Establishment of an integrated learning environment for advanced energy storage systems: Supporting the sustainable energy development

Abstract

There is a great need of electrical energy storage for the effective commercialization of renewable energy resources, load-leveling, and transportation electrification. The steadily increasing capacity of generating power from renewables and production of electric drive vehicles by the industry coupled with the specialized set of skills required to accommodate the energy storage systems in both the stationary and transportation sectors, have created an urgent and continuous demand for more knowledgeable energy storage engineers and technicians. This paper presents the collaboration between university and community colleges to create an advanced energy storage curriculum; setup an industrial-based energy storage laboratory; develop and deliver a short course for on-site training of engineers, technologists, and college instructors working in the alternative energy and advanced automotive propulsion fields; develop and deliver a series of workshops and seminars for K-12 science teachers, corporate partners, energy and automotive professionals; and provide transfer student advising by university faculty. © 2011 American Society for Engineering Education.