Texas Energy Efficiency and Ethics 15 PDH Discount Package 3

This online engineering PDH course provides basic information about small wind electric systems to help you decide if wind energy will work for you.

Wind is created by the unequal heating of the Earth's surface by the sun. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical power that runs a generator to produce clean electricity.

Can I use wind energy to power my home? More people across the country are asking this question as they look for a hedge against increasing electricity rates and a way to harvest their local wind resources. Although wind turbines large enough to provide a significant portion of the electricity needed by the average U.S. home generally require 1 acre of property or more, approximately 19.3% of the U.S. population lives in rural areas and may own land parcels large enough to accommodate a wind energy system.

This 3 PDH online course is applicable to electrical and mechanical engineers and energy professionals who are interested in learning more about small wind electric systems.

This online engineering PDH course provides Licensed Professionals (LPs) with step-by-step instructions on how to correctly verify the reported data of applications and assess indoor environmental quality of U.S. buildings.

Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for nearly 20% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. Through ENERGY STAR®, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) works with owners and managers of our nation’s commercial buildings to help them strategically manage their facilities’ energy performance, cut energy use, lower utility bills, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

More than a dozen types of commercial buildings can earn EPA’s mark of superior energy efficiency – the ENERGY STAR, which is recognized by 90% of American consumers. Commercial buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR must perform in the top 25% of buildings nationwide compared to similar buildings, and their performance must be verified by a licensed professional.

The role of the LP is to verify that all energy use is accounted for accurately, the building characteristics have been properly reported, and indoor environmental quality has not been compromised in pursuit of energy conservation. By verifying the completeness and correctness of the application submitted to the EPA, the LP helps to ensure the integrity of the ENERGY STAR certification.

This online engineering PDH course provides guidance in new motor purchase decisions, and helps in identifying the energy and cost savings for motors that should be replaced with premium efficiency units.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) adopted a NEMA Premium® efficiency motor standard in August of 2001. A motor can be marketed as a NEMA Premium motor if it meets or exceeds a set of minimum full-load efficiency levels.

These premium efficiency motor standards cover the 1 horsepower (hp) to 500 hp three-phase low-voltage NEMA Design A and B general, special, and definite purpose induction motors that are in widespread use in U.S. industrial facilities. The energy savings from replacing in-service standard and energy efficient motors with premium efficiency motor models can be substantial.

This engineering online PDH course will establish conditions under which, when an engineering failure has occurred, it can be attributed to negligence.    

Five causes of failure are proposed: negligence, rare failure mode, overlooked failure mode, new (previously unrecognized) failure mode, and incorrect assessment of a known risk. Negligence is the only cause that involves failing in an ethical duty.  These concepts are illustrated with five case studies of failures ranging from gross negligence to absolutely unforeseeable events: 1) the Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, for which a new possible cause was identified 95 years later (2014); 2) a building collapse in Bangladesh in which over 1,000 people died—one of the worst structural engineering disasters in history; 3) a meteorite strike of a private residence; 4) the crash of the British-French Concorde supersonic airliner, caused by an unlikely tire blow-out; and 5) radiation overdoses received by patients treated by the Thorac-25 medical linear accelerator, caused by errors in the software controlling the machine.