Renewable Energy: Education is Key
Column
By Brian Salgado   
Monday, 03 December 2007
smc Renewable Energy, Education is Key
The Renewable Energy & Efficiency Education on Wheels program is meant to inform students, teachers and the community about renewable energy research and technology.
As the renewable energy sector continues to grow in relevance and economic impact in the United States, the industry will need a properly trained pool of laborers to help guide the nation toward a new energy infrastructure.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Colorado offers numerous programs that not only college-level faculty prepare the next generation of workers, but it also reaches down to the grade-school level to create awareness of renewable energy.

An important tool in this outreach is a bus that travels nationally to schools.

Renewable Energy & Efficiency Education on Wheels
Renewable Energy & Efficiency Education on Wheels (RnE²EW) is an education program aimed to show students, teachers and the community in renewable energy by showcasing the Department of Energy and the NREL's research and technology. RnE²EW conducts educational outreach events, hands-on activities and professional development seminars at schools, conventions, competitions, trade shows, fairs and other events for students, teachers and consumers.

Dr. Cynthia Howell, education programs manager, says approximately 20,600 individuals were exposed to the information and demonstrations the RnE²EW bus and trailer provides this year, which set a record for the program. The bus is a teacher resource center outfitted with electronics, displays and workstations. The trailer demonstrates renewable energy technologies and systems.

Howell attributes the rise in interest in the RnE²EW bus to a new Web presence, educators requesting its services and, most importantly, the fact renewable energy and energy efficiency is on everyone's mind. "Our main information is to get information to the schools," Howell says.

RnE²EW covers solar energy, biomass energy, hydrogen energy, geothermal, wind energy, and energy efficiency and awareness. The Champion-Challenger bus is equipped with a Ford E-450 6.8-liter engine. It runs completely on propane.

An onboard cabinet displays technologies and four laptop computer stations. A solar-charged battery power system keeps the bus lit with energy-efficient track lighting.

The RnE²EW trailer hands-on equipment and to serve as a teaching platform and showcase of actual technologies, while the bus serves as a resource for renewable energy and efficiency curriculum, consumer information and DOE/NREL research and technology information. Solar energy panels and a small wind turbine charge a battery bank that powers the displays in the trailer. A cut out window box displays technologies renewable hydrogen fuel cells or energy-efficient lighting.

Academies Creating Teacher Scientists
The DOE's Academies Creating Teacher Scientists (ACTS) program gives science and math teachers the content "knowledge and scientific research experience to serve as leaders and agents of positive change in local and regional teaching communities," according to the NREL. The program is in practice at every national laboratory across the United States, but NREL's program usually garners the most interest for the eight-week research mentorship.

"For all of the internships, we get the largest number of applicants across the nation," Howell says. "The two greatest issues and challenges in the future will be energy and water. Across curricula throughout the nation there are energy standards. Within them is renewable energy and energy efficiency, so it only makes sense [for students] to learn from teachers what energy portfolios will look like."

Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships
The DOE offers Science Undergraduate laboratory Internships (SULI) to provide undergraduates with training and research experiences to strengthen their knowledge and skills and deepen their commitment to pursue careers in science and technology. For 10 weeks during the summer, students work with laboratory scientists and engineers as members of research teams at NREL.

Howell says the program usually has 35 students every year, and the 350 to 400 applications NREL receives are the most of any similar programs. The laboratory looks for students studying the STEM fields - science, technology, engineering or math - and helps them produce one publishable research paper by the end of internship.

"These students go back and interact with other students and, hopefully, what we're truly doing is developing our future work force," Howell says.

Sustainable Energy Education and Training
In April 2006, the National Science Foundation awarded a grant to the Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center (ATEEC) and its partners to provide professional development training for high school and community college instructors. The Sustainable Energy Education and Training (SEET) project builds the capacity of energy and environmental technicians to meet the challenges of sustainable energy in the 21st century workplace. It hosts two 10-day annual workshops at NREL, the University of Northern Iowa and the Partnership for Environmental Technology Education.

NREL immerses in 25 educators for three consecutive summers in renewable energy research with top scientists and researchers. This year, its first, Howell says the program had 130 applicants for 25 positions.
 
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