 The Renewable Energy Alternative: How the United States and the World Can... US $19.95 
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Ideas on curriculum for an alternative energy course?
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.
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.
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