Link to Textbook (updated frequently)
Help Session Schedule (also updated frequently)
Week One
- Class 01: Tuesday, September 13
- Pre-class:
- None
- Class Content
- Pre-class:
- Class 02: Friday, September 16
- Pre-class:
- Read: The syllabus. (The about section in the main menu.)
- Class Content
- Introduction to Power. Watts and kiloWatts.
- Worksheet from Class
- Lab Week 01 Friday, September 16
- Introductions
- Large Numbers and Scientific Notation [handout]
- Homework One: Homework 01 Due Friday, September 16
Week Two
- Class 03 Tuesday, September 20
- Class Content
- Power and energy. KiloWatt Hours
- Handout 1 Handout 2 Power Bill
- Class Content
- Class 04 Friday, September 23
- Class Content
- Lots about greenhouse gas emissions
- Video of Class
- Links to websites I used for the lecture:
- CO2 Data Explorer from Our World in Data. Emissions of CO2 and CO2E, Production or Consumption-based, broken down by country and/or region
- Cumulative CO2 Emissions from Our World in Data
- CarbonMap.org. Shows world map with countries scaled so that their area is proportional to their emissions, consumption, etc.
- Access to Electricity vs GDP per capita from Our World in Data
- Access to Electricity from Our World in Data
- GHG Emissions by Sector from Our World in Data
- Energy Flowcharts from the Lawrence Livermore National Lab
- Carbon Intensity of Electricity from Our World in Data
- Lab Week 02 Friday 23 September
- Measuring power
- Lab Handout
- Homework 02 Due Friday, September 23
Week Three
- Class 05 Tuesday, September 27
- Class Content
- A bit more about emissions, generating electricity, capacity factors.
- Handouts: [Emissions] [Capacity Factors]
- Photos of Steam Turbines: [1] [3] [3] [4]
- Article about Gas Turbines from the American Sientist.
- Video of Class
- Class Content
- Class 06 Friday, October 1
- Class Content
- More capacity factors. Introduction to wind power
- Video of class
- Handouts: [Capacity factors] [Wind, proportional reasoning, areas]
- Lab Week 03 Friday 30 September
- Building a generator!
- Lab Handouts: [Lab Handout] [Generator Instructions]
- Homework 03 Due Friday, September 30, 2022
Week Four
- Class 07 Tuesday, October 4
- Class Content
- More windpower. Thinking about Areas
- Handout
- Class Content
- Lab Week 04 Friday, October 7
- Building a Wind Turbine!!
- Lab Handout: [Lab Handout]
- Class 08 Friday, October 1
- Class Content
- Thermal energy (heat). BTUs ☹. Caloric values of fuels. Carbon intensity of fuels.
- Handout from class
- Video of class (from 2021)
- Homework 04 Due Friday, October 7
Week Five
- Class 09 Tuesday, October 12
- Class Content
- Efficiencies. R values and heat loss. Furnaces, resistive heaters. fuels. Carbon intensity of fuels
- Handout
- Video of Class (from 2021)
- Class Content
- Lab Week 05 Friday, October 14
- Building Window Inserts!
- Class 10 Friday, October 14
- Class Content
- Heat Pumps
- Handouts: [Home Heating] [Solar PV ]
- Homework 05 Due Friday, October 14
Week Six
- Class 11 Tuesday, October 18
- Solar PV. Time Value of Money
- Handouts: [Solar PV] [Time Value of Money ]
- Links:
- Class 12 Friday, October 15
- Midterm Check-in, Net Present Value, Cars
- Handouts: [Net Present Value] [Cars]
- Lab Week 06 Friday, October 21
- Spreadsheets
- Lab Handouts: [Lab Handout]
- Homework 06 Due Friday, October 21
Week Seven
- Class 13 Tuesday, October 25
- Valuing Investments. A Physics Model for Car Energy Use.
- Handouts: [Cars] [Valuing Investments ]
- Class 14 Friday, October 28
- Transportation
- Handout: [Cars and Planes] [Transporting Stuff]
- Lab Week 07 Friday, October 28
- Financial Analysis Exercise
- Lab Handouts: [Finance Assignment]
- Homework 07 Due Friday, October 28
Week Eight
- Class 15 Tuesday, November 2
- Nuclear Power
- Handout
- Nuclear Energy from Our World in Data
- What was the death toll from Chernobyl and Fukushima? from Our World in Data
- Class 16 Friday, November 5
- Nuclear Safety.
- Lab Week 08 Friday, November 4
- Calculating a Conversion Efficiency
- Lab Handout: Lab Handout
- Homework 08 Due Friday, November 4
Week Nine
- Class 17 Tuesday, November 8
- Class 18 Friday, November 11
- Food and Agriculture.
- Read Food-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States by Weber and Matthews.
- Websites presented in class:
- Emissions by Sector from Our world in Data
- Environmental Impacts of Food Production from Our World in Data
- Land Use from Our World in Data
- Yes, plant-based meat is better for the planet, by Matthew Kayek and Jan Dutkiewicz
- Handout: Food
- Lab Week 09 Friday, November 11
- Campus Energy Tour and/or Blower Door and IR Camera Demo!
- Homework 09 Due Friday, November 11
Week Ten
- Class 19 Tuesday, November 16
- The Grid.
- Handout
- Video of Class
- Lab Week 10 Friday, November 18
- No Labs
- Homework 10. Due Friday, November 18
- Energy Plan. Due Friday, November 18