Issues in renewable energy education.

Issues in renewable energy education. Introduction The consumption of energy plays a pivotal role in the economicdevelopment of the industrialised world. Approximately 80% of theworld's total primary energy consumption is accounted for by fossilfuels and this poses a significant challenge for the future as oilproduction peaks and begins to decline and we simultaneously faceanthropogenic climate change caused primarily by the burning of fossilfuels. The twin threats of climate change and oil depletion leading toenergy insecurity in both the industrialised and developing world aredriving an increase in demand for renewable energy generation.Approximately $30 billion was invested in new renewable energytechnologies in 2004 excluding large hydro projects, which saw anadditional investment of $20-25 billion, mostly in developing countries(Martinot, 2005). With the increasing maturity of these technologies,research and development (R&D) efforts and government subsidies,this amount is set to increase further. Currently there is some 160 GWof installed renewable energy capacity worldwide, with 44% (70 GW) ofthis capacity located in developing countries (Martinot, 2005). Renewable energy (RE) is the fastest growing of all the energyindustries today, and is now worth US$42 billion per annum (ACF, 2006).Of the different renewable energy technologies, grid-connected solarpower has the highest global growth rate at 60% per annum, followed bywind at an average growth rate of 28% per annum (Martinot, 2005). Eventhe Australian Renewable Energy industry, though lacklustre byinternational standards, grew by 26% last year. A groundbreaking study,conducted by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, predictsthat there will be some 78,000 jobs generated in RE industries inAustralia by the year 2020 (EPIA, 2007) and many more worldwide. Figure1 provides a comparison of the growth rates of different renewableenergy technologies with fossil fuels and nuclear power. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Although the underlying principles of renewable energy technologiesare founded in traditional scientific and engineering subjects, theirdesign and deployment strategies can be considerably different. Inaddition they need to be deployed in a sustainable manner with acommitment to long term energy supply. The timing of peak oil is nowexpected to occur somewhere between 2006 and 2012 (Lloyd, 2007). Thusthere is some considerable urgency for researchers, technicians,analysts, planners and engineers with specific training in renewableenergy technologies (ACCC, 2004). The Availability of Renewable Energy Courses Presently there appears to be an insufficient number of peopletraining in the fields of energy studies and renewable energytechnologies. Although there is significant diversity in the coursesoffered and research undertaken in existing graduate programs there arestill a number of issues that need to be addressed. In order to testthis hypothesis a survey was carried out in Australia and New Zealand. Aquestionnaire was sent to all universities in Australia and New Zealandand they were asked to provide information about RE course offerings atthe university level. The courses available include undergraduate andpostgraduate programs which are offered on a coursework or researchbasis on various aspects of renewable energy. This includes courses inRE technology, energy efficiency, energy management and energy policyand planning. The detailed, tabulated results of this survey have beenpublished elsewhere (Thomas, Jennings & Lloyd, 2008). This paperfocuses on the issues that arose from the survey and their broader,international implications. Undergraduate Courses Australia and New Zealand have 45 universities. Only threeAustralian universities (Australian National University, University ofNew South Wales and Murdoch University) offer full undergraduate degreecourses in renewable energy engineering or energy studies. In NewZealand, only Otago University offers undergraduate studies in energystudies and energy management. Most universities offer one or two unitson renewable energy as part of their science or engineering degreeprograms. Some universities embed this material in other coursesrelating to electrical and power engineering. All of the undergraduatecourses have been developed since 2000 in response to market demand forskilled professionals specialising in renewable energy and/or energyefficiency. Postgraduate Courses In contrast, six Australian universities and two New Zealanduniversities offer full coursework degree programs at the postgraduatelevel in renewable energy and energy management. These are atAustralia's Curtin University, Monash University, MurdochUniversity, RMIT University, University of Melbourne, University of NSWand Massey University and the University of Otago in New Zealand. Thepostgraduate coursework offerings by these universities are designed forexperienced professional scientists and engineers who may wish to changecareer direction and move into areas such as renewable energy systems,energy policy and planning, energy efficiency or energy management. Avariety of courses are available (23 in all) including postgraduatecertificates (1 semester), postgraduate diplomas (2 semesters) andMasters by coursework (2-4 semesters). It is notable that Massey University and Murdoch University offercoursework in renewable energy to external students via the internet.This enables them to provide courses to students located anywhere in theworld, provided they have internet access. Massey and MurdochUniversities have a cooperative program in which they share units andteaching resources so that students have a wider range of optionsavailable to them. Postgraduate Research Programs Postgraduate research programs in renewable energy and energymanagement are offered by eight Australian universities (all of theabove plus Newcastle and Tasmania Universities), and two New Zealanduniversities. The Australian universities have particular strengths inphotovoltaics, and solar thermal systems, while New Zealand is strong inbiofuels and energy management. Very few universities offer researchopportunities in energy policy or energy economics although this is anarea of great interest to government and industry. Mainstream economicsover the last few decades has become so growth-oriented that littleattention has been directed to the economics of sustainable energysystems. With increasing focus on renewable energy technology and energyefficiency, this has suddenly become a crucial area for economic andpolicy research but there are few economists equipped to undertake it. Key Findings The results of the survey we undertook indicate that renewableenergy education is still not a mainstream activity in most Australianand New Zealand universities and that training opportunities areparticularly limited in some parts of these countries. The coverage ofthe technologies and the issues is also rather patchy. Some areas suchas photovoltaics (PV), biomass and wind are strongly represented whilecourses on other promising renewable technologies such as solar thermal,wave power and geothermal energy are generally not available. A similarshortage of educational opportunities exists in regard to energyeconomics and energy policy and planning. This situation appears to bereplicated internationally as discussed below. Current Issues in Renewable Energy Education The Skills Shortage With the phenomenal growth of the renewable energy industry inrecent years, manufacturers and end users are finding it difficult toobtain suitably qualified personnel with appropriate training andexpertise. As a result there exists an opportunity for universities andtechnical institutes to meet this need. The current courses offered atvarious Australian and New Zealand universities are designed to addressindustry needs. For example, Western Power, the former State utility inWestern Australia, funded the establishment of an undergraduaterenewable energy engineering program at Murdoch University between 1999and 2001, as a way of addressing the skills shortage. Also UNSW, a worldleader in photovoltaic technology, is offering courses in this areawhich give Australian students unique qualifications in a growing fieldof renewable energy. In NZ, Otago University started a suite ofundergraduate and graduate programs in 2000 to assist the NZ energysector, which had been suffering a severe shortage of trained graduatessince a downturn in interest in the mid 1980s. Simultaneously, MasseyUniversity moved into bio-fuels based on the agricultural emphasis atthat University. The present skills crisis also affects the universitiesas they have lost key staff and potential research students to industryand are finding it difficult to recruit new staff in the highlycompetitive labour market for RE. Currently, the renewable energy sector directly employsapproximately 2 million people worldwide. The European Wind Associationestimates that to reach 40 GW/ pa of wind power will require thecreation of between 190,000 and 320,000 new jobs, whilst forphotovoltaics, it is projected that to establish a production capacityof 3 GWp/pa will require approximately 100,000 new employees. Thesetargets are likely to be met by the end of this decade, based on currentgrowth rates. The European Biomass Association believes that employmentin this particular sector will need to increase by 100,000 to meetcurrent expansion plans (EUREC, 2006). This is clearly a real challengefor industry and educators alike. Some universities have attempted toidentify the major employment areas for graduates in this field andtailor courses to address them. Currently the greatest skills shortagesappear to be in energy policy and planning and energy management andconservation. Accreditation There is currently no standard curriculum or accreditation processin place for courses in energy studies and RE, although all engineeringcourses need to meet engineering accreditation standards. There is nospecialised professional organisation in this field that has thecapacity to carry out accreditation. This is a crucial need for thedevelopment of this field of industry. Content In RE engineering there are wide differences between the employmentoutlook in different areas of RE technology as illustrated in Figure 2.Most courses provide an adequate coverage of the main areas including,hydro, PV, wind, solar thermal and bio-energy but few addressgeothermal, microhydro, wave or tidal energy. There is also a need toprovide training in sustainability issues since renewable energy sourcesdo not inherently provide sustainable power supplies unless they aremanaged carefully. Many errors have been made in the past with largehydro dams, waste-to-energy incinerators and wind farm siting becausethe engineers involved in designing and operating them were not aware ofthe important social and environmental issues involved. Modernsustainable energy education needs to include economic, social, ethicaland environmental considerations in addition to a sound technicaltraining. At present only a minority of the available courses provide anintegrated and balanced approach to RE education. Lack of Textbooks The field of renewable energy is relatively new and covers a widerange of rapidly developing technologies and hence it is difficult tofind general introductory textbooks that cover the entire spectrum frompolicy to economics and from technologies to case studies. Furthermore,since the field of renewable energy is an interdisciplinary one,incorporating various areas including science (physics and chemistry),engineering, social sciences and economics, is challenging. As the fieldis changing so quickly, courseware very soon becomes obsolete and manyUniversities rely on the internet for contemporary information. Thiscircumstance is quite serious because the quality of such information isnot always assured and students cannot be certain about the reliabilityof the material that they access in this way Linking Teaching to Research and Development A multidisciplinary approach to renewable energy is critical to thesuccessful development and deployment of such technology if it is toprovide effective solutions to serious global problems such as oildepletion, air pollution and global warming. As a result, research anddevelopment on the technology needs to be integrated into educationprograms in such a way that students become aware of issues such assustainability and the innovation process and its application torenewable energy (Jennings & Lund, 2001; Jennings, 2009). We foundthat some courses do this by including research projects anddemonstrations as part of their requirements and/or draw on researchersto assist with the presentation of coursework. Research Funding Funding for research and development in RE was cut by theAustralian Commonwealth Government over the past fifteen years with, forexample, funding sources such as the Energy Research and DevelopmentCorporation and the Cooperative Research Centre for Renewable Energy notrenewed. This shortage of funding for renewable energy research anddevelopment has had wide implications for education programs, rangingfrom a shortage of textbooks and other learning aids for students, tostaff shortages in vital areas. Some RE researchers have moved overseaswhere better conditions are available to support their research. Thelack of research funding in recent years has also led to reduced numbersof PhD graduates and a shortage of suitable candidates for Universitypositions. As a result, the capacity of universities to offer suchcourses is limited by the lack of qualified staff and resources.Australia, with a high dependence on revenues from the sale of fossilfuels, has been seen to favour the development of non-renewabletechnologies (such as "clean coal") at the expense ofrenewable ones. New Zealand too has a government that is only slowlycoming to grips with the realities of future energy constraints. International Comparisons Although this paper addresses issues facing renewable energyeducation in Australia and New Zealand, most of these issues are likelyto be common to other countries/ universities offering such courses. Themost notable courses in renewable energy in the United States of Americaare offered by the Florida Solar Energy Center (http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/). This is currently the USA's largest and mostactive state-supported renewable energy and energy-efficiency researchand training organisation. Some other institutions have recentlyintroduced renewable energy programs at various levels, ranging fromtwo-year electrical apprenticeships to graduate degrees. However, theidea of green engineering and ethical teaching of existing energyengineering courses is starting to influence the curriculum (Cengel,2007). The European nations have recognised the need to provide morecomprehensive training in RE and have developed the European Masters inRenewable Energy. This is coordinated by the EUREC agency and istargeted at engineers who want to specialise in renewable energytechnology. The 16-month program is run by a network of eight Europeanuniversities and research centres, with students required to study inthree locations. The course provides an extensive coverage of thevarious renewable energy technologies and was set up to satisfy thegrowing industry demand for renewable energy engineers (EUREC, 2006). There is clearly a similar set of issues in many countries where REis developing rapidly and a shortage of skilled personnel is alreadyapparent. Educators can learn valuable lessons by observing what othernations are doing to address this problem. Some recommendations foraction are presented below. Conclusions and Recommendations In the context of a growing world population and rapid economicdevelopment in Asia, coupled with signs of peak oil and other resourcedepletion, any growth in energy consumption will provide greatchallenges. Though energy efficiency and energy management have improvedgreatly over the decades, total energy consumption continues toincrease. There is no question that in the long term, as fossil fuelsdeplete, and global climate change sets in, the world will need to adoptrenewable energy as a way of meeting its energy demand. As a result, thephenomenal growth in the renewable energy industry that has occurredover the past decade seems likely to continue. This situation willcreate an increased need for educational institutions to provide coursesthat will be able to cater to this expanding market sector and provideskilled and qualified professionals for the RE industry. Although universities and technical colleges are responding to thischallenge, there are still major issues and problems that need to beaddressed. The curriculum will have to evolve to keep pace with thetechnical developments in the field and greater use of the Internet as ateaching aid will have to be adopted by all universities, if they are toremain at the front of this field and reach out to professionals intheir homes and workplaces. Finally, there is a need for accreditationand quality assurance that must be addressed by Governments andprofessional organisations. These issues should be addressed as part ofa national sustainable energy policy. References Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) and RenewableEnergy Advisory Committee on Training (REACT) (2004, June 28). Strategicplan for renewable energy training at Canadian community colleges andinstitutes. Retrieved July 5, 2007, fromhttp://www2.nrcan.gc.ca/es/erb/CMFiles/FinalENG-REACTstrategicplan3173JCK-29042005-1159.pdf Australian Conservation Foundation. (2006, June). Renewableenergy--an overview (A Briefing Paper). Retrieved November 30, 2008,from http://www.acfonline.org. au/uploads/res/res_renewable.pdf Cengel, Y. (2007). Green thermodynamics. International Journal ofEnergy Research, 31, 1088-1104. EPIA (2007). Employment opportunities: The booming photovoltaicindustry. Retrieved July 10, 2007, fromhttp://www.pv.unsw.edu.au/future-students/employment.asp EUREC Agency (2006). RE in Education: Creation of a EuropeanMasters in RE. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from www.master.eurec.be Jennings, P. (2009). New directions in renewable energy education.International Journal of Renewable Energy, 34, 435-439. Jennings, P., & Lund, C. (2001). Renewable energy education forsustainable development. International Journal of Renewable Energy, 22,113-118. Lloyd, B. (2007). The commons revisited: The tragedy continues.Energy Policy, 35, 5806-5818. Martinot, E. (2005). Renewables 2005 global status report (REN 21).Washington, DC: Worldwatch Institute. Thomas, C., Jennings, P. J., & Lloyd, B. (2008, January).Renewable Energy Courses in Australian and New Zealand Universities,Solar Progress, 1-6. Chacko Thomas & Philip Jenning ([dagger]) Murdoch University Bob Lloyd University of Otago ([dagger]) Address for correspondence: Professor Philip Jennings,Physics and Energy Studies, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150,Australia. Email: P.Jennings@murdoch.edu.auFIGURE 2: Employment levels in different renewable technologies inAustralia (ACF, 2006). Note that SHW is solar thermal hot water.Hydro 1566PV 1335Wind 774SHW 1200Bioenergy 900Geothermal 100Note: Table made from bar graph.