5/17/2014 Syllabus Fall 2012

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Syllabus Fall 2012

Syllabus: ENGR 312 - Sustainable Energy Entrepreneurship
This syllabus is divided into several sections. You can read it sequentially by scrolling down the length of the
document or by clicking on any of the links below to jump to a specific section. It is essential that you read the
entire document as well as material covered in the Course Orientation. Together these serve as our course
"contract."
Instructor
Course Overview
Course Goals and Learning Objectives
Required Course Materials
Assignments and Grading
Course Schedule
Course Policies
Tips for Success in ENGR 312
Technical Requirements

Instructor
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Martin Misenhimer
Martin Misenhimer, Instructor of Engineering
Cell Phone: 610-909-0643
E-mail: Please use the course e-mail system (see the Communicate tab in ANGEL)
Office Hours: I will check for and reply to messages at least once a day. Please contact me to make an
appointment if you'd like to speak to me at a given time. I am flexible and will make every effort to
accomodate your schedule.

Course Overview
ENGR 312: SUSTAINABLE ENERGY ENTREPRENEURSHIP (3 credits). Three interrelated modules
guide students through technical, international business, and entrepreneurial aspects of sustainable energy.
Prerequisites: EGEE 102. Please note, per university prerequisite policy [1] students who do not meet
these prerequisities may be dis-enrolled during the first 10-day free add-drop period. If you have not yet
compoleted this course, please contact the instructor to request a waiver or drop this course and retake it at a
later date.
ENGR 312 examines three integrated components of the sustainable energy business: technical adaptability,
financial structure, and entrepreneurial savy. The course is conducted entirely on the World Wide Web. There
will be no set class meeting times, but you will be required to complet weekly assignments. The course begins
with a course orientation that provides important information about the course and the course environment, as
well as a quiz covering that information. You must pass the quiz with a 90% or higher in order to unlock the rest
of the course. (You'll be able to take the quiz as many times as needed until your reach 90%.)
There are 12 lessons which will be completed at a rate of 1 lesson per week followed by a Capstone Project.
Assignments will be in the form of Lesson Activities (based on assigned reading for each lesson and utilizing
models and data from a range of sources), Discussion Forums (lively discussion of questions involving personal
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opinion and original thinking), and a Capstone Project (energy business plan). Due dates for all assignments are
posted on the course calendar in ANGEL.
TECHNICAL: The technical component of the course provides an overview of the general concept of energy,
sustainable forms of energy, and the energy auditing process as well as the integration between supply, capacity,
demand, and usage technology. Technical calculations of the power capacity of sustainable energy systems and
the technical limitations, specifications, and feasibility studies of energy systems are also addressed.
BUSINESS: The business component of the course provides an overview of the market and finance aspect of
sustainable energy systems. You will study the feasibility of sustainable energy systems from a business
perspective, as well as perform quantitative cost-benefit analyses that include depreciation of sustainable energy
systems and return on investment. You will also evaluate existing energy business plans.
ENTREPRENEUR: The entrepreneurial component focuses on the skills needed to perform a feasibility study
of market opportunities related to sustainable energy, including entrepreneurial risk and sustainability ethics.
Government incentives and the impact of policy issues on business decisions for sustainable energy systems will
also be addressed. You will learn how to take a global view in the assessment of market needs, gain in-depth
knowledge of ways to obtain public and private financing for a prospective venture, and how to justify
applications of sustainable energy, including environmental impact.
CAPSTONE: The capstone project will link all three components of the course by requiring you to create your
own energy business plan for a residential or commercial site of your choice. The energy business plan will focus
on the best technical and economic practices in the sustainable energy marketplace.
What I Expect of You
On average, most students spend eight to ten hours per week working on course assignments. Your workload may be more or less depending
on your prior experience with computing and the Web in general, and with the course topics in particular.
I have worked hard to make this the most effective and convenient educational experience possible. The Internet is still a novel learning
environment, but in one sense it is no different than a traditional college class: how much and how well you learn is ultimately up to you.
You will succeed if you are diligent about keeping up with the class schedule, and if you take advantage of opportunities to communicate
with me, as well as with your fellow students.
Specific learning objectives for each lesson and project are detailed within each lesson. The class schedule is published under
the Calendar tab in ANGEL (the course management system used for this course).
Course Goals and Learning Objectives
Course Goals: This course introduces the student to a wide range of considerations regarding entrepreneurship
in the energy field. The production, tansmission, distribution, and consumption of energy has a great impact
on our lives in terms of national secrurity, quality of life, national economics, as well as global and local
envrionmental challenges. Energy is intrinsically linked to the envrionement and the international challenges of
producing and utilizing energy at reasonable cost balanced with appropriate human and envirionmental concerns.
Therefore, it is desirable to produce energy business personnel who understand the energy system at a holistic
level, and yet, still retain the appropriate business skills to meet the challenges ahead.
Upon successful completion of ENGR 312, you should be able to:
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Describe typical renewable energy technologies and their applications
Perform energy audits in a residential or commercial building
Develop an energy conservation plan for a given residential or commercial building
Assess the feasibility for alternative energy use for a given site and building
Calculate the environmental impact of a given sustainable energy system
Design the appropriate alternative energy system for a given site and building, including determining the
size of the system and calculating the energy generated
Prepare and present a detailed implementation plan for a sustainable energy project
Critique a sustainable energy-focused business plan
Write an energy business plan for a selected entrepreneurial venture
Required Course Materials
All materials needed for this course are presented online through our course website and in ANGEL. No
textbook is required. In order to take this course, you need to have an active Penn State Access Account user
ID and password (used to access the online course resources). If you have any questions about obtaining or
activating your Penn State Access Account, please contact the Outreach Helpdesk [2].
Using the Library
Many of Penn State's library resources can be utilized from a distance.
Access electronic databases, and even full text articles, from the LIAS Fast Track.
Borrow materials and have them deliveres to your doorstep...or even your desktop.
Access materials that your instructor has put on Electronic Reserve.
Talk to reference librarians in real time using the "Virtual Reference Service".
...and much more.
NOTE: You must be registered with the University Libraries in order to take full advantage of the
Libraries' resources and servies. Registration and services are free. To register with the Libraries,
and to learn more about their services, see the Library Information for Off-site Users [3]
Assignments and Grading
ENGR 312 will rely upon a variety of methods to assess and evaluate student learning, including. The following
list shows the percentage toward the final course grade for each assignment.
Book Report, "Our Common Future" (5%)
Blog Posts (12%)
Discussions Forums (23%)
Each lesson includes a topic where you will be asked to weigh in with your opinion and comment on the
thoughts of others. As long as you respect others and stick to the facts, there is no right or wrong here.
Feel free to have a lively discussion of questions involving personal opinion and original thinking. You'll
be graded on your level of engagement and the level of thinking in your submissions.
Report: Energy Audit (5%)
Paper: Sustainable Power Generation System Proposal (5%)
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Report: Environmental Impact Statement (5%)
Paper: Interview a Renewable Energy Company (5%)
Paper: Implications Paper (10%)
Paper: Using Net Present Value (NPV) to Evaluate a Business Project (5%)
Paper: Business Plan Critique (5%)
Capstone Project (20%)
The hands-on capstone design project is an integral part of the course. The project will require you to
write a comprehensive energy-focused project plan. As you progress through the course, you will be
linking the technical, business, and entrepreneurial components of the course. Some of these are hands-on
field related activities, whereas others require you to step back and understand the broader picture.
These combined skills will enable you to structure a business plan based on best practices (both technical
and economic) in the sustainable marketplace.
By completing all of the requirements above, you will develop the skills required to do two different tasks:
(1) provide expert analysis to an existing entity regarding a proposed project and (2) develop a sustainable
energy project from an entrepreneurial perspective.
In addition to writing a comprehensive energy-focused project plan, you also need to be able to objectively
critique such project and business plans. You will be required to anonymously critique a classmates plan
using SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis.
Due dates for all assignments are posted on the course calendar in ANGEL.
Students will earn a grade that reflects the extent to which they achieve the course learning objectives listed
above. Grades are assigned by the percentage of possible points earned in each lesson's activities. Below is a
breakdown of each lesson's value as a percentage of the total course grade.

Grading by assignment type
Assignment Type Weight
Blog Posts (4) 12%
Discussions (10) 23%
Papers (5) 30%
Reports (3) 15%
Capstone Project (1) 20%

I will use the ANGEL gradebook to keep track of your grades. You can see your grades in the gradebook by
clicking the Reports tab in ANGEL, then choosing Grades from the Category dropdown menu, then clicking
Run. A summary table of your grades also appears on the Resources page in ANGEL. Overall course grades
will be determined as follows. Percentages refer to the proportion of all possible points earned.
A 93-100%
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A- 9092.9%
B+ 8789.9%
B 8386.9%
B- 8082.9%
C+ 77-79.9%
C 70-76.9%
D 60-69.9%
F <60%
X
Unsatisfactory (Student did not
participate)

Course Schedule
Below you will find a summary of the primary learning activities for this course and the associated time frames.
This course is twelve weeks in length, with an orientation week preceding the official start of the course. Each
lesson is one week long.
TIMEFRAME LESSON TASKS
During the
first few days
of class...
Complete the Course Orientation (located in the
menu to the left)
Perform tasks outlined in Course
Orientation to become familiar with
the course and the course
environment
Post a self-introduction to the
course discussion forum
Complete a student survey to thelp
the instructior learn more about you
and your course expectations
Take the Course Information Quiz
and pass with a score of 100% in
order to gain access to the course
content
Week 1 - 8/26
Entrepreneurship and the Sustainability Ethic
Blog Post Assignment due on 8/28
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Lesson 1 (Global perspective) Book Report due on 9/6
Initial hands-on micro level activities
Week 2 - 9/2

Lesson 2
Adaptability to New Technologies
Discussion - Initial Post due on 9/4
Discussion - Final Posts due on 9/8
Blog Post Assignment, "Searching for
the Niche", due on 9/4
Week 3 - 9/9
Lesson 3
Energy Efficiency: Coordination between Supply,
Capacity, Demand, and Usage Technologies
Discussion - Initial Post due on 9/11
Discussion - Final Posts due on 9/15
Blog Post Assignment, "What Have
We Learned?", due on 9/15
Week 4 - 9/16
Lesson 4
Energy Auditing on a Residential and Commercial
Scale
Discussion - Initial Post due on 9/18
Discussion - Final Posts due on 9/22
Report: Energy Audit due on 9/22
Week 5 - 9/23
Lesson 5
Energy Conservation Strategies on a Residential
and Commercial Scale
Discussion - Initial Post due on 9/25
Discussion - Final Posts due on 9/29
Paper: Sustainable Power Generation
System Proposal due on 9/29
Week 6 - 9/30
Lesson 6
Impact of Energy Demand on the Environment
Discussion - Initial Post due on 10/2
Discussion - Final Posts due on 10/6
Report: Environmental Impact
Statement and a Progress Report due
on 10/6

Stepping back to look from a business/global
perspective

Week 7 - 10/7

Paper: Conduct "Interview with
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Lesson 7 Market, Legal, and Political Implications of
Energy Sources and Generation
Renewable Energy Business" due on
10/13
Paper: "Implications" due 10/13
Hands-on business level activities
Week 8 -
10/14
Lesson 8
FinanceThe Core of Building an Energy
Business Case
Paper: "Using Net Present Value
(NPV) to Evaluate a Business
Project", due on 10/20
Blog Post: "Understanding the Cost
of Capital", due on 10/20
Week 9 -
10/21
Lesson 9
Introduction to Energy Business Plans,
Entrepreneurial Risks and Sustainability Ethics
with a Focus on Odds of Success and Due
Diligence
Discussion - Initial Post due on 10/23
Discussion - Final Posts due on 10/27
Week 10 -
10/28
Lesson 10
Analyzing and Critiquing Energy Business Plans
Discussion - Initial Post due on 10/30
Discussion - Final Posts due on 11/3
Paper: "Business Plan Critique" due
on 11/3

Stepping back to look from a global
perspective

Week 11
11/4
Lesson 11
Impacts on Energy Business PlansUtilities,
Governments, and Emerging Energy Markets
"Why The Lean Business Start-up
Changes Everything"
Discussion - Initial Post due on
11/6
Discussion - Final Posts due on 11/10

Final Blog Post: "Market
Analysis", due on 11/10
Pulling it all together
Week 12 -
11/11
Lesson 12
Making the Case for an Energy Business Plan
Capstone Project: "A Sustainable
Energy Business Plan", submission
due by December 3.
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Course Policies
Penn State E-mail Accounts
All official communications from the Penn State World Campus are sent to students' Penn State e-mail
accounts. Be sure to check your Penn State account regularly, or forward your Penn State e-mail [4] to
your preferred e-mail account, so you don't miss any important information.
Deferred Grades
If you are prevented from completing this course within the prescribed amount of time, it is possible to
have the grade deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. To seek a deferred grade, you must submit
a written request (by e-mail or U.S. post) to your instructor describing the reason(s) for the request. It is
up to your instructor to determine whether or not you will be permitted to receive a deferred grade. If, for
any reason, the course work for the deferred grade is not complete by the assigned time, a grade of "F"
will be automatically entered on your transcript.
Late Policy
Late work is not accepted. If your need to request an exception due to a personal or medical
emergency, contact the instructor. Such requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Course
lessons are available to you in advance. It is your responsibility to plan ahead and work ahead if
necessary to accomodate your personal schedule. This flexibility is one of the great features of online
learning. Take advantage of it!
Academic Integrity
This course follows the guidelines for academic integrity of Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral
Sciences [5]. Penn State defines academic integrity as "the pursuit of scholarly project in an open, honest
and responsible manner." Academic integrity includes "a commitment not to engage in or tolerate acts of
falsification, misrepresentation, or deception." In particular, the University defines plagiarism as "the
fabrication of information and citations; submitting other's work from professional journals, books, articles,
and papers; submission of other student's papers, lab results or project reports and representing the work
as one's own." Penalties for violations of academic integrity may include course failure. To learn more, see
Penn State's "Plagiarism Tutorial for Students [6]." I cannot overemphasize the importance of academic
integrity. DO NOT copy and paste from unreferenced sources. Without exception: if you use a
direct quote from any source, as part of any submitted assignment, the quote must be clearly
noted and properly referenced. (In-line references are fine.)
Citation and Reference Style
See our course "Academic Integrity Guide," accessible through the "Resources" menu at left.
Accommodating Disabilities
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn
State campus has an office for students with disabilities. The Office for Disability Services (ODS) Web
site provides contact information for every Penn State campus: http://equity.psu.edu/ods/dcl [7]. For
further information, please visit the Office for Disability Services Web site: http://equity.psu.edu/ods [8].
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate
disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview,
and provide documentation: http://equity.psu.edu/ods/guidelines [9]. If the documentation supports your
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request for reasonable accommodations, your campuss disability services office will provide you with an
accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with
them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you
request accommodations.
Military Personnel
Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or spouses with unique circumstances (e.g.,
upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, disabilities, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and
encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special
arrangements need to be made.
Inclement Weather
In case of weather-related delays at the University, this online course will proceed as planned. Your
instructor will inform you if there are any extenuating circumstances regarding content or activity due dates
in the course due to weather delays. If you are affected by a weather-related emergency, please contact
your instructor at the earliest possible time to make special arrangements.
Netiquette
The term "Netiquette" refers to the etiquette guidelines for electronic communications, such as e-mail and
bulletin board postings. Netiquette covers not only rules to maintain civility in discussions, but also special
guidelines unique to the electronic nature of forum messages. Please review Virginia Shea's "The Core
Rules of Netiquette [10]" for general guidelines that should be followed when communicating in this
course.
Connect Online with Caution
Penn State is committed to educational access for all. Our students come from all walks of life and have
diverse life experiences. As with any other online community, the lack of physical interaction in an online
classroom can create a false sense of anonymity and security. While one can make new friends online,
digital relationships can also be misleading. Good judgment and decision making are critical when
choosing to disclose personal information with others whom you do not know.
Tips for Success in ENGR 312
Participate
Odd as it seems, in many ways an online environment gives us greater opportunity to get to know one
other and exchange ideas, challenges and interesting thoughts. Working commuting students often just
barely make it to class after work and then have to rush out the door immediately afterwards to get home
and tend to family responsibilities. Chats with others can be hurried and simple. Now, without the
constraint of having to be in the same place at the same time, we have more opportunity to communicate
with one another. Use the Introductions and Discussion Forums to get to know one another, work
together, learn from one another, and even share a laugh. Its a special opportunity. Youll learn more,
enjoy the course more, and probably make a better grade.

Do the work on time
Lesson Activities are the primary learning assessment tool for this course. In this class, it wont work to
wait three weeks and then cram for an exam. The Activities are designed to be thought provoking and in
many cases require some interpretation. The Questions about EGEE 312? Discussion Forum is a place
where you can work together to reveal problems and questions and give me the chance to redirect or
provide additional information if needed. You will benefit from seeing the postings of others, just as they
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will benefit from seeing yours. I strongly advise not waiting until the last minute to start the
weeks assignments. Give yourself time to ask, think and interact with me and your classmates.

Be responsible and honest
Im glad youre taking this course and hope it is a rewarding experience for you with long-lasting benefits.
Together lets agree to keep it a positive experience. Please review our course policy on Academic
Integrity located below. Treat yourself, your classmates, and the instructor with honesty and respect at all
times. I'll do the same.

Technical Requirements
For this course, we recommend the minimum technical requirements outlined on the Dutton Institute Technical
Requirements [11] page, including the requirements listed for same-time, synchronous communications. If you
need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Outreach Helpdesk [2].
NOTE: Access to a reliable Internet connection is required for this course. A problem with your
Internet access may not be used as an excuse for late, missing, or incomplete coursework. If you
experience problems with your Internet connection while working on this course, it is your
responsibility to find an alternative Internet access point, such as a public library or Wi-Fi hotspot.

Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus can be changed at any time, and you will be
responsible for abiding by any such changes. You will be notified of such changes via Course Announcements.
Authors: Wieslaw Grebski, Associate Professor of Engineering, Shaobiao Cai, Instructor of Engineering, and
Christopher Flynn, Instructor of Engineering,
Penn State Hazleton, A Campus of The Pennsylvania State University.
2014 The Pennsylvania State University
This courseware module is part of Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences' OER Initiative.
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences is committed to making its websites accessible to all users, and
welcomes comments or suggestions on access improvements. Please send comments or suggestions on
accessibility to the site editor. The site editor may also be contacted with questions or comments about this Open
Educational Resource.
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Source URL: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/engr312/node/32
Links:
[1] http://www.psu.edu/dept/oue/aappm/C-5.html
[2] http://tech.worldcampus.psu.edu/
[3] http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/infosvcs/offcampus.html
[4] http://kb.its.psu.edu/cms/article/137
[5] http://www.ems.psu.edu/current_undergrad_students/academics/integrity_policy
[6] http://tlt.its.psu.edu/plagiarism/tutorial
[7] http://equity.psu.edu/ods/dcl
[8] http://equity.psu.edu/ods
[9] http://equity.psu.edu/ods/guidelines
[10] http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html
[11] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/techspecs