The eLearning Center for B.F. Environmental Consultants, Inc.

Overview

Geothermal energy uses the flow of thermal energy from beneath the Earth's surface to heat homes and businesses and generate electricity. Geothermal energy is also used in many industrial and commercial applications, such as agriculture, fish farming, food dehydration, gold processing and milk pasteurizing. Geothermal energy has many advantages over other forms of energy. It is cleaner and more abundant than fossil fuels. In fact, the thermal energy in the uppermost six miles of the Earth's crust amounts to 50,000 times the energy of all oil and gas resources in the world. With advances in technology, geothermal energy is becoming a more economically viable energy choice for many applications.

In this course, the student will review the document "Geothermal Energy... Power from the Depths" published by the U.S. Dept. of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This publication describes the basics of geothermal energy and outlines its advantages relative to other energy sources. This course is relevant to engineers who are interested in learning about an alternative energy source that can potentially reduce the energy costs and emissions of a plant, business or residence.

The student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of ten questions at the end of this course to obtain PDH credits.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Attained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

  · Merits of geothermal energy relative to other forms of energy
  · Types and geographic locations of different types of geothermal resources
  · Types of geothermal power plants
  · Direct uses of geothermal energy
  · Heat pump basics

State Board Acceptance

This course can be used by professional engineers to fulfill PDH requirements mandated by state and provincial licensing boards. Decatur Professional Development is an approved provider of continuing education in all states that pre-approve course providers. In all other states that mandate continuing education for engineers, it is the individual engineer's responsibility to determine the suitability of activities for PDH credit. The state boards typically accept online* courses that cover technical, managerial** or ethical content and which are relevant to the practice of engineering. The course must have a clear purpose or objective with a content that will maintain, improve or expand the skills and knowledge of the licensee's field of practice. For questions about your mandatory PDH requirements, visit the website of your state licensing board.

*Online courses are accepted by all state licensing boards that mandate continuing education. Other than New York (which limits online courses to 18 PDH) and Iowa (which limits online courses to 6 PDH), there are no limits placed by other states on the number of hours that can be earned through online continuing education. Consult with your state licensing board if you have any questions about the acceptability of online courses.

**The New York State Board of Engineers does not accept general office management courses, but will accept project management courses that are offered by an approved provider and that are technical in nature and contribute to the engineer's professional practice.

Please Note: Continuing Education credits for this course are awarded as PDH (Professional Development Hour Credits).