PHYS 331/580:
Fundamentals of Renewable Energy
Prerequisites:
PHYS 262 or 266 or PI. Please see me
after the first class if you have not taken 266 or 262. Graduate students enrolled in PHYS 580 can
use it to satisfy either the MAIS
concentration in energy & sustainability or one of the three electives
for a MS in applied physics, but not the PhD in physics.
Instructor: Prof. Robert Ehrlich,
301 C ST1
Office
Hours: Mon,
Wed 1:30 – 2:30 or by appointment
Course objectives: This course introduces
students to the physical principles of renewable energy sources. Students will be exposed to a broad survey of
various types of renewable energy. The
objective is to give students enough information to allow them to understand
the imperative for moving to renewable sources, to assess the relative merits
of various renewable sources, to do calculations involving them, and to
understand the factors in optimizing their design, application and locations. Most importantly, the course will stress how
to draw conclusions from various statistics & data concerning renewable
energy resources. Students signed up for
the graduate version of the course will be expected to master the material at a
deeper quantitative level.
Course
description: The course consists of an overview of the entire field
of renewable energy, presented with attention to the mathematical and physical
principles needed to assess the feasibility and desirability of each
source. It will also go into the most
detail with respect to solar, hydropower, geothermal, bio-energy, and wind
energy. There is also a section on
nuclear power. The course assumes an
understanding of basic physics, and it strives to address energy problems on a
mathematical level at the level of first year calculus plus first order
differential equations.
Components of your Grade
You
will have a choice of either doing a project to be part of your grade, or instead
counting the exams proportionally more.
Be advised however, that if you do not let me know about what your
project is by the end of the third week of classes (Wed, Feb 9), I will assume
that you choose to not do one. You will
not be allowed to reverse this later if you are unhappy with your grade on the
first exam. Please be advised that
project grades do tend to be higher on average than exam grades.
Option 1: Grading if project option
chosen:
15%
Homework problems
25%
Midterm Exam
25%
Final Exam
10%
Class participation
20%
Term project
5% Field
trip (Provisions are described for an alternative assignment if you cannot
attend == see below.)
0
- 5% Bonus (described below)
Option 2: Grading if no project option
chosen:
15%
Homework problems
35%
Midterm Exam
35%
Final Exam
10%
Class participation (based on actual contributions made)
5% Field trip (Provisions are described for an
alternative assignment if you cannot attend – see below.)
0
- 5% Bonus (described below)
Exams
are open book & open notes, and you are expected to observe the Honor
Code. Last year’s midterm can be found here with answers. Note that PHYS 331 & 580 students will
take common exams, except that the 580 students will have a few more challenging
problem on both the mid-term & final.
If you are a student with a
disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the
Office of Disability Resources at 703/993-2474. All academic accommodations
must be arranged through that office.
Academic integrity. GMU is an Honor Code university; please see the University Catalog for
a full description of the code and the honor committee process. The principle
of academic integrity is taken very seriously and violations are treated gravely.
What does academic integrity mean in this course? Essentially this: when you
are responsible for a task, you will perform that task. When you rely on
someone else’s work in an aspect of the performance of that task, you will give
full credit in the proper, accepted form. Another aspect of academic integrity
is the free play of ideas. Vigorous discussion and debate are encouraged in
this course, with the firm expectation that all aspects of the class will be
conducted with civility and respect for differing ideas, perspectives, and
traditions. When in doubt (of any kind) please ask for guidance and
clarification.
Project. This might be
a collaborative effort with a group of no more than 3 students working on
various aspects of it or alternatively separate projects for individual
students. I will need to approve your
project by the end of the third week at the latest, but I will want to be assured
that different people or groups are working on different projects, so it pays
to discuss your idea with me early.
Remember your proposed project must be submitted no later than Wed, Feb
9. At that time it is also essential
that you let me have an itemized accurate estimate of the cost of parts for
your project so that you can get reimbursed (within reason). Some possible projects are described here.
Please be sure to meet with me during the 6th and 10th
weeks of the course, so I can monitor your progress. The project must be completed before Mon April
18, when it will be on display to the Mason community. It is expected that in addition to turning in
the project it will be presented to the class during the last week of the
semester. Note that there will be a
significant grade penalty if you do not attend the two “progress” meetings or
do not turn in your project by the due date.
Textbook: I am currently writing a text book suitable for this
course together with a coauthor (Keith Williams), and draft chapters will be
made available as they are written.
Regrettably, however many chapters are not yet written. In addition to the draft chapters, detailed
power point notes will also be posted on line.
The sample chapters, and the homework problems are a reasonable guide to
the material which will be on the exams.
Additionally, a good comprehensive text you might want to consult is Renewable
Energy Resources, 2nd ed, by Twidell & Weir, although parts of
this text are too advanced.
Bonus Points: Earn up to
five bonus points towards your final grade by e-mailing me errors you find in
the draft chapters – one point for each error.
However, you must be the first one to alert me to the error, and only
errors in fact (not grammar or spelling) are eligible.
Week 1. Introduction
Week 2. Heat Transfer
Week 3. Solar Radiation
Week 4. Solar Water Heating & Other Solar Thermal
Applications
Week 5. Semiconductor Devices I
Week 6.
Semiconductor Devices II
(plus meetings with all students on their projects
this week during office hours)
Week 7. Spring recess: Mon Mar 14 – Fri Mar 19
Week 8. Mid-term exam Wed 3/23 : Last
years exam, Mon: guest lecture
and discussion
Week 9. Hydropower
April 2 (Saturday) Field trip
Week 10.Wind Power
Week 11.Biomass & biofuels, (plus meetings with all students on their
projects this week during office hours)
Week 12.Geothermal energy
Week 13.Energy Systems, Storage and Transmission
(April 18 is the absolute deadline for submitting
projects.)
Display of
projects in “Showcase” Monday, April 18 from 230 to 5PM in lieu of class
Week 14. Nuclear science and technology
Week 15. Energy Conservation and Efficiency
Final exam Mon,
May 16, 1:30 – 4:15 Last years exam
Contact at farm (717) 334-3389 (ext 204), proprietor Richard
Waybright. The one-way travel time to
the farm is around 90 minutes, and we will return to Mason before 5:00. The trip will go rain or shine, and we will
meet in front of the Finley building at 8:15 AM, and travel by van. (Don’t be late, since we leave promptly at
8:30.) My cell phone number is 703-963-9499. If there are some persons who cannot
attend the field trip, an alternative assignment will be arranged – see
below. Following the field trip you need
to write a review of the visit &
what you learned.
Alternative assignment. For any
student who is unable to attend a field trip, provisions will be made for an
alternative assignment, involving design & construction of a renewable
energy demonstration to be presented to the class. You may not use “kits” for this purpose. Please see me today to inform me if you know
you cannot attend a field trip as scheduled.
Why an internship? An internship, which is often pursued in your junior year – usually over the summer – can be a great entrée into well-paying career and it may even may help you land a job later with a particular company. “Green jobs” relating to renewable energy encompass many areas, including entrepreneurs, researchers, autoworkers making hybrid cars, building consultants, home energy auditors, solar panel installers, environmental studies and engineering professors, think tank policy experts, wind turbine engineers, lawyers for biofuel companies to name just a few. Internships give you a much better understanding of what a field is like, and they give employers experience with your abilities before they make a long-term investment in you.
What is available? There are numerous internships available across the nation relating to renewable energy at universities, federally funded labs, non-profit organizations, private companies, and energy research centers. Some opportunities tend to be in scientific and engineering fields, but others are in policy areas. The ones at universities and research labs usually include a travel and housing allowance as well as a weekly stipend. Among those opportunities at companies and non-profit organizations, some are paid, and some are unpaid. Which ones might be most appropriate for you would depend on your major. Obviously, opportunities of a technical nature would be most appropriate for science or engineering majors, while others would be more appropriate for students who have majored in business, IT, or in public policy.
How to find them? A list of over 100 internships throughout the nation can be found at this web site: http://rev-up.org -- just select internships from the left menu. Note that this database can easily be sorted and searched to find those in a particular geographic region. Not every one of these organizations is seeking someone immediately, but they all do work in the areas of renewable energy & energy conservation, and they have expressed a desire to take on interns at some point.
How do I make the arrangements? Making specific arrangements for an
internship is entirely up to you after you have identified whether a particular
organization might be interested in you.
Finally, be sure to find out how to obtain course credit for an
internship, and be sure to make the necessary arrangements ahead of time, since
this cannot be done retroactively.