Teaching, Learning and Training
The fundamental principles of Transition Engineering are straight-forward, once you have mastered the ability to flip your perspective. Reading the texts and literature is essential. It is also helpful to watch the videos. GATE is being organised to provide the most important thing for teaching and learning: Doing. The extreme creativity required for dealing with wicked problems of unsustainability is best learned through participation in a project. This can be done by enrolling in a class, pursuing a Masters or PhD, or working with a Transition Engineering project in your company or organisation. The number of experienced Transition Engineers is small, but growing fast. Contact us to find out what is available.
Introduction
Why Engineering?
Taking action on climate change is about consumer choices, or political leadership or corporate behaviour, isn't it? Reducing the future risks of catastrophic effects of global warming is the responsibility of international leaders and activist groups, isn't it? Aren't engineers just supposed to do what the market and their employers want? This video answers these questions in a surprising way.
Why Now?
Energy is at the heart of the global warming problem. It is what makes addressing emissions reduction such a wicked problem. The solution is to build more renewable energy electricity generation, isn't it? If we are working on putting solar PV on roofs and building windmills, aren't we doing the right thing? This video introduces the key concept of Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROI) and why growth is the main problem of sustainability.
What is Transition Engineering?
How do we innovate and carry out the projects that change existing systems that currently work fine, but are unsustainable? Isn't it too hard? Won't it involve economics and behaviour change and policy - things that engineers stay away from? This video introduces the answer to these questions - yes, like we always do - with a METHOD.
Courses
ENME405 Energy Transition Engineering
2020 University of Canterbury
Semester 1 Feb - June
Enrol and attend in Christchurch, or enrol for distance learning and attend a weekend seminar.
Textbooks
Transition Engineering: Building a Sustainable Future, Susan Krumdieck, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis, (2019). Purchase Here
Principles of Sustainable Energy Systems, 2nd Edition, Editors Frank Kreith and Susan Krumdieck, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis, 2013
Purchase e-book now available $68 USD.
Transition Engineering, in Energy Solutions to Combat Global Warming, Editors X-R Zhang and I. Dincer, Springer, 2016
Purchase e-book now available EUR 24.95
Guide to Energy Management, Includes the Transition Engineering Method applied to integrated building design. IET Standards 2017
Purchase £65.00
