Student Learning Experience from Renewable Energy Case Studies

Abstract

Student Learning Experience from Renewable Energy Case Studies AbstractStudents’ design projects at all levels are increasingly focused on the renewable energysources and systems due to the increased emphasis in the U.S. on clean energy innovation,generation, manufacturing, and commercialization. Since many topics and problemsrelated to renewable energy have been investigated by well-equipped research teams allover the world, the educational effort for student learning should be focused on howstudents acquire useful knowledge in the physical and chemical principles and makemeaningful contributions to the applications of renewable energy. This paper describesfour completed “green energy” projects. The description includes a summary of theproject requirements, design processes, and laboratory work. It also describes theinteractions between faculty, staff, and students from different disciplines. A specialemphasis is placed on understanding how to make interdisciplinary projects successful.During the past several years, our senior design capstone course teams have designedcase studies such as wind energy turbines, fuel cell controllers, solar cell maximumpower tracking controllers, and other similar projects. The paper also explores thestudents’ motivation for undertaking an interdisciplinary project and looks at how theywere able to remain motivated. Initial results show that students’ motivation remainedhigh as long as the project remained challenging. In addition, the interdisciplinary subjectmatter, laboratory techniques, and interactions between students, staff, and sponsors allplayed a role in the project success. Finally, the paper explores how participation in theseinterdisciplinary projects influenced students in their subsequent career choices.