Tower of Power (TOP) is an energy capture, storage and delivery system. It is designed to capture solar energy via a solar panel, store it in a lithium ion battery bank and delivery energy in alternating and direct currents. The TOP is built on a dolly allowing for easy mobility in a variety of terrains. Captured energy is stored inside a custom lithium ion battery bank, with 100 amps available . Users can plug electronics in, while viewing the TOP's vitals through an on board LCD screen.

The Tower of Power was created for an Engineering Senior Design Project at San Francisco State University in the Spring of 2020. In order to graduate all engineering students must complete a senior design project. It provides an opportunity for students to show case their abilities while letting them choose what areas they want to explore further. All in all, the senior design project gives students a taste of what real engineering takes.

In the last decade wildfires in California have become much larger, leaving greater waves of destruction every year. Once a fire has swept through people are left trying to survive and then rebuild. The time frame between losing almost everything and having a secure place to exist is one of the most vulnerable places someone can be. After having some friends lose nearly everything to fires, I wanted to do more to help people during the most vulnerable period of recovery. Once a fire has taken nearly all of your possessions, simple things become extremely challenging. Being able to use or charge electronics can dramatically improve people's position. Generators can provide power but need consistent investment to operate. Tower of Power provides a reliable long term source of energy capture and energy storage for people in need. Using renewable energy instead of fossil fuels means the TOP can be placed and left for the community to use. The TOP is not designed to replace large generators for temporary power, instead it aims at filling in the gaps of providing power to people recovering from natural disasters .

Vincent Mello

My name is Vincent Mello, I am currently a student at San Francisco State University. In December of this year, I will graduate with my B.S. in Electrical Engineering. I am looking for another summer internship to acquire more skills, while I hunt for my first engineering position. After this term I will be passing off my responsibilities as President of Tau Beta Pi, The Engineering Honors Society. I look forward to continuing to help the org as I wrap up my last few units at San Francisco State University in the Fall. When I am not working on an engineering projects one of my favorite things to do is cook from scratch and grow my own produce.