Course Description

The Duke Clean Energy Technology & Innovation Field Study (CETIFS) intends to engage students on several levels and topic areas.  The inclusive spectrum of activities consists of site visits and meetings with professionals leading the industry in renewable energy venture capital, economy and luxury electric vehicles, green building, corporate sustainability, solar thermal mass power generation, renewable energy scientific research, climate policy, transportation solutions, energy efficiency, and energy storage technology.

CETIFS aims to increase students’ practical understanding of the aforementioned topic areas encompassing numerous methods and strategies to address climate change.  Students will be able to apply what they acquire on the trip to their various academic interests as well as understand regional and global economics of climate change mitigation.  On a university and campus level, CETIFS will include students from multiple disciplines from the Nicholas School of the Environment, the Fuqua School of Business and the Sanford Institute for Public Policy.  This interdisciplinary effort will continue to foster working relationships between departments at Duke University's graduate programs as well as bring national recognition to these programs for working to advance clean technology.

Visit Highlights:

Better Place; MMA Renewable Ventures LLC; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; BrightSource Energy; Tesla Motors; SunPower Corp.; UC Berkeley Transportation Sustainability Center; Gensler; Renewable and Appropriate Energy Lab (RAEL); PG&E; and the Energy Foundation.