Sustainable Energy Development Program - University of Houston
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Division of Energy and Innovation

Sustainable Energy Development Program

Executive Summary

UH Energy is pleased to announce the launch of the new asynchronous version of the Sustainable Energy Development Energy Value Chain Bronze Badge. This program is available online, starting April 15, 2022, and you have up to 6 weeks to complete 8 study modules. Weekly “office hours” are available for real-time discussion of the course materials and questions. The program includes topics such as energy measurements, energy transition, energy efficiency, electricity generation, recycling, cement production, steel production, transportation fuels, transnational comparisons, public policy, and government incentives. Price: $500.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Energy professionals – current and future – have to be informed and equipped for an industry that is in transition. UH Energy’s new Sustainable Energy Development Program answers this need. Designed and presented by leaders from industry and accomplished faculty from the University of Houston, the program provides a structured series of micro-credentials or “badges” that cover the changing energy landscape and build the skills to succeed in it. Each badge is a 15-hour module, delivered over a 4-week period, and the badges are stackable.

QUESTIONS?

If you cannot find the information you need on the webpage, please refer to the FAQ section and/or contact us.

Why This Program?

The world is changing faster than at any time in history – especially in the world of energy. Society today has 3 fundamental expectations for our energy future: It must be affordable, accessible & reliable, and environmentally responsible. These requirements make up the Energy Trilemma. Advancing solutions that simultaneously satisfy all elements of this trilemma are the foundation and essence of Sustainable Energy Development.

To meet this challenge, and in response to the needs identified by key leaders in energy, UH Energy has developed the Sustainable Energy Development Program. It is an interactive online program, to equip you – the rising energy professional – with skills, knowledge and expertise to tackle the Energy Trilemma.

sed-energy-trilemma-triangle-web.png

Who should attend?

The Sustainable Energy Development Program has been designed with two distinct groups in mind:

  • Those of you already in the energy industries are seeing significant changes almost daily. The Sustainable Energy Development Program will provide the new information, new insights, and new skills you need to manage the new demands that are placed on you as you play your part in the Energy Transition
  • Those of you readying yourself for an energy career need to prepare for a dynamic, exciting and challenging professional life. The Sustainable Energy Development Program provides a unique perspective and skillset, giving you a competitively advantaged competence as you enter the energy marketplace

Learning Objectives

After successfully completing this program, participants will be able to understand:

  • Key characteristics and drivers of the Energy Transition and the Energy Trilemma
  • Critical perspectives for the decision-makers in the key energy market segments of O&G, Petrochemicals, and Electric Power
  • The Energy Trilema and the fundamentals of meeting the Energy Transition Challenge
  • What are the requirements for Sustainable Energy Development
  • Fundamental components of the energy value chain(s) in O&G, Petrochemicals and Electric Power
  • Industry segment fundamentals of O&G, Petrochemicals, and Electric Power including of renewables and storage
  • Drivers for renewables and energy storage and key enablers for the integration into the energy mix
  • Applications of Techno-Economic Analysis and Life Cycle Analysis in sustainable energy development
  • The business drivers of the energy industry and future scenarios
  • The requirements of project management for sustainable energy development
  • Corporate social responsibility in sustainable energy development
  • Technical and Business drivers for investments and decision-making

Pricing

INDIVIDUAL BADGE PRICE:

$900

EACH

BRONZE BELT BUNDLE (All 3 Badges purchased together):

$2,500

ALL 3

Credentialing Overview

The credentialing program delivers a multi-disciplinary understanding of challenges and solutions to achieve sustainable energy development, and it is taught by world class instructors, including leaders from industry and the marketplace and accomplished faculty from the University of Houston, the Energy University, in the Energy Capital of the World.

The program will be offered in 15-hour modules, each over a 4-week period. Digital badges are awarded for each module, and sets of 3 badges you will earn a Belt. The introductory Bronze Belt is followed by an intermediate Silver Belt, and finally an advanced Gold Belt. The badges and belts provide a permanent record, endorsed by UH Energy and the University of Houston, that can be made a part of your resume to credential your new skills.

Bronze Belt

The Bronze Belt provides a framework for the energy trilemma and the key ingredients of sustainable development and decision-making. This is designed to ask and answer the key questions in each of the energy markets – Oil & Gas, Petrochemicals, and Electric Power, inclusive of renewables and storage. The framework is structured within a life-cycle analysis and techno-economic modeling discipline.

SED bronze belt
SED bronze energy transition badge
SED bronze energy value chain badge
SED bronze evaluating options badge

Silver Belt

This Silver Belt program builds upon the introduction to the energy transition given in the Bronze Belt in Sustainable Energy Development. It provides a deeper look at hydrogen – one of the most promising vehicles for decarbonizing the global energy system. The three badges explore hydrogen production, hydrogen transportation, safety and use, and the commercial opportunity for hydrogen. A capstone project is included, to consolidate the multidisciplinary learnings of this exciting new program.

SED silver hydrogen economy belt
SED silver hydrogen production badge
SED silver hydrogen transport badge
SED silver hydrogen commercial hydrogen badge

Gold Belt

The Gold Belt provides tools and techniques to evaluate technical and business solutions for the development of sustainable energy solutions that encompass carbon management and socially responsible investments. The focus of the evaluation is business feasibility, environmental impact, scale-up and implementation, and overall business viability.

SED gold belt
SED gold badge enterprise sustainability
SED gold badge business viability
SED gold badge management implementation

Instructors

UH INSTRUCTORS

  • Greg Bean

    Greg Bean

    Executive Director of the Gutierrez Energy Management Institute, Bauer College of Business, University of Houston

  • Aparajita Datta

    Aparajita Datta

    Research Scholar, UH Energy, University of Houston

  • Dr. Birol Dindoruk

    Dr. Birol Dindoruk

    American Association of Drilling Engineers Endowed Professor, University of Houston

  • Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorti

    Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorti

    Vice President of Energy and Innovation, University of Houston

  • Charles McConnell

    Charles McConnell

    Executive Director, Center for Carbon Management in Energy, University of Houston

  • Dr. Ognjen Miljanic

    Dr. Ognjen Miljanic

    Professor of Chemistry, University of Houston

  • Dr. Suryanarayanan Radhakrishnan

    Dr. Suryanarayanan Radhakrishnan

    Managing Director, UH Energy, University of Houston

  • Dr. Alan Rossiter

    Dr. Alan Rossiter

    Executive Director, External Relations & Educational Program Development, University of Houston

INDUSTRY INSTRUCTORS

  • Dr. Richard Helling

    Dr. Richard Helling

    Director, Sustainability/Life Cycle Assessment, Dow

  • Nigel Jenvey

    Nigel Jenvey

    Managing Partner - New Frontiers, Baker Hughes

  • Dr. Teresa Jurgens-Kowal

    Dr. Teresa Jurgens-Kowal

    Founder and President, Global NP Solutions

  • Scott Nyquist

    Scott Nyquist

    Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

  • Dr. Joe Powell

    Dr. Joe Powell

    Principal | Retired Shell Chief Scientist – Chemical Engineering, ChemePD LLC

  • Dr. Pieter Smeets

    Dr. Pieter Smeets

    Sr. Manager, Industrial Sustainability (MEA), SABIC

  • Andy Steinhubl

    Andy Steinhubl

    Vice Chair of the Board, Center for Houston’s Future (CFH)

Credentialing Program Prerequisites

Either:

  • Rising senior in a bachelor’s degree program or graduate student; business, engineering, or technology preferred.
  • Industry professional

Program Resources

Sustainable Energy Development Program Info Session Video

Recording Date: July 9, 2020

Have Questions about the Sustainable Energy Development Program? Join program instructors on Thursday, July 9th from 10:00am - 10:45am to learn more and have your questions answered.

Info Session Slides

Frequently Asked Questions

The first step is to complete the ONLINE APPLICATION
UH Energy will review your application to ensure that you satisfy the minimum requirements to register. For the Energy Transition Badge, this means that you should either be:

  • An industry professional. Priority is given to applicants from within the energy sector, with at least five years of experience
  • A student - either in a graduate program, or a rising senior in a bachelor’s degree program. We accept students from a wide range of disciplines, although priority is given to fields such as business, engineering, or technology, which have a clear connection to the energy sector

After we received your application, the review committee will notify you of their decision within two business days. If we are able to offer you a seat in the course, we will send you instructions for online payment. Your application will then be accepted upon receipt of your payment.

Micro-credentials are certifications for mastery of specific topic areas or skillsets. To earn a micro-credential, you typically have to complete a certain number of activities, assessments, or projects related to the topic.

Digital badges (or ebadges) are a validated indicator of accomplishment, skill, quality or interest that can be earned in various learning environments. Digital badges are now commonly used as “digital transcripts,” and they can be incorporated in LinkedIn profiles. Many badge earners also display their badges through social media.

Use and Acceptance: Micro-credentials and digital badges are now widely accepted by employers as evidence of competency in specific skills. They have been in use for roughly ten years, notably in the IT arena, where IBM has been a leader. IBM needed to train personnel to support rapidly changing product needs. Rather than using extended training programs, they developed training for minimum skillsets, and deployed this through online media. They awarded micro-credentials to successful candidates, and issued digital badges to certify the awards. Many other companies, large and small, are now using digital credentials, as are many academic institutions, including the University of Houston, and also Harvard, Cambridge, and a large number of other universities.

Students who have registered can withdraw from the course at any time. However, participants need to withdraw two days before start of classes to receive a refund. If you have paid for the Bronze bundle (all three badges) and would like to withdraw after completing a badge, you may do so two days before the start of classes for the next badge to receive a refund for the remaining badges.

Currently we only accept credit card payments.

The course is available online by live, synchronous delivery. Some of the lectures are prerecorded in segments of roughly 20 minutes each. The recorded segments are followed by live interaction with instructors in real time. The live interaction will be used to expand on some of the topics in the recorded lectures, and to resolve any misunderstandings and questions that that learners may have.

No, the program is designed for maximum flexibility. Participants can take badge(s) in order, as a stand-alone or a sequence that best suits their schedule.

If you miss a class, or a portion of a badge, the recorded material will be available, and you can view the recordings at your convenience. However, we strongly recommend that you attend the course synchronously, as the live interaction with instructors is an important instructional component.

If you miss a badge, you may be able to register for the badge by asynchronous delivery. The asynchronous (i.e., recorded) material will be available, and you can qualify by viewing the recordings and achieving passing grades on the homework and tests. However, we strongly recommend that you attend the course synchronously, as the live interaction with instructors is an important instructional component. The same registration process and fees apply whether you participate in the course in real time, or if you only participate asynchronously.

Yes. Each week you will have an online multiple choice test for homework, and you will have to achieve a passing grade to proceed to the next week. If you do not pass on the first attempt, you can review the course material and re-take the test as many times as you wish. There will also be a final exam at the end of the course.

If you cannot find the information you need on the webpage or in the other FAQs, please contact:

  • Joel Castro, MBA, PE – MBA /Professional Civil Engineer

    "This summer, I had the opportunity to learn about the Energy Transition through UH Energy's Sustainable Energy Development Program. It was indeed a privilege to hear industry experts lecture about macro trends, current energy portfolios, and the energy trilemma."

  • Ana Prebisch - Process Engineer at Technip Energies

    "So glad and thankful my team leader shared with me an invitation to take this course."

  • Emily Haussmann  –Mechanical Engineer at Dresser Utility Solutions

    "Last week, I completed the first course in a three part series on the energy transition. We discussed the challenges of solving the energy trilemna- creating enough energy for human development that is affordable and environmentally sustainable."

  • Amy Gasca – Electricity, Sustainability, Energy Transition, Business Development, Professor and Author

    "So excited that just completed Badge Energy Transition UH Energy Institute provides the development that supports leaders. "