Our team has learned a lot about the pros and cons of solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal energy sources. We have analyzed different fuel cell types and energy storage methods as well. We are combining them to form the basis for a clean, renewable, and efficient data storage center that won’t be threatened by power grid issues or restricted on the basis of the local ecosystem. It also won’t be tied down to using our limited supply of fossil fuels.

However, the most consistent, pervasive, and important issue we have all had to deal with has been the issue of budget constraints. When our project’s first budget was compiled, our initial projected expenses exceeded $7,000. Since then, our funding from student fees and UROP have resulted in a final budget of $3,600, roughly half the money we would have needed with our original budget. The loss of a few members and heavy demand for UROP funding created this deficit. By downsizing our project from a 10 kW system to a 0.5 kW system and finding cheaper solutions to meet our needs, we have been able to proceed with our project after only $1,418.60 of initial costs. There will definitely be more expenses for items that we did not consider before, and also more expenses for fuel. However, we are proud that we have been able to cut down on costs so drastically yet still preserve he main components of our project.

Though this learning experience may not be unique to a senior design team, we count it as one of our most important. Being forced to innovate and work around problems to fit our project within real world constraints has been invaluable to all of us, and will surely prove very useful when we enter the workforce. Necessity, after all, is the mother of invention.

By Blake Lane, Fuel Cell