GE 3300 — Energy Systems: Science, Technology, and Sustainability
4 semester hoursUndergraduateLectureusually offered: fall, spring, summerBostonStudy AbroadNU Faculty-led Study AbroadTraditional
Offers students an opportunity to obtain a sound scientific, technological, and economic understanding of our modern energy system and the challenge of energy sustainability. Covers principles of energy, work, and thermodynamics; technologies from supply and demand side, including extraction of primary energy, conversion into fuels and electricity, important energy end-uses, and energy losses; fossil, nuclear power plants, and renewable energy technologies (wind, solar, wave, hydro, geothermal, biofuels); transmission and distribution for electricity and fossil fuels; energy demand by buildings, transportation, and industry, emphasizing efficient technologies; sustainability concepts, including net energy/exergy analysis and life-cycle assessment, energy-related emissions, decentralized generation, smart grids, district heating, and net-zero energy facilities.
Prerequisites
- () or MATH 21EM and ()
Offering history
| Term | Sections | Enrolled | Capacity | Full | Open seats/section |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | 2 | 46 | 98 | 47% | 26.0 |
| Spring 2024 | 1 | 37 | 74 | 50% | 37.0 |
| Summer A 2024 | 1 | 27 | 50 | 54% | 23.0 |
| Summer B 2024 | 1 | 13 | 50 | 26% | 37.0 |
| Fall 2024 | 2 | 45 | 98 | 46% | 26.5 |
| Spring 2025 | 1 | 21 | 75 | 28% | 54.0 |
| Summer A 2025 | 1 | 36 | 50 | 72% | 14.0 |
| Fall 2025 | 2 | 78 | 82 | 95% | 2.0 |
| Spring 2026 | 1 | 38 | 75 | 51% | 37.0 |
Snapshots from scheduled scrapes — not live seat availability. "Full" can exceed 100% when sections over-enroll.
Meeting times
Share of recent sections by weekday: M 22% · T 28% · W 6% · Th 19% · F 25%
Common patterns: T (25% of sections), M (22% of sections), F (21% of sections), R (19% of sections), W (6% of sections), async (4% of sections) — in patterns, R means Thursday
Professors
Fall
- Peter Furth (62% of students) · reviews
- Michael Kane (38% of students) · reviews
Spring
- Matthew Eckelman (78% of students) · reviews
- Peter Furth (22% of students) · reviews
Summer A
- Kathryn Schulte Grahame (100% of students) · reviews
Summer B
- Courtney Pfluger (100% of students) · reviews
Percentages are each professor's average share of the season's enrolled students in recent terms.
Links
Official catalog (GE course descriptions) · Student reviews on RateMyHusky · All GE courses · Plan it at numap.app