Curriculum

In order to obtain the certificate, individuals are required to complete twelve (12) credit hours of coursework. Students can proceed at their own pace and may register for a maximum of six (6) credit hours per semester.

Students must complete four courses to earn the Certificate in Renewable Energy Assessment and  Development. NDS students may roll over two (6 credits) of the following courses into the RED Certificate.

EA 520 Renewable Energy Policy and Economics. This course will cover local, utility, state and federal policy and incentives that foster RE implementation. It will also go over basic finance and economics principles to build a project model to show how these policies affect the economics of a project. At the end of the course, students will create a presentation for a potential renewable energy project investor.  Fall

EA 521  Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Site Assessment.  This course will cover solar site assessment, wind assessment, and bioenergy with required exercises using current industry tools to assess the viability of the resource. At the end of the course, students will be designing two systems to offset their energy consumption.  Spring

EA 522 PV Design and Installation. This course will cover design considerations such as load analysis, system sizing, writing, etc. It prepares students to sit for NABCEP Entry-Level Exam. At the end of the course, students will be exploring ways in creating a system proposal for a client. Fall

EA 523 Assessment of Renewable Energy Storage Systems. Listed formerly as Solar Site Maintenance and Storage, this course will cover history, types, trends and the design of energy storage systems. It will then proceed to cover best practices for operations and maintenance (O&M)of renewable energy systems, specifically solar PV. At the end of the course, students will be presenting an O&M plan for a solar + storage system they have designed for a client. Spring