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HomePageSolar Design for Development (H79.2806) is a semester-long course at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Interactive Telecommunications Program taught by Hans-Christoph Steiner and Jacob Winiecki Current Instructors Hans-Christoph Steiner (hansi <at> nyu <dot> edu) and Jacob Winiecki (jacob.winiecki <at> gmail <dot> com) DescriptionSustainable energy solutions cannot exist in a bubble, they must be interlinked with local people, enterprise, and culture. There is a range of sustainable energy technologies that show huge promise. There are many projects, from massive to small, to bring technologies like solar to the developing world, but most fail. In order for such projects to succeed, they need to be considered in the whole context: affordability, usability, financing, local participation, long term maintenance, and even local culture. Information technology can lubricate these interactions, by easing communications, reducing transaction costs and allowing knowledge sharing. This class focuses on real world experience with solar energy, enterprise, and microfinance in East Africa and Asia. The class works with energy entrepreneurs currently providing solar products to households living on less than $3 per day. Students will learn about the basics of the technology as well as real-world problems and contexts. Groups of students will design prototype solutions. The solar enterprises critique final design projects and potentially test one or more in the field. Complementary CoursesWe are working on collaborations between other classes that cover topics that complement the work in this class. This course is informed by our discussions with the professors of these courses. There are possibilities for collaboration with students in the classes, or projects carried through a combination of these classes.
BiosJacob WinieckiJacob Winiecki is a Senior Program Specialist at Arc Finance, a New York-based non profit organization that aims to expand access to financing for clean energy and water. In this capacity, Jacob focuses on developing and scaling new energy programs within banks, microfinance institutions, and other financing entities that offer households and micro-businesses the opportunity to finance the purchase of modern, clean energy alternatives. He is currently managing the field operations of Arc Finance, with projects in East Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In this capacity, he is charged with identifying and brokering investments in small energy enterprises and microfinance institutions, establishing new energy ventures, and providing technical support to entrepreneurs in incubating and growing energy businesses. He has experience working in Honduras, Nicaragua, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, India, and Philippines. Jacob graduated from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs in 2005 with a master's of public administration degree in environmental science and policy and also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in financial accounting from George Mason University. Hans-Christoph SteinerHans-Christoph Steiner spends his time designing interactive software with a focus on human perceptual capabilities, building networks with free software, and composing music with computers. With an emphasis on collaboration, he has worked in many forms, including responsive sound environments, free wireless networks that help build community, musical robots that listen, software environments that allow people to play with math, and a jet-powered fish that you can ride. To further his research, he teaches and works at various media art centers and organizes open, collaborative hacklabs and barcamp conferences. He is currently teaching courses in physical interaction design NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program. |