Resource Center

Instructions

The Resource Center is a curated collection of information organized around 7 green economy “Sectors” and 7 “Topics.” In time, more Sectors will be added. Topics represent those areas in which educators and workforce development professionals continue to seek direction.

You can search by sector or by topic. Or across all sectors and/or all topics.

You can also perform a keyword search of all resources on the top right of this page.

Overview

Solar

The solar industry is expected to show steady growth over the coming decade largely due to rising energy prices, advances in technology through public/private partnerships and investments, and continued enactment of federal and state policies and financial incentives. more >>

Wind

Wind power is considered a leading source of new electricity generation in the United States, with the potential of providing 20% of the nation’s energy needs by 2030. more >>

Green Building

The green building market has expanded five fold over the last three years to a $48 billion national market—and is projected to triple in the next five years. more >>

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is considered the foundation of a vibrant and sustainable green economy, and one of the most cost effective ways to lower energy consumption, reduce operating costs, and mitigate carbon emissions. more >>

Sustainability Education

Sustainability education refers generally to learning experiences that enable students to develop the knowledge, behaviors and skills to help create healthier ecosystems, social systems, and economies. For the purposes of the SEED Center, this includes resources to help build non-credit continuing education for the incumbent workforce and integrating sustainability curriculum into existing credit programs. more >>

Sustainable Ag., Food & Land

The Sustainable Ag., Food & Land sector covers the areas of organic farming, horticulture, culinary art, and landscaping. This sector includes organizations and resources that integrate environmental, social and economic factors into land use, food preparation, and land specific practices in an attempt to create a more sustainable future. more >>

General Clean Tech

The General Clean Tech sector is a space for resources that encompass multiple ‘green’ sectors. Many are applicable to the broader clean economy and sustainability-related technology and will serve the general clean tech community. Resources also provide valuable information on sectors that are experiencing substantive development in the sustainability realm, like manufacturing and smart grid. more >>

Transportation and Fuels

The Transportation & Fuels sector covers the area of electric and hybrid vehicle development and maintenance, other forms of alternative and sustainable transportation, natural gas, fuel cells, battery storage, and renewable fuels sources including ethanol, biodiesel, algae, and methane. more >>

Certifications and Industry Credentials

Certainly, one of the biggest challenges facing green educators is the rapid and mostly uncoordinated emergence of green certifications and credentials. more >>

Curricular Materials

These resources and materials have been vetted by industry and education experts, and while not in the form of specific educator tools, will assist in creating quality curricula for your classroom. more >>

You will find more specific educator tools (e.g. syllabi, lab manuals, lesson plans, special classroom projects, equipment lists, etc.) submitted by SEED member colleges in our Curricular Materials Sharing Portal.

Employment Industry Projections

While job training providers have been quite active in past years working with local industry to define the emerging green jobs market and potential job growth areas, most still struggle to forecast accurately regional occupational demand. The U.S. Department of Labor has made recent strides toward classifying green occupations and competencies which will help communities define and track green jobs (and colleges to design appropriate education and training programs). Given the uncertain renewable energy and efficiency industry outlook, and rapidly changing technologies, access to the most up-to-date industry studies and employment projections will be critical. more >>

Innovative Practices & Partnerships

The job creation potential of the green economy has led to some unique job training and economic development partnerships and collaborations. more >>

Professional Development Resources

This section includes promising facilitated learning opportunities, including “train the trainer” programs, standing conferences, and informal learning opportunities situated in practice for faculty and staff seeking to further their knowledge of industry trends and requirements. more >>

Policy & Funding Sources

Included you will find links and descriptions of agencies and organizations that typically fund sustainability and green job training initiatives as well as those that provide important information on national legislation and policies relevant to the clean energy sector. CHECK BACK AS MORE ARE ADDED. This section also highlights resources that provide guidance on how to supply input into program and grant design for certain agency solicitations. more >>

Skill sets, Competencies & Career Pathways

This section includes lists and assessments of skill sets and competencies tied to the green economy – across the broad industry as well as within specific sectors. It also includes some critical resources that colleges can use to align programs and facilitate student transitions. Included are green energy competency models and newly-developed career pathways that allow movement across educational and training programs. more >>

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Featured Resources

Curricula based on the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Wind Turbine Service Technician Core Skill Set

This program is the first in a series of curriculum supporting a three-year training program based upon the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Core Skill Set for Wind Turbine Service Technicians, as well as the Department of Labor’s apprenticeship standards for wind turbine technicians. Topics covered in this curriculum include Introduction to Wind Energy, Wind Turbine Safety, and Climbing Wind Towers.

Land-Based and Offshore Wind Resource Map

This map is the first to provide wind developers and policy makers with a seamless representation of the wind resources estimated at an 80-m height for all 50 states—the 48 contiguous states, Alaska, and Hawaii—as well as offshore resources up to 50 nautical miles from shore.

Online Video Learning Materials: Wind Technician TV

Wind Technician Television (www.windtechtv.org) presents on-line video learning materials designed for students in wind turbine training programs. Part of a three-year project supported by the National Science Foundation, WindTechTV is part of the NSF Advanced Technological Education initiative. WindTechTV presents information about yaw control systems, blade and flange joint assembly and maintenance, hydraulic torque tools, and fiber optic maintenance and repair practices, as well as other topics of interest. Industry experts demonstrate the latest procedures, such as laser alignment and non-destructive inspection.
For More Information: Phil Pilcher, Highland Communigy College, phil.pilcher@highland.edu

AWEA Education Working Group

The Education Working Group provides a forum for wind industry members and individuals from the educational community to promote: wind education programs for Kindergarten through the 12th grade; job and career training programs for Community and Technical Colleges; academic and career development programs at Undergraduate and Graduate institutions; and scholarship opportunities through the “AWEA Educational Scholarship Program”. The group has announced its seal of approval program for wind energy education.

Wind Energy Curricula and Teaching Materials

This is a list of wind energy curricula and teaching materials for in alphabetical order by the producing agency's name. Resources may prove useful in the development of your wind curricular materials.

Wind Powering America's Wind for Schools Project Summary Report

Provides an overview of the Energy Department's Wind Powering America Wind for Schools project. It outlines teacher-training activities and curriculum development; discusses the affiliate program that allows school districts and states to replicate the program; and contains reports that provide an update on activities and progress in the 11 states in which the Wind for Schools project operates. (June 2012)

More Resources

Open Energy Information initiative (OpenEI)

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has supported the development of the Open Energy Information initiative (OpenEI), which is a platform to connect the world’s energy data. It is a linked open data platform bringing together energy information to provide improved analyses, unique visualizations, and real-time access to data.

Professional Development in Energy plus Fuel Cell Materials

This site provides educational materials about hydrogen fuel cells. It also links to professional development opportunities for students and educators.

Renewable Energies Curricula and Syllabi

Free downloads of renewable energies curricula, syllabi, program requirements and cross-disciplinary teaching/course outlines from the Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center.

Report (NCAT) - Small-Scale Wind Energy on the Farm

Wind-generated electricity is attracting the interest of farmers, ranchers, and other landowners across the country. People find wind energy attractive for a variety of reasons, including its potential economic benefits and its lower impact on the environment when compared to coal and other electric power generation fuels. Wind-generated electricity can help farmers and ranchers reduce their energy costs, an important consideration in these days of continually increasing utility rates. This publication will introduce you to small-scale wind energy to help you decide if wind energy is an economical option for your farm or ranch.

Report: Energizing Cities - New Models for Driving Clean Energy Investment

This report is a guide for local elected officials, county and city staff, energy utility managers, and community stakeholders to the steps that must be taken in designing and financing clean energy programs. This document describes how to develop, implement, and finance a clean energy program and offers examples of existing innovative clean energy financing models and useful resources to consult when developing a clean energy strategy.

Report: Going Green - The Vital Role of Community Colleges in Building a Sustainable Future and Green Workforce

This report examines the growing role of community colleges in a low-carbon, clean energy economy; and, provides examples of innovative strategies and practices used by community colleges to address climate change, environmental stewardship, and green workforce development. It offers information on the fastest growing sectors and jobs in the clean energy/green economy that provide strategic opportunities for community colleges and their students. Stimulates the dialogue on the role of community colleges in creating a sustainable future; and, presents useful websites and resources for further information.
- You may also Read It here

Sector Resources for Alternative Energy (Beyond Fuels)

This page provides sector resources on renewable and alternative energy including information on news, conferences, funding opportunities and documents.

Smart Grid Information Clearing House: Education and Training

A list of the DOE-sponsored workforce training programs for manpower development necessary for the successful deployment of the smart grid at all levels. Programs listed can be browsed by training location and training type. The SGIC team also brings together smart grid related education short courses, webinars, and tutorials offered by various providers.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy for Schools — Project Locations

Map showing the location of installed and planned school wind energy projects in the United States. Find school wind projects for K-12, community colleges, universities, and more.