Sustainable Alternative Energy Supply can be a Reality for You

Course Code:VSS102

Course Duration: 100 hours (approximation, self paced study, commonly 3 to 6 months, longer if you need)

Learn to become less reliant on the electricity and gas companies and save money through alternative energy sources.

• Save money through making homes more efficient and renewable energy
• Learn about energy management
• Learn about energy generation, storage and management
• Become aware of domestic energy usage

Alternative Energy is a growth industry, and career opportunities are opening up all the time; from sales and marketing positions in retail outlets and manufacturing businesses through to technical assistants, developmental scientists and entrepreneurial businessmen. Some people get a start in this industry as a hobby, others with a short course like this. Some are lucky enough to get a position where they can train on the job, and others undertake a more substantial certificate, diploma or degree course.

This is not an industry where you necessarily need a high qualification; but you do need to understand the industry, be technically minded and have a creative and open mind that can apply lateral thinking to problem solving. This course aims to encourage and develop these characteristics as a foundation for working in alternative energy.

Course Structure

1. The Problems and the Energy Sources
History, scope and nature
Climate Change
Energy units
Problems with Fossil Fuels
Problems with other energy sources ... hydro electricity, nuclear, wind, solar
Understanding Energy
Terminology

2. Understanding electricity
Conductors and non conductors
Measuring electricity ... current, voltage, resistance
Ohm's Law
Circuits: Series; parallel
Kirchhoffs law
Power
Power ratings
Magnetism
Electromagnetism and Solenoids
Electric motors
Inductors
Lenz's law

3. Generating Electricity
Turbines
Generators
Fuel cells
Wind Power
Large Scale Wind System Design
Small Scale Wind System Design
Solar Energy
Positioning a solar cell
Small Scale Solar
Future Developments in Solar
Geothermal Energy
Dry Steam Power Plants
Flash Steam Power Plants
Binary Cycle Power Plants
Advantages of Geothermal
How Geothermal is used
Geothermal heat pumps
Hydropower
Tide and Current Power
Tide Barage
Tidal Turbines
Wave Power
Nuclear Energy
Fission Reactors
Fusion
Half Lives and Radioactivity
Waste to Energy

4. Storage and Using Electricity
Terminology
Cells -simple cell, car battery, gel, AGM, Nickel etc.
Deep Cycle Battery
Lithium Rechargeable Batteries
Calculating Battery Requirements
Inverters
Alternators and Regulators
Converters
System Types
EMR & electricity use
Recommended Exposure Limits
Safety with Electricity

5. Non-Electric Systems
Scope and nature
Passive Solar
Fire Wood
Drying and storing wood
Comparing different wood types
Smoke fires
Creosote formation in fire flues
Environmental aspects of burning wood
Biofuels
Ethanol
Small scale Biomass
Passive Solar Energy
Solar hot water ... flat plat collectors, evacuated tubes, open or closed circuit, passive or active systems, heat pumps
Greenhouses
Night insulation
Solar Garden Water Features

6. Energy Consumption
Reducing energy consumption
Pricing
Population growth
Large scale reduction of energy consumption -managing green cities, urban sprawl, peak demands, transport, etc.

7. Energy Conservation
How a home owner can reduce energy consumption
Temperature control
Minimising light energy consumption
Minimising appliance energy consumption
Insulation
Water conservation
Solar house design

8. Converting to Alternative Systems
Estimating Energy Needs
Building Efficiency
System Design
System Designers