Future Students - Student Projects
Developing Countries
The School is eager to expand the opportunities for student projects in developing countires.These are the applications where photovoltaics and other renewable energy technologies can be used to make the greatest difference to people's lives and living standards. This is the most popular project among our second year Photovoltaics students who get involved with a variety of work including photovoltaic module construction, encapsulation, testing, as well as desiging solar lighting systems, solar electric lanterns and solar cookers. Fundraising and project management are also an important part of this project.
Nicaragua
Collage of photos from Nicargua trips
Two groups of students have had the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua as part of this project. In 2003 a group of 14 students, accompanied by Dr Sproul and Anna Bruce, travelled to Nicaragua under the name of Korima, as a result of project work completed in 2002. Similarly, in 2004, 11 students who called themsleves Zenith, travelled with Dr Corkish and Anna Bruce after completing fundraising and project work throughout 2003. This project work was undertaken in association with Grupo Fenix, a non-profit organisation which collects and uses reject solar cells from US manufacturers to make into solar panels.
Students involved with the visit found it to be a valuable and enjoyable learning experience. While in Nicaragua students lived with a rural family who generally had very little material wealth, and were often without electricity. This provided students with a unique opportunity to see how the use of photovoltaics may improve the lives of people in remote villages. Furthermore students had the opportunity to get hands-on experience with photovoltaic systems and the associated challenges that engineers face when working in the field.
Nepal
Collage of photos from Nepal trip
The School became involved with the aid organisation Himalayan Light Foundation in October 2000, to coordinate the involvement of students in a project for the design, implementation and testing of photovoltaic systems in remote villages in Nepal. Thirteen students were scheduled to visit Nepal in September 2001. However, due to the terrorist attacks in the US, the trip was postponed. Towards the end of 2003 preparations were made for the students to travel to Nepal at the beginning of 2004 to complete the work started two years previously. Most of the original team were part of the 11 member group which travelled to Nepal in February 2004 under the supervision of Dr Alistair Sproul. In conjunction with HLF the UNSW team spent 6 days installing a solar photovoltaic lighting system on a Health Post in Shankhe, Nepal. Prior to this, the only lighting available to the Health Post was torches or kerosene lights that were quite inadequate. Future visits by UNSW students are planned to install vaccine refrigeration and to explore the possibility of generating electricity using micro-hydro turbines.