Renewable Energy in Kauai, Hawaii
Skills:
- Google Earth
- Arc GIS
- Research
- Organization
- Written Communication
- Oral Commucation
- Critical Thinking
- Problem Solving
- Team Work
In Fall 2023, I took a class at UMW called “Energy Resources and Technology,” where we explored different renewable energy sources and storage methods. The course was super hands-on—we got to run a hydrogen fuel cell car, use solar energy to power devices, and share presentations on unique energy and storage technologies with our classmates.
For our semester project, I teamed up with two other students to form Green Isle Consulting and create an energy supply and storage plan for Kauai, Hawaii. I was the Storage Lead, which meant it was my job to figure out how much energy storage the island would need based on the power output calculated by our Supply Lead. I ended up focusing on three main storage options: thermal, buoyant, and pumped hydro.
To make the plan work, I used USGS data to find places where the water was deep enough for buoyant storage while avoiding areas with endangered species or migration patterns. For pumped hydro, I looked for existing reservoirs with big elevation differences to avoid building anything that would disturb the landscape. For thermal storage, I tied it into the solar farm we were planning to expand along the southern coast, so energy could be collected and stored in one efficient system. For each, I had to calculate the amount of energy each method could store to, ultimately, determine how many of each we would need.
This project taught me so much about renewable energy and storage systems. It was a great mix of problem-solving, research, and teamwork, and it gave me a real sense of how sustainable energy solutions can be designed in the real world.
After graduation, I’m excited about the possibility of working in renewable energy, whether in consulting or environmental engineering, where I can contribute to creating sustainable solutions.
Below is the final project that we presented to our class at the end of the semester.
