Changes in the world, society, and our environment are forcing changes in engineering education. As global warming accelerates, it becomes critical that designers of technology understand and apply the principles of sustainability. Creating renewable energy, minimizing waste, reusing scarce resources and carefully managing energy consumption are all important elements of sustainable design.
Today's students are concerned about the environment, but don't generally understand the underpinning technical issues. A shortage of students pursuing electrical and computer engineering, coupled with both the need for sustainability and the desire of today's students to involve themselves in work that benefits society, suggests that incorporating sustainability principles throughout the electrical and computer engineering curriculum can bolster enrollment, while producing engineers equipped to meet the growing needs of society.
Wind and Solar Energy Program
The Kansas State University ECE Department is currently working on wind and solar energy projects. This work is supported by The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy We plan to report several parameters of our systems, including:
- streaming video feed
- light intensity vs. time via LUX meter
- wind intensity
- Enphase solar data
- home usage monitoring (TED-5000).
Our data will be used in the classroom to assist students in related projects. It will also be available to the public.
Progress
