Required course - Offered in the fall 

Transitioning to a sustainable energy system is one of the defining challenges of our time. Across the world, and especially in Alaska, we are experiencing increasing storm intensity, increasing wildfire frequency and warming temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions from combusting fossil fuels. Simultaneously, our energy systems produce social injustices, local area pollutants and environmental hazards. Our energy systems also provide food, transportation and shelter around the world and raise the standard of living for many global citizens. How do we evaluate the sustainability of our energy systems in this context and push forward healthier alternatives to the status quo?

This class investigates the impact of energy use in society including local area pollutants, climate change and social patterns. Through lecture, reading and discussion we will learn the principles of evaluating energy system sustainability. With that foundation we will explore various elements of an energy transition including renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency technologies, and policy. Topics include current energy use, principles of energy conservation and efficiency, sustainable energy resources, energy storage technologies, regulations, and career pathways. By course completion students will be prepared to engage in many energy issues and well prepared to pursue further study in specialized fields of sustainable energy.

Elective course - Offered in the spring

Exploring the concept of energy. Investigation of the sources, conversion, distribution and ultimate dispersion of energy, as well as the consequences of its use in the development and maintenance of modern society. 

Elective course - Offered as demand warrants

In this course, students gain basic practical knowledge related to the process of designing energy efficient buildings, as applied to both new construction and retrofits. Main topics covered include basic building science, principles and techniques of energy efficient construction, and building energy simulations.

Offered in the spring and fall

Home Energy Basics is for homeowners that want to save money on energy bills, students that want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts of homes, and construction workers that want better understand the principles behind efficient residential construction, and anyone else that wants to reduce energy use in homes. The course provides an introduction to how homes use energy, explores the fundamental physics of heat, electricity, ventilation and humidity, introduces the latest efficiency innovations in appliances, quantifies the value of common energy efficiency retrofits, evaluates the life cycle environmental impact of building design choices and introduces residential renewables. The core of the course is a series of recorded lectures and demonstrations ranging from a few minutes to half an hour. Most recordings are associated with a short assignment. Recordings are grouped into modules, and each module has one larger activity and assignment associated with it as well as a quiz. Upon completion of all modules, students must complete a final exam to finish the course. Students that complete the course will understand their home as a system: they will know how to determine the impact of changes to their home on heating loads, the necessity for ventilation after air sealing, and how to determine the best energy efficiency investments.

Offered in the spring

The lecture series introduces students to operations, management and employment in Alaska’s rural and urban electric utilities. Each week, a different utility professional gives a 40 minute presentation about their work and then provides up to 20 minutes for questions and discussions. Wind technicians, utility managers, regulators, fuel suppliers and more share their expertise. Assignments require students to respond to discussion prompts in an online forum weekly.

Offered in May

PV101 - is your gateway to a career in the solar industry. The course introduces PV system fundamentals, and helps students develop a solid understanding of various components, system architectures, and applications for PV systems.  Other topics include site analysis, system sizing, array configuration, and performance estimation; electrical design characteristics such as wiring, overcurrent protection, and grounding; a detailed look at module and inverter specifications and characteristics; mounting methods for various roof structures and ground-mounts; and an introduction to safely and effectively commissioning grid-direct PV systems.  This course focuses on grid-direct PV systems, but covers material critical to understanding all types of PV systems. The UAF Bristol Bay campus has licensed the curriculum for this class from Solar Energy International and trained local Alaskan solar industry workers to instruct the courses.

Offered as demand warrants

Presents basics of the design, installation, and operation of small wind systems with an emphasis on residential-scale systems.  Introduces physics related to wind energy, ways of harvesting and using wind energy, turbine and site selection, energy storage vs. grid-tie considerations, system components, installation techniques, cost/benefit considerations, and safety.

Offered as demand warrants

Heat pumps are growing in popularity for commercial buildings and single family homes. This course introduces the fundamental principles that the technology relies on as well as practical considerations for deciding whether to invest in a heat pump and designing, installing and maintaining the system. The course is online with weekly synchronous meetings. Classes will be a combination of lecture, discussion and activities. There are four weekly homework assignments and a final exam.

Required course - Offered as demand warrants

• Math F105: Intermediate Algebra;
• TTCH F131: Mathematics for the Trades;
• Or an equivalent math class