensitive way? I was thinking such a class could also have practical projects building eBikes or other electric vehicles.
I took a course on "Natural resources and society" It covered topics of energy generation from different sources, planning and economics. I found it more suited to people (politicians and government) who deal with large scale decisions. The drawback was that the class was not very informative for the 99% of us where the decision is to buy an eBike, prius or an SUV rather than build a coal, gas or nuclear power plant.
I've been wondering how to create interest and knowledge for the general population on issues such as:
- How much do I really save by buying a new refrigerator (remember Matt Gruber's thread)?
- I now drive x km by car. If I bike or eBike the y km shorter trips and drive only z km, with x = y + z, what selection of y and z make sense? (given e.g. the different costs of an eBike with different ranges)
- Should I upgrade my windows, attic insulation or furnace first? (now you can pay a home inspector to answer this, but why not understand the calculation yourself)
- What is the sweetspot for dimensioning a geothermal heatpump given a heating need? (Here consumers apparently commonly are disapointed when adverticed savings don't materialize)
- What is the environmental benefit of installing a heatpump? (Apparently not much if your electricity is from coal or oil)
Any links, tips or experiences with courses or course material would be appreciated.
I took a course on "Natural resources and society" It covered topics of energy generation from different sources, planning and economics. I found it more suited to people (politicians and government) who deal with large scale decisions. The drawback was that the class was not very informative for the 99% of us where the decision is to buy an eBike, prius or an SUV rather than build a coal, gas or nuclear power plant.
I've been wondering how to create interest and knowledge for the general population on issues such as:
- How much do I really save by buying a new refrigerator (remember Matt Gruber's thread)?
- I now drive x km by car. If I bike or eBike the y km shorter trips and drive only z km, with x = y + z, what selection of y and z make sense? (given e.g. the different costs of an eBike with different ranges)
- Should I upgrade my windows, attic insulation or furnace first? (now you can pay a home inspector to answer this, but why not understand the calculation yourself)
- What is the sweetspot for dimensioning a geothermal heatpump given a heating need? (Here consumers apparently commonly are disapointed when adverticed savings don't materialize)
- What is the environmental benefit of installing a heatpump? (Apparently not much if your electricity is from coal or oil)
Any links, tips or experiences with courses or course material would be appreciated.
