During my time at University of Mary Washington I took the class: Energy and Resource Technology. Had you told me I would be designing a whole renewable energy plan for a major city in the United States, I would’ve thought you were crazy. However, that is exactly what me and my partner did during a semester long project. We had to put our minds together and think of valid energy and storage sources, all the while taking note about how it’ll effect the culture in a given area.
For this project specifically I was given the task of finding which energy supply systems we would use to make Salt Lake City green. It was an egregious task that required days of trouble shooting in order to make enough energy to meet demand all the while having a minimal environmental impact. During this project, I became incredibly comfortable with using Google Earth Pro and the 3D modeling tools that they offer. I also spent a lot of time tinkering in NREL SAM which is a software used to calculate and plot renewable energy sources. These are skills that I believe are incredibly helpful in any given scenario.
The early days of this project helped enhance my research and trouble shooting skills. However, at the end of the semester we had to “pitch” our portfolio to a group of “city counsel members”. This presentation helped me build confidence in my speaking skills, especially in a professional setting. Below, I have linked the power point presentation (I am responsible for slides 5-19) that me and my partner created as well as a video fly through of my proposed energy supply locations.
