Principal Investigator: Branislav Vlahovic
CoPrincipal Investigator(s): Abdennaceur Karoui
Organization: North Carolina Central University
Abstract:
North Carolina Central University (NCCU) will explore scaling-up a modern tool for teaching solar and wind energy in order to commercialize it. The Educational Tool (ET) encompasses a modern and unique curriculum. The ET comprises instruction materials on solar and wind energy (SWE) and experimental equipment. Students learn in-depth the basics, as well as practical methods of how to design, size, install, and maintain SWE systems. The ET utilizes computer technologies for the delivery, and modern electronic platforms for data acquisition and automation of measurements. Also, to complement the instructions, information is retrieved using big data analysis, data aggregation, and a novel approach for data tagging using a master information set. Another important feature of the ET is its design, which was done with in mind the millennia learner, who is turning towards self-education, a new learning culture.
The ET has been categorized in three models, each dedicated to an end-user category for consideration during the customer discovery process. The first is the Education Sector, which includes students in engineering and physics programs, colleges and technical schools, secondary schools, and science clubs. A second sector is from Business, for example, employees of Renewable Energy (RE) companies that cannot afford multi-year learning cycles, engineers, businessmen, managers, building company practitioners, and RE equipment installers. The General Public comprises the third sector and includes private solar energy users, members of youth clubs, and amateur hobbyists. The ET will significantly enhance STEM education by delivering knowledge on emerging technologies and services. With the tool, students can procure their own lab to perform parts of or entire research projects, therefore research on solar and wind energy will be positively affected. The ET will prepare the renewable energy workforce in the Nation and the world.
