PHYS 350 - Energy and Sustainable Design

Cross-Listed as ENVI 350

This course provides an in-depth treatment of the science and engineering the transition to a sustainable, renewable, and carbon-free energy economy. The first part of the course will be a survey of the electric power grid transition to wind, solar, storage and other renewable technologies. The focus of the course will examine carbon-free and sustainable practices and technologies in the built environment including electrification of transportation and heating, distributed energy and energy storage, micro grids, efficiency, water and waste management, and sustainable building design practices. An important theme of the course will be the implications of deep electrification, where the energy economy is based almost exclusively on electrical energy generated by carbon-free and renewable resources. Lab time will be used for local field trips, computer simulations, and laboratory demonstrations/experiments. Three lectures and one two hour lab per week. Prerequisite(s): Mathematics preparation though elementary calculus (equivalent to MATH 135) Alternate fall semesters. (4 Credits)