Europe: Global Perspectives on Energy and the Environment
On-campus instruction during 2nd block of Winter Semester, all local site visits and international travel between 1–22 May 2023 (approx.)
Application Deadline: 30 November 2022
Join us for an instructive experience as we tour countries in Europe that are globally leading the way in the adoption of renewable energy. We will visit northern Italy, where we will tour a waste incineration plant that generates electricity, a solar PV cell fabrication facility, a geothermal power plant, and other companies focused on energy production and storage. We will visit the Alps to see up close the large glacial retreat that has occurred due to climate change. We will also visit Florence and experience the remarkable cultural sites that are there. In Spain, we will tour two large-scale concentrating solar plants that generate electrical power and spend time in the culturally rich city of Seville.
In Denmark, where more than 50% of the country’s electrical demand is generated from wind energy, we will see wind turbine farms, climb to the nacelle of a wind turbine, and tour multiple turbine fabrication plants—including where the largest wind turbine blades in the world are designed and prototyped. In each country, we will hear from local technical experts highlighting how renewable energy fits into the country’s energy portfolio. We will also be exposed to the culturally rich heritage and unique geography of each country, visiting sites of interest and sampling traditional local cuisine.
A seminar series during second term of winter semester will expose students to world energy reserves, environmental considerations related to energy production and use, the importance of government energy policy, and total economic analysis of energy-producing methods. Prior to departing for Europe, we will also visit several local energy-related sites, including coal, hydroelectric, and natural gas powered plants. The course will provide three credits of engineering technical elective toward graduation. The course is open to all majors, but preference will be given to engineering students who have taken the introductory thermodynamics course.
Click here to apply today!
