Economics of Alternative Energy

The goal of this course is to explore the economics of alternative energy technologies. As always, engineering considerations determine the feasibility of any technology while economics determine the practicality of the technology in the likely environment of the next five years. The students participating in this course will explore a wide range of alternative energy technologies. It is expected that their analyses will combine both economic and engineering principles in an interesting and creative way. Each student will choose a particular technology to analyze in depth: wind, solarphotovoltaic, passive solar, geothermal, bio-fuels, etc. There will be periodic presentations of their work to the class as a whole. One goal of these class discussions will be to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the various technologies. At the end of the semester, there will be a formal presentation of the students’ conclusions to an audience of Cooper faculty, industry experts and Wall Street analysts.

Prerequisite: EID 270, EID 374, or permission of the instructor

Open to all students.

Credits: 3.00

Course Code: EID 376

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.