For results of this Green Energy Challenge and the competitions of other years, see the GEC main page. Or, go to ELECTRI International’s competition page.
ELECTRI International is pleased to announce the focus for the 2015 Green Energy Challenge competition, set to launch in January 2015. The electrical construction industry and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) place great value on addressing the energy challenges facing our nation. As such, the 2015 Green Energy Challenge (GEC) will again focus upon the development of a back-up power system and resiliency plan for an existing facility with demonstrated critical power needs.
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Sylvia Selwood
Director of Operations and University Relations
The 2015 Cyclone Energy team stands outside of the Administrative Services Building.
Cyclone Energy’s Approach to the 2015 Competition
The competition is broken down into several different components that will be graded by a panel of judges. Cyclone Energy creates small teams of students dedicated to those sections. These teams do the legwork for each section, and are in charge of making sure that Cyclone Energy as a whole team understands their findings.
Project Summary and Outreach
Team members: Britta Sortland, Regan Smiley, Rick Smith
The project summary team communicates with all the other members of Cyclone Energy to understand the project as a whole and condense the most important points into a few pages. Since the majority of that work has to occur after the other sections are completed, the team also dedicates their efforts to community outreach. This year, Britta, Regan, and Rick orchestrated an Energy Saving Competition and arranged for the team to attend a STEM/Science night at a local elementary school. The intent of both events was to encourage community discussion on the topic of sustainability.
Energy Audit
Team members: Joe Kern, Bryan Marroquin
These mechanical-emphasis students focus on the mechanical systems within the building chosen for the competition. At ASB, Joe and Bryan identified the HVAC system and the east glass curtain wall as the parts of the building with the most potential for change. In the proposal, they discussed the practicality and economy of making the appropriate changes to the facility.
Lighting Retrofit
Team members: Lucas Baxter, Maggie Holt
The lighting retrofit team is comprised of electrical-emphasis students. Perhaps the most visible part of a building is its lighting system. In ASB, the issue was that its inefficiency and problems were too noticeable. Lucas and Maggie worked to design a new lighting system that improved the energy efficiency while creating a better lighting environment. The design incorporates LED fixtures, dual-technology occupancy sensors, and daylight harvesting sensors. They are confident that the occupants will be pleased with the improvements, and that the owner will enjoy the energy savings.
Critical Load and Micro-grid Analysis
Team members: Joe Hahn, Dylan Busby
As stated in the above quote from Sylvia Selwood, the focus of this year’s competition was on the resiliency of the facility. Joe and Dylan were tasked with identifying the critical load needs of ASB, and finding an economic way to increase its resilience against power outage and failure. Their design included the implementation of solar modules and energy storage units. Day & Night Solar was instrumental in helping to develop the new system design.
Estimate, Schedule, Finance
Team members: Joe Kern, Bryan Marroquin, Dylan Busby
A proposal is not complete without an estimate, a schedule, and a financing plan. Joe, Bryan, and Dylan worked to create realistic, workable, and appealing plans for each, and we are confident that the owner will be satisfied with them. They took the time to consider the needs of the owner, the occupants, and the students at the university. The estimate reflects an accurate project cost, the schedule was created to minimize disruptions to building operation, and the finance plan makes use of the most appealing loan programs that applied to the project.
The Administrative Services Building: Cyclone Energy did their 2015 proposal on this campus facility.
The Cyclone Energy team is completely dedicated to ensuring that everyone affected by the process of improving the Administrative Services Building is satisfied. Their attention to detail, commitment to the best designs, and investment in the people of the university is what allows them to go above and beyond. The team had a great experience working with Iowa State University on this project, and looks forward to future relations.