ABSTRACT
The U.S. energy consumption is representing over $2.1 trillion per year (about 12% of U.S. gross domestic product—$17.9 trillion). This energy consumption is distributed between residential and commercial buildings, 46%; industry, 30%; and transportation, 24%. Yet, the vast majority of this energy is not efficiently or wisely utilized for all these categories. Conversely, burning of fossil fuels to produce this huge amount of energy causes negative environmental impacts. As a conclusion, we are facing two tough problems: the first one is how to diminish the rule of fossil fuels for energy production and the other is how to reduce the negative impacts on the environment when energy is produced and utilized. The answer for these two questions, as proposed by many researchers and politicians, is to switch to clean energy resources such as renewable energies. In fact, this is a part of the solution. Another important part is depending on the individuals who are willing to be involved in this switch to renewables. Consequently, we are in need to retool the individuals’ career. Among those, are the teachers, especially science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) school teachers, who would be able to deliver this message to their students at different education levels—elementary, middle, and high schools. In this entry, the details of a graduate level curriculum to introduce the fundamentals of renewable energies to STEM school teachers are introduced.
