smart energy education

Smart Energy Education is a dedicated resource for educational programs and interactive learning materials for students, educators, industry professionals, and communities around the world. Our goal is to improve energy and water literacy, encourage conservation, and inspire the next generation of innovators to create a more resourceful world.

Our Flagship Programs

Resourcefulness

Resourcefulness: An Introduction to the Energy-Water Nexus teaches key concepts about water and energy for K-12 classrooms, colleges, industry, and the general public. Our goals are improving water and energy literacy, encouraging conservation, and inspiring the next generation of innovators.

Watt Watchers of Texas

Watt Watchers of Texas is a state-sponsored STEM program to help boost energy literacy for K-12 students and help schools save money by saving energy. Students join Lil’ Tex and Ann on patrol as official Watt Watchers, helping to save Texas by rounding up the Wasters Gang. Plus, with dozens of activities centered around conserving energy, food, water, and materials that are so much fun, your students won’t even realize how much they’re learning.

Energy 101: Energy Technology and Policy

Covering the vocabulary, history, resources, technology, and crosscutting social, political, and economic factors associated with global energy trends, Energy 101: Energy Technology and Policy creates energy experts who can see beyond the noise of modern energy discussions and think more critically about global energy issues. This 32-chapter text is available in targeted editions for high school students, college students, and energy professionals.

Additional Resources

Minecraft Education Edition

Introduce students to alternative energy sources by having them build homes that make use of renewable energy in different Minecraft biomes. Learning objectives, guiding ideas, student activities, and performance expectations are available as part of the Renewable Energy lesson.

Conservation Station

The Conservation Station: Creating a More Resourceful World program materials dive into the relationship between energy and water and how innovative technologies are working to conserve both resources through the core pillars of resourcefulness: effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability.

Thirst for Power

Water and energy are the two fundamental components of a society, and they are interconnected. Thirst for Power explores the history of civilization’s quest to procure abundant water and energy — from ancient Roman aqueducts in Europe to modern America’s vast hydroelectric infrastructure.

PBS Learning Media

This collection presents images, video, and academic commentary to introduce key concepts and to inspire further research at the intersection of energy and water. Presented by GPB Education, the Resourcefulness collection is available from PBS LearningMedia.

Michael E. Webber

At the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Michael E. Webber is the Josey Centennial Fellow in Energy Resources and professor of mechanical engineering. He is the author of Resourcefulness: An Introduction to the Energy-Water Nexus, Energy 101: Energy Technology and Policy, and Thirst For Power. He is also a frequent contributor to the New York Times and Scientific American.

Our Partnership

Itron enables utilities and cities to safely, securely, and reliably deliver critical infrastructure services to communities in more than 100 countries. Our portfolio of smart networks, software, services, meters and sensors helps our customers better manage electricity, gas and water resources for the people they serve. By working with our customers to ensure their success, we help improve the quality of life, ensure the safety and promote the well-being of millions of people around the globe. Itron is dedicated to creating a more resourceful world.

CPS Energy is the nation’s largest municipally owned energy utility providing both natural gas and electric service. We serve more than 840,750 electric customers and 352,585 natural gas customers in and around San Antonio, the nation’s seventh largest city.