Students' Evaluation of Competing Alternative Energy Options for a Sustainability Assessment part of Integrate:Workshops and Webinars:Systems, Society, Sustainability and the Geosciences:Activities
Hitesh Soneji, City College of San Francisco
A group exercise in trying to understand the many attributes that contribute to an overall assessment of sustainability for alternative energy projects.

Offshore wind or offshore oil? part of Integrate:Workshops and Webinars:Systems, Society, Sustainability and the Geosciences:Activities
Noah Snyder, Boston College
An introductory environmental science project tasking students with comparing offshore oil and wind power development.

Using Lab Measurements to Determine the Feasibility of a Photovoltaic Panel part of Integrate:Workshops and Webinars:Systems, Society, Sustainability and the Geosciences:Activities
Tom Termes, Black Hills State University
Using Lab Measurements to determine the power output of a solar module and the economic feasibility of photovoltaic panels

Back of the Envelope Calculations: Renewable Energy part of Integrate:Workshops and Webinars:Systems, Society, Sustainability and the Geosciences:Activities
Laura Rademacher, University of the Pacific
This is an example of a back of the envelope calculation of the payback period for a renewable energy installation.

4. Creating Electricity from Light part of Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability
Benjamin Cuker, Hampton University
This module introduces students to the various ways electricity is made from solar radiation. It provides a historical approach following advances over the last two centuries. Students see these technologies in ...

9. Hybrid and Electric Cars part of Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability
Randolph Chambers, College of William and Mary
This module reviews the history of the automobile and its varied power sources, culminating in the latest versions of hybrid and electric cars.

6. Energy from and to the Earth part of Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability
Randolph Chambers, College of William and Mary
This module compares the spatial availability of geothermal resources for heating and cooling and evaluates different ground exchange systems for practical application. The operation of enhanced geothermal systems ...

2. Using Wind to do Work part of Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability
Benjamin Cuker, Hampton University
This module shows students how wind (atmospheric circulation) is produced from solar radiation, gravity, and the spinning of Earth. It then develops the history of how humans have harnessed the power of the wind, ...

3. Thermal Energy from Light part of Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability
Benjamin Cuker, Hampton University
In this module, students learn the basic principles and techniques involved with converting solar radiation to useful heat. They explore the concepts of temperature and heat, and the physical basis for solar ...

Unit 3: Rivers and Water Diversion part of Environmental Justice and Freshwater Resources - Spanish
Ruth Hoff, Wittenberg University. Authored and compiled new case study material based on Unit 3 of Environmental Justice and Freshwater Resources module by Adriana Perez, Jill S. Schneiderman, Meg Stewart, and Joshua Villalobos
In this unit students will explore surface water and its relationship to the water cycle via watersheds and drainage divides. These topics will inform their analysis of the social and environmental impacts of the ...

Capstone Project part of Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability
For those teaching the modules as an entire course, we provide a capstone summary assessment activity. This activity is designed to incorporate scaffolding of the material, to use the gained knowledge to do ...

10. Energy from Biofuels part of Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability
Benjamin Cuker, Hampton University
This unit explores the historic, current, and potential use of biomass for the production of energy. Various bio fuels are introduced, and students are reminded of the role of biomass in the development of ...

Renewable Energy Virtual Field Trip part of Teach the Earth:Teaching Activities
Evan Heeg, University of Wisconsin-Madison
This is a virtual field trip on the subject of renewable energy. The Google Earth slideshow will take you around the world to different key renewable energy sites across the world. Each site will have a quick ...

Energy Gallery Walk part of Energy:Energy Activities
Katharine Ellis, Front Range Community College
This is a cooperative learning activity using the Gallery Walk Strategy (strategy from the Starting Point Gallery Walk web pages) to enrich student understanding of the complex nature of solving our nation's ...

Selecting Sites for Renewable Energy Projects part of Teaching Methods:Teaching with Google Earth:Examples
Glenn Richard, SUNY at Stony Brook
Students use Google Earth to investigate appropriate locations for a variety of renewable energy projects in the United States. These include projects that use solar energy, bioenergy, hydroelectricity, tidal power, wind energy, wave energy, and geothermal energy.

Powering the Future part of Energy:Energy Activities
Pam Dugdale
This paper introduces a card exercise which allows students to make decisions about how best to provide electrical power to their country. Students must make choices between renewable and non-renewable electricity ...

Evaluating the Effects of Local Energy Resource Development part of Energy:Energy Activities
Devin Castendyk, SUNY College at Oneonta
This is a semester-long, jigsaw project for a class of 20 to 25 students that has students work in teams to explore the effects of energy resource development on local water resources, economics and society.

Communications Booster: The Great "LOCAL AND RENEWABLE" Energy Debate: Adapting Lessons for Place-based Politics and Student-centered Learning part of CLEAN:CLEAN Network:Teaching Materials
Daniel Steinberg, Princeton University
Dan Steinberg, Princeton University Serena Poli, Eastern Michigan University Nicole Colston, Oklahoma State University This page builds on the CLEAN reviewed activities Evaluating the Effects of Local Energy ...

Structural Analysis of a Hot Dry Rock Geothermal Energy System part of Energy:Energy Activities
Tim Schroeder, Bennington College
This project applies basic geologic skills to the development of a geothermal electrical generation system. I use it in a structural geology, but it would be applicable to any intermediate to advanced level course ...

Energy Hog Advertising Campaign part of Energy:Energy Activities
Rob Milne, Sheridan College
Students are asked to design an alternative to the Energy Hog Ads developed by the Depatment of Energy. This advertising campaign was launched in 2004 to encourage children and their parents to engage in energy ...