Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Course at Northeastern University

Abstract

This manuscript describes a newly developed graduate-level course in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at Northeastern University, designed to prepare the next generation of engineers for the multidisciplinary challenges of the clean energy transition. This course exposes students to the full spectrum of concentrated solar thermal power (CSTP) technologies—from geometric optics and heliostat field design to thermal receiver analysis, energy storage, and techno-economic assessment. This graduate-level course was developed along with several other undergraduate-level courses, in alignment with the goals of the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Heliostat Consortium (HelioCon). The course integrates analytical, numerical, and simulation-based methodologies through a structured sequence of lectures and assignments. This article presents the course syllabus, learning objectives, and detailed descriptions of the homework assignments to illustrate how the course builds theoretical depth and systems-level thinking across the core competencies required in modern CSTP engineering.