Events
Public Lecture: Renewable Energy Education
Solar Action, in conjunction with the University of Otago Energy
Studies Programme, presents a
Public Lecture
"Recent Developments in Renewable Energy Education"
Professor Philip Jennings, School of Engineering and Energy, Murdoch
University, Perth, Australia.
Archway 2 Lecture Theatre,
University of Otago,
Dunedin
5:30pm
Wednesday 12 November 2008
All welcome.
Recent Developments in Renewable Energy Education
Renewable energy education is a relatively new field and previously it
formed a minor part of traditional engineering courses. These days it
has an identity of its own, with special techniques, standards and
requirements which are not normally encountered in other disciplines.
Modern renewable energy education includes a study of the technology,
resources, systems design, economics, industry structure and policies in
an integrated package. This prepares the graduates to design high
quality systems from amongst the range of options available. Designers,
installers and service personnel need to be particularly aware of the RE
industry and the needs of their customers. Above all they need to
understand the principles of sustainability and how to use renewable
energy sources as a basis for sustainable energy systems.
Over the past decade several new approaches have emerged to renewable
energy education that seek to address the needs of the 21st century for
sustainable energy supply systems. This talk will describe the aims,
philosophy, structure and outcomes of several of these initiatives. It
will include courses in sustainable energy management, renewable energy
engineering, renewable energy policy and planning and renewable energy
technician training. The talk will also describe some aspects of the
training of researchers in cooperation with the renewable energy
industry.
The Speaker
Professor Philip Jennings is Professor of Energy Studies at Murdoch
University. He has had a long involvement in
energy research, education and policy in Western Australia. Prof.
Jennings is well known and respected throughout Australia for his
research in photovoltaics and his teaching in renewable energy. One of
his special areas of interest has been the development and evaluation of
materials for renewable energy education in schools and universities,
including researching problems of energy use, new technologies and
applications, the preparation of information and learning materials and
their evaluation.