Environmental Technology Center
The ETC is a demonstration site, providing a model for green construction in its broadest sense, including energy and water-efficient landscaping, "smart building" control technologies, environmentally-sensitive materials, and passive solar heating and cooling. The Center is available for tours, but it is mainly used as a classroom and research facility.
For more information about the Environmental Technology Center (ETC) please contact the Department of Geography, Environment, and Planning (707) 664-2306.
GEP Courses Utilizing this Space Include:
GEP 373 ENERGY, TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY Students explore energy as a fundamental measure of organization, structure, and transformation in society. Principal topics include: energy history; thermodynamics; energy resources and conversion technologies; global issues and trends; environmental impacts; energy economics, institutions, and politics. Elementary quantitative analysis.
GEP 374A STRATEGIES FOR CARBON AND ENERGY REDUCTIONS How do we create and evaluate effective ways to reach our combined environmental, energy, climate, and social goals? You will construct cause and effect chains and learn how financial, thermal, and electrical models can estimate and evaluate the efficacy of policies. We’ll use case studies from the SSU and Sonoma County climate plans.
GEP 374B LABORATORY METHODS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY How can the use of laboratory instruments and techniques help us meet our energy and climate goals? You will create quantitative predictions of thermal and electrical energy use using mathematical models and computational techniques and compare them to observations of laboratory experiments. You will cover circuits, solar panels, insulation, motors, and other topics
GEP 375 RENEWABLE AND RESILIENT ENERGY SOURCES How do we bring energy to the places we need it with minimal impact to the environment? You will learn about energy generation, distribution, and coordination. Topics include solar photovoltaics, electricity markets, energy land use and environmental impacts, microgrids, and battery storage
GEP 476 ENERGY SERVICES & EFFICIENCY What are the most promising energy strategies to meet human needs with the least effect on the environment? You’ll use mathematical models to estimate the energy use, cost, and carbon emissions for insulated buildings, heating and cooling, electric motors, and refrigeration. We’ll use analytical and numerical methods for estimation and measurement