Renewable Energy Technology Fundamentals

University of Colorado Boulder via Coursera

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Provider

Coursera
Pricing

Paid Course
Languages

English
Certificate

Certificate Available
Effort

6 weeks, 2 hours a week
Sessions

Self-Paced
Level

Beginner
Subtitles

English, Kazakh, German, Hindi, Russian, Swedish, Korean, Portuguese, Greek, Italian, French, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Thai, Ukrainian, Japanese, Indonesian, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Hungarian, Bengali, Pashto, Urdu, Azerbaijani, Farsi

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Renewable Energy

Overview

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Renewable energy is one of the fastest growing industries on the planet, with billions of dollars invested each year to meet international energy sustainability goals. This course will provide you with a solid foundation for understanding and deploying important renewable energy technologies such as wind and solar. In addition, you will come away with a good understanding of important energy storage technologies such as pumped hydro, batteries, and hydrogen. Upon completing the course, you will be conversant with the opportunities and challenges of renewable energy technologies. You will be comfortable participating in debates and making decisions regarding these technologies. And the knowledge you gain will be foundational for further study of renewable power systems, renewable energy projects, and forecasts for the future of renewable energy. We hope you will join us on our journey! This course is the first in a four-course Coursera specialization in Renewable Energy. • Renewable Energy Technology Fundamentals • Renewable Power & Electricity Systems • Renewable Energy Projects • Renewable Energy Futures Course logo image credit: "Wind Turbine" icon courtesy of Vectors Point from the Noun Project.

Syllabus

Course Introduction - Renewable Energy Technology Fundamentals
- This course will give you a rock-solid foundation in the technologies reshaping how the world generates power. You'll dig into the engineering and economics behind wind and solar generation, then go further into the energy storage solutions that make renewables truly reliable—from pumped hydro and advanced batteries to the emerging promise of hydrogen. By the end, you won't just understand renewable energy—you'll be able to talk about it with confidence. You'll be equipped to weigh in on real debates, evaluate technology tradeoffs, and make informed decisions, whether that's for a career, an investment, or simply an educated opinion in conversations. And the framework you build here becomes your launchpad for deeper exploration: renewable energy project development, power systems analysis, and forecasting where this industry goes next. The energy transition is happening now. Come learn how it works—and where it's headed. The only prerequisites for the course are an interest in renewable energy and a passing acquaintance with high school algebra.
The Building Blocks of Renewable Energy
- Before we can evaluate solar panels, wind turbines, or battery storage, we need a shared vocabulary and a working understanding of the physics beneath them. This module lays that foundation. We'll start by exploring the concept of energy itself: what it is, where it originates, how it's measured, and the physical laws that govern its behavior. From there, we shift to electricity — examining how it's generated, measured, and delivered, with particular attention to how renewable resources convert natural energy flows into usable electric power. Upon completion of this module, you will have a solid grounding in the underlying concepts required to understand the promise and challenges of renewable energy.
Wind Energy — Physics, Technology, and Economics
- Wind is one of the fastest-growing sources of renewable energy on the planet — and this module shows you why. We'll dig into the physical forces that power it, the technology that captures it, and the economics that are reshaping energy markets worldwide. We start with the wind itself: What causes it to arise? What characteristics — speed, consistency, turbulence — determine its usefulness? And just how much energy is actually embodied in a moving air mass? From there, we turn to the machines built to harness it. You'll learn how wind turbines convert that raw energy into electricity, examining their key components, real-world performance, and the economics that determine whether a wind project succeeds or fails. Along the way, we'll spotlight offshore wind — one of the most rapidly evolving frontiers in renewable energy — and explore what's driving its explosive growth. By the end of this module, you'll understand not just how wind turbines work, but why wind has become such a dominant force in the global energy transition.
Solar Energy — Radiation, Photovoltaics, and Project Economics
- Every hour, the sun delivers more energy to Earth than humanity uses in an entire year. The question this module answers is: how do we capture that abundance and put it to work? We begin by unpacking the nature of solar radiation itself — its key attributes and the many ways sunlight can be harnessed for human use. From there, we turn to the technology at the heart of the solar revolution: photovoltaic (PV) systems, and the science behind how they convert sunlight directly into electricity. We close by bringing theory into practice, examining how solar PV projects are actually planned, sited, and financed — giving you a clear picture of the economics driving solar's rapid expansion around the world. By the end of this module, you'll understand not just how solar technology works, but why it's positioned to become the backbone of the global energy transition.
Diverse Renewables, Energy Storage, and the Road Ahead
- Wind and solar may be renewable energy's fastest-rising stars, but they're far from the whole story. This final module completes the picture — covering the technologies with the longest track records, and the storage breakthroughs that will determine whether the entire renewable transition succeeds. We begin with the established and emerging generation technologies that round out the renewable portfolio: hydropower — still the largest renewable source in the world — along with biomass energy, concentrating solar power, geothermal power, and ocean energy. Each brings its own history, strengths, and role to play alongside wind and solar. From there, we turn to what may be the single greatest challenge facing renewables: storage. Without effective, economic ways to store energy, even the most abundant renewable resources can't reliably power the grid. We examine the leading approaches — pumped hydro, batteries, thermal storage, and hydrogen storage — along with a look at emerging technologies poised to reshape the storage landscape. We close the course by looking ahead: what do credible forecasts suggest about the trajectory of both renewable generation and renewable storage technologies in the years to come — and what does that mean for the future of the global energy system?
RE Technology Fundamentals Course Assessment
- The last week of Renewable Energy Technology Fundamentals includes a final exam that will allow you to demonstrate your mastery of the content covered in this course. Take some time to study, review any concepts or topics you found challenging, and then take the final exam!