Renewable Energy

Renewable energy research has several focus areas:

• Student teams are building a solar thermal power system designed to be economically feasible for small generation in the Pacific Northwest. This includes an organic rankine cycle and a rooftop collector with both evacuated tubes and a flat plate.
• Student researchers are also investigating photovoltaic production from the Shiley School of Engineering rooftop system. A related project is working to understand how to optimize solar tracking in small scale systems.
• Student teams have constructed and optimized a system for solar (UV) water cleaning.
• Student teams have constructed and tested a system for combined stormwater treatment and hydro-electric generation.
• Student research teams have designed the vertical axis wind turbines planned for the Tillicum Crossing project.