Abstract
United States renewable energy businesses require well trained high school and college students to fill key positions as technicians, engineers, and other high paying jobs. Project based learning programs offer a way to train students in these emerging fields with realistic, intensive student-designed and built projects. This paper reviews the challenges and some of the lessons learned in developing a four year high school curriculum in renewable energy and clean technology. A primary challenge in developing this kind of program is the time and complexity of gathering relevant technical material in this field and adapting it for high school students. Related to this challenge is the selection of projects that the students pursue. We've learned that these two challenges require a content area expert and substantial technical support to insure that student design projects are age and skill appropriate, safe for the class, but also keep students engaged. One key learning from this program has been the successful introduction of novel, table-top scale “minisystems” that emulate full scale projects such as electric vehicles. These minisystems are also low-cost enough so that a typical class can to assign one minisystem to a two person team. The renewable energy focus also enables the discussion of key environmental and economic challenges. Student designed and built thermal storage units mimic residential-scale systems. Energy arbitrage, the differential in peak and low demand prices for electricity, helps the students understand why and when these systems can be economical to operate. Other projects in biofuels also facilitate discussion about the sustainability of using food or other renewable natural resources for energy. Each course contains six to eight projects. Projects topics are developed through an interactive brainstorming session including leading teachers in the State and representatives from prominent local industry. The project topics are further refined to focus on a key problem area. This curriculum is currently in the pilot phase at numerous high schools in the Southeast.