Ideas on curriculum for an alternative energy course?

Question

I am a high school student and will be taking an independent study course next year. Essentially, I am responsible for designing and carrying out the curriculum throughout the year, with a faculty adviser checking in with me occasionally. I have decided that the subject of my independent study course will be something along the lines of alternative energy or alternative fuels.

Does anybody know of any text books or helpful resources that I could use during my independent study course? I plan to do research, perform labs and experiments, and visit local labs, refineries, and perhaps a power plant. However, a textbook on alternative energy that I could follow would be very helpful. Even better would be a book with labs or experiments in it that I could perform.

If you have any ideas on how I can put together this course and make it the best it can be, let me know! Thanks.

Answer 1

Try teaching the truth. The earth has several recycle systems . The first is the water recycle system . Then there is the plants through photosynthesis recycling of the air. Then there is another no one knows about. The plants again take in the CO2 and they give us back the O2 but it holds on to the C . I find that in nature many things are recycled ,and the fossil fuels have been recycled for million's of years. That is where all this fuel comes from and it is even being recycled right now. After the earthy first formed there was no fossil fuels. The fossil fuel is actually from plant fossils.

Answer 2

Here are just few of the books:

-Alternative Energy Resources: The quest for sustainable energy by P. Kruger

-kicking the carbon habit: global warming and the case for renewable and nuclear energy by william sweet

-alternative energy demystified by s. dibilisco

-the easy guide to solar electric by adi fleper

-the easy guide to solar electric part ii: installation manual by adi fleper

-how to build a solar cell that really works by Walt Noon

-wind power: renewable energy for home, farm and business by p. gipe

-how to build a wind turbine by piggott

-wind power workshop: building your own wind turbine by piggott

-windmills and wind motors: how to build and run them by powell

Answer 3

Cool school.

I think that a really interesting perspective for a course on any form of energy is "energy density".  

Next to nuclear, oil is the most "dense" source of energy we have, then we get into things like veggie oil and alcohol, H2 ...combustion vs chemical vs fuel cell vs kinetic energy (wind) etcetc.  What is the energy density of each form?  What are the positives and negatives of each form:

fuel source(animal, vegetable, mineral),

technology( hightech expensive, lowtech cheap, commercially viable!),

byproducts (environmentally benign/harmful, economic ... "If I could build a car that would burn water and spit carbon fiber out the tailpipe I'd be richer than Bill Gates!"),

etc?

and finally,

How will those factors affect our response to Global Warming?  Will we choose the best choice, a balanced choice, a political choice?  It is likely "alternative to fossil fuels" will involve the development of many sources of energy.  Will we effectively use the excess energy caused by global warming, or depend on things like geothermal and nuclear out of convenience.

A policy paper that could be presented to government would be a VERY ambitious final objective for the course.

Answer 4

Frist thing is get real. The fact that polution exists in many forms and is a real proplem is no reason to promote silly and costly ideas like using the food supply for fuel. Exhaust is a problem too but nothing constructive is in the pipeline to fix this.