UMass Boston

Course Overview

Description

This course provides a comprehensive and integrative survey of the principal clean energy technologies that are shaping today¿s energy transition, with a focus on their technical foundations, material requirements, deployment infrastructure, and societal acceptance. Each module explores the operating principles of a key technology, including solar photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, wind energy, hydropower, nuclear power, bioenergy, geothermal systems, hydrogen production, and carbon capture technologies, clarifying how energy is converted, stored, and delivered. For each system, we examine the primary components and material inputs, such as silicon, rare-earth elements, steel, concrete, electrolytes, and specialized alloys, as well as supply chains and technological constraints. We analyze how physical resource availability, technological maturity, grid and storage requirements, permitting, and policy frameworks enable or hinder widespread adoption in the United States and in other countries. This 200-level course serves as an elective within Environmental Science (BS) and Environmental Studies and Sustainability (BA) and may fulfill General Education requirements in Natural Sciences with Environmental Applications (pending approval).