The Renewable Energy (RE) Industry Workforce Needs: RE Simulation and Analysis Tools Teaching as an Effective Way to Enhance Undergraduate Engineering Students’ Learning

Shahryar Jafarinejad, Lauren E. Beckingham, Mandar Kathe and Kathy Henderson
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Shahryar Jafarinejad: Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA
Lauren E. Beckingham: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36830, USA
Mandar Kathe: Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA
Kathy Henderson: Eagle Solar and Light, Birmingham, AL 35222, USA

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-16

Abstract: The share of renewables in the U.S. electricity generation mix is increasing and one of the major obstacles to enhancing employment in the renewable energy (RE) sector is finding skilled/qualified labor to fill positions. RE systems engineer jobs mostly need bachelor’s degrees but there are few RE engineering-focused degree programs. Therefore, there are needs to accurately train undergraduate engineering students at universities and match the education system offerings to meet RE industry demands. This study reviews RE employment by technology, RE industry workforce needs, and engineering programs accreditation, and then suggests possible means, along with theoretical RE concepts, to enhance undergraduate engineering students’ RE learning at universities. In particular, RE industries require technology skills, including analytical, scientific, and simulation software programs or tools. These RE simulation and analysis tools can be used for teaching, training, techno-economic analysis, planning, designing, optimization, etc., and are the focus of this review.

Keywords: education; renewable energy; simulation; analysis; software; skills (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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