Future Energy Systems

Massachusetts Institute of Technology via edX XSeries

Overview

The energy sector is the largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change. Within a critical timeframe, we need people working in different industries, governments, and fields of study to drive the transition to more sustainable, accessible, and equitable energy systems. The Future Energy Systems X-Series consists of four online courses taught by renowned MIT faculty, researchers, and partners: Sustainable Energy, Energy Economics and Policy, Sustainable Building Design, and Transformative Living Labs in Urban Climate Action and Transportation Planning. These interdisciplinary courses include cutting- edge research from MIT and provides a multifaceted skill set that empowers learners to develop and deploy new energy technologies and solutions in diverse geo-political contexts.

Through innovative, collaborative online education tools, learners will also gain the insights needed to guide partnerships and financing decisions through access to a network of motivated energy professionals.

With a certification in Future Energy Systems, you will be prepared to evaluate renewable energy generation projects, increase energy efficiency in the built environment, craft clean energy and transportation policies, build stakeholder support, and ultimately drive decarbonization at local, regional, and global scales.

Syllabus

Courses under this program:
Course 1: Sustainable Energy

Learn to critically analyze modern energy technologies from engineering and socio-political perspectives, and gain the skills necessary to help the world meet rising energy demand while reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change

Course 2: Energy Economics and Policy

Learn the economics of real-world energy markets, and how various policies can address the impact of rising global energy demand on the environment and climate.

Course 3: Transformative Living Labs in Urban Climate Action and Transportation Planning

This course is an introduction to sustainable and equitable solutions in urban mobility, and to the “living labs” model: a method of co-development among public and private actors, researchers, and civil society to accelerate innovation in climate action and sustainable urban planning and development.

Course 4: Sustainable Building Design

Learn and explore key scientific principles, technologies, and analysis techniques for designing comfortable indoor environments while reducing energy use and associated climate change effects.

Courses

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13 weeks, 8-10 hours a week, 8-10 hours a week
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Meeting growing global energy demand, while mitigating climate change and environmental impacts, requires a large-scale transition to clean, sustainable energy systems. Students and professionals around the world must prepare for careers in this future energy landscape, gaining relevant skills and knowledge to expedite the transformation in industry, government and nongovernmental organizations, academia, and nonprofits.

The building sector represents a large percentage of overall energy consumption, and contributes 40% of the carbon emissions driving climate change. Yet buildings also offer opportunities for substantial, economical energy efficiency gains. From retrofit projects to new construction, buildings require a context-specific design process that integrates efficiency strategies and technologies.

In this course, you'll be introduced to a range of technologies and analysis techniques for designing comfortable, resource-efficient buildings.

The primary focus of this course is the study of the thermal and luminous behavior of buildings. You'll examine the basic scientific principles underlying these phenomena, and use computer-aided design software and climate data to explore the role light and energy can play in shaping architecture.

These efficiency design elements are critical to the larger challenge of producing energy for a growing population while reducing carbon emissions.

Sustainable Building Design on edX offers the opportunity for learners who are American Institute of Architecture (AIA) members to earn 22 learning units (LUs/Elective) if they purchase and earn the edX verified certificate for this course.

The MIT Energy Initiative is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number 10009794. All registered AIA CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider or this learning program may be sent to AIA CES ([email protected] or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).

This learning program is registered with AIA CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.

AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.
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12 weeks, 8-12 hours a week, 8-12 hours a week
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With renewable sources playing an increasing role in meeting global energy demand and mitigating climate change, electric power systems and the related markets are changing. To prepare for a career in the future energy landscape, industry professionals, policymakers, and academics must understand these changes and develop specific, relevant skills to drive this energy transition within the necessary timeframe.

In this course, you will learn to apply economic and socio-political analysis to real-world regulatory policy questions in a set of extremely important, interrelated energy markets. Specifically, by looking at real-world case studies and emerging research, you will explore key aspects of the oil, natural gas, electricity, and nuclear power sectors, and how policies such as carbon taxes and efficiency standards can drive reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions. You will also employ systems-level analysis to predict policy outcomes not only within energy markets but across transportation, building and development, employment, and health and social sectors. Overall, you will gain insights into how applied economics and policy tools can effectively move the global energy sector toward renewable and clean energy sources to mitigate climate change, while at the same time promoting economic development.

Learners who will benefit from this course include professionals, academics, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students considering careers and/or further study in energy industry, government and policy, non-governmental organizations and nonprofits, private technology and investment firms, academia, and research and development.
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6 weeks, 8-10 hours a week, 8-10 hours a week
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“Transformative Living Labs in Mobility” introduces living laboratory model of achieving sustainable urban mobility systems. The goal of the course is to explore the ways that multiple stakeholders and agencies organize and investigate living labs to find solutions for urban mobility.

Mobility planning plays a key role in building more sustainable cities and providing equitable access to economic opportunities, education, healthcare and social activities. The living lab concept can be a helpful tool to achieve these goals. This co-development process forms coalitions that enable transformative change, addresses climate change, and supports inclusive, sustainable urban development. Urban change makers can use the living labs approach to highlight the benefits of innovations and interventions and test the validity in collaboration with authorities, academia, civil society, private sector and end-users.

This course will bring all relevant aspects of living labs together into a coherent approach for testing innovative sustainable mobility solutions in urban living labs, and will highlight interlinkages and priorities in the planning and implementation process. It features projects currently implemented through Urban Pathways and SOLUTIONSplus, and was developed with support from UN Habitat.

This course is designed for learners in:
- international organizations
- local or national governments
- consultancies
- private industry and finance
- incubators and start-ups
Especially important are audiences in developing countries, where urbanization and transportation infrastructure are rapidly developing and outdated, inequitable, and carbon-intensive approaches may be leapfrogged.