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Energy systems and technologies are at the heart of the global decarbonization movement. Understanding how these systems work—their inputs, outputs, costs, and benefits—is essential to designing and deploying the clean energy solutions that will replace the technologies of the past.

In the Energy Systems and Technology course at ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder, students explore the fundamentals of energy—from fossil fuels and power generation to renewable technologies, storage, and end-use applications in vehicles and buildings. While not an engineering class, the course takes a quantitative and analytical approach, giving students hands-on experience with tools like Excel modeling, GHG accounting, and NREL’s SAM software. Over the semester, students ramp up their data skills through real-world analyses of energy systems, supply and demand, and financial tradeoffs—no prior experience required.

This week’s class took those lessons to the next level with a hands-on microgrid design lesson. Inspired by earlier collaborations with instructor Josh Radoff, students Daniel Tigreros and Kasrah Eslami created an interactive session where their peers designed and analyzed their own microgrid systems.

Working in teams, students developed small-scale, resilient grids that integrate multiple energy sources—renewable and conventional—to deliver reliable power to communities. The exercise brought together technical understanding, creativity, and collaboration, embodying the program’s mission to equip students with the tools to lead in a decarbonizing world.

Through experiences like these, ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder students are not only learning how energy systems work—they’re discovering how to reimagine them for a sustainable future.