Complex challenges in sustainable energyrequire innovation: new ways of approaching problemsand new ways of collaborating. Bridging disciplinesthrough teamwork is one way to address issues effectively. Drawing from the experiences of a graduate level crossdisciplinary course involving engineering and public policy at Carleton University, this paper seeks to provide insights on the practical side of bridging disciplines in the classroom. Offered since 2011, this is a core course of Carleton’s Master’s program in Sustainable Energy Engineering and Policy. Working in groups, students envision and develop plans for novel sustainable energy projects. Through our experiences we posit the following three suggestions for successful interdisciplinary teamwork. First, ensuring that students embarking on a course share a similar foundation. Second, lessons from literature regarding team dynamics can be applied to group project work. Thirdly, that group work, challenging at times, may later be found valuable in life beyond the classroom
This thesis examines the public engagement process for renewable energy projects, focusing on the extent to which public engagement factors into the technical design of the projects. This interdisciplinary research features a two-part literature review, summarizing the key academic literature on public engagement and engineering design, respectively. The resulting insights are distilled into eight guidelines directed to engineers looking or needing to incorporate public engagement into their design processes for renewable energy projects. A case study of the renewable energy landscape in Eastern Ontario under the Green Energy Act tests the validity and applicability of the guidelines. The analysis is based on consultation reports from eight solar and wind projects, supplemented by eight interviews with renewable energy stakeholders in the same geographical area. This research has implications for renewable energy projects, for policymakers, and for the engineering profession, particularly in the context of current initiatives to improve public engagement processes. v
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