Introducing renewable energy education into engineering technology program

This paper presents the first stage to implement green energy education into an engineering technology program making use of a solar power generation station. As issues such as climate change, global warming, increased blackouts, and oil price fluctuation continue to pepper the news, it is likely that the use of renewable energy will become an increasing national priority that will affect the next generation of college students. It is apparent that there is still a widespread lack of understanding about the benefits of using alternative energy sources. As such, there is clearly a need to educate the community about sustainable energy and our institution provides an excellent venue for reaching a large audience in creative and effective ways. The solar system will serve as a demonstration platform for educating undergraduate students about contemporary renewable energy theory and technology. Key to this educational strategy is the development of projects that can assist in educating students in all aspects of renewable energy, thus, raising public awareness of the requirement to protect the environment.