"An Engineering Elective on Energy Sustainability: Renewable, Nuclear, and Fossil Fuels"

As the Fukushima nuclear disaster discredits nuclear energy and the price of oil continues to soar, renewable energy (wind and solar, especially) seems promising but can yet replace coal for baseload power.At this disorderly time, the author is preparing an elective on energy for next semester to provide students with a technological foundation and economic fundamentals of energy options.The course will review the history of energy resources and usage, and will outline the science, technology and economics of each option.A premise of the course is that a sustainable energy technology must be technically feasible, economically viable, and environmentally responsible.The course will examine various energy options, including solar, wind, biomass, oceanic, geothermal, hydropower, fuel cell, nuclear, oil, gas, and coal.Technological progress of each option will be reviewed, along with economic opportunities and challenges.