ENERGY 101

The 'Energy 101' Model Curriculum is a one-semester interdisciplinary framework developed by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). It aims to foster 'energy literate decision making' by combining the science of energy with economic, ethical, societal, and international factors. The curriculum is structured into five units: Introduction to Energy, Energy Basics, Energy Sources, Energy Technology and Practice, and Energy Policy and Decision-Making. It utilizes the National Training & Education Resource (NTER), an open-source cloud-based platform, to provide instructional materials and interactive graphics. The framework is currently being tested at the University of Maryland, with further implementations planned at Harford Community College and Cecil Community College.

• The curriculum is designed to move beyond technical knowledge to ensure students can apply a mental model of energy to their daily and national decision-making processes.
• The course structure is divided into five distinct units that integrate seven Essential Energy Literacy Principles and associated fundamental concepts.
• The framework emphasizes that energy infrastructure possesses 'inertia', meaning past investments in money, time, and technology make changing current systems difficult.
• The curriculum identifies that while there are environmental limits to global energy use regarding water and climate, international demand continues to rise as standards of living increase.
• The National Training & Education Resource (NTER) serves as a critical open-source tool for the curriculum, providing cloud-based access to advanced IT, graphics, and shared module content.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2013). ENERGY 101. https://www.eesi.org/files/Energy-101-Course-Framework-Summary.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. ENERGY 101. 2013. https://www.eesi.org/files/Energy-101-Course-Framework-Summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=ENERGY 101 |date=11 March 2013 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/Energy-101-Course-Framework-Summary.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2013energy, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{ENERGY 101}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2013}, month = mar, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/Energy-101-Course-Framework-Summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }