It’s a growing phenomenon in Florida! From the Panhandle to the Keys, EnergyWhiz is drawing in students fascinated with renewable energy technology.
EnergyWhiz – a venue for students to demonstrate their science, technology, engineering, art, and math capabilities through hands-on, energy-focused projects and activities.
EnergyWhiz, which includes six separate competitions, is a venue for students in grades fourth through 12th to demonstrate their science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics capabilities through hands-on, energy-focused competitions. At this year’s 13th annual event on May 2, more than 650 energized students from across Florida converged at the University of Central Florida’s FSEC in Cocoa to showcase their renewable energy projects and participate in the competitions. “We like making things run on the sun,” said Conner Dale, a student from Edgewood Junior Senior High. “It’s fun to interact with other students from across the state,” added Raydn Hall.
Tallahassee, Gainesville and Orlando hosted smaller EnergyWhiz Expos this year, leading up to the major EnergyWhiz event. “In an effort to reach more students, we’re encouraging teachers across Florida to host regional EnergyWhiz Expos, and then the winners of the expos will advance to the state level and compete at FSEC,” said Susan Schleith, K-12 education director at FSEC.
Team Welcome to the Carnival from Milwee Middle School in Longwood earns the WOW! Award in the Hydrogen Challenge. Photo: Sherri Shields
Eric Martin at FSEC’s Flexible Residential Testing Facility. Credit: Nicholas Waters
The University of Central Florida is the only university-led team in the nation to receive part of a $4 million investment by the Energy Department to develop and demonstrate energy efficient methods of keeping homes cool in the summer and warm in winter.
The Energy Department’s Building America program is working with industry partners to develop cutting-edge innovations and resources that will lead to 50 percent savings in new homes by 2025 and 40 percent savings in existing homes by 2030.
The Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, led by UCF’s Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), will receive nearly $1 million for research focused on optimal comfort systems for heating, cooling, air distribution, and humidity control. The project will also study high performance ventilation systems and indoor air quality strategies.
“This research will help us develop integrated approaches to making homes more energy efficient while keeping them comfortable, healthy and durable,” said Eric Martin, the project’s lead researcher and program director in FSEC’s Building Research Division.
Much of the work focuses on cooling applications in hot and humid climates like Florida’s. Work on keeping homes warm in the winter will be conducted by partners at Washington State University.
Experiments will be conducted in laboratory homes located at FSEC, as well as in occupied homes.
“To ensure near-term market penetration, we are working with several industry partners including production home builders and product manufacturers,” Martin said. “But we are also focused on influencing codes and standards, which can result in a significant market impact for years to come.”
A major focus of the Building America program is reducing home heating and cooling because combined they represent the highest single energy use for U.S. homeowners or 40 percent of a home’s energy consumption. In 2014, U.S. homeowners spent $70 billion to heat their homes and $24 billion to cool them. Improving the energy efficiency of home heating and cooling systems and building envelopes including roof, walls and windows is estimated to potentially reduce space conditioning energy consumption by as much as 70 percent.
Over the past 20 years FSEC has led three Building America Industry Partnerships: the Energy Efficient Industrialized Housing Partnership, the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership and the Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction.
EnergyWhiz – a forum for students to demonstrate their science, technology, engineering, art, and math capabilities through hands-on, energy-focused projects and activities.
Best Design – Yellow Division
1st Place – Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ocean Breeze Elementary, Indian Harbor Beach
2nd Place – Team B.A.M., Martinez Middle, Lutz
3rd Place – Solar Sizzlers, Newberry Elementary, Newberry
Best Design – Orange Division
1st Place – Solar Buddies, Hidden Oaks Middle, Palm City
2nd Place – Rain in Spain Cooking Company, Lake Nona Middle, Orlando
3rd Place – Girls, Doing Work!, Lake Nona Middle, Orlando
Best Design – Red Division
1st Place – Solar Apes, Pine Ridge High, Deltona
2nd Place – Thunder Tabemono, Lake Region High, Eagle Lake
3rd Place – The Doctor’s Delight, Edgewood Jr/Sr High, Merritt Island
Each year at the annual winter meeting of the U.S. Transportation Research Board, the most outstanding student from each participating University Transportation Center (UTC) is honored for his/her achievements and promise for future contributions to the transportation field.
Mr. Thron Crowe was selected by the University of Central Florida’s Electric Vehicle Transportation Center and honored at this year’s 24th Annual Outstanding Student of the Year awards banquet in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2015.
Mr. Thron Crowe (center) accepts award from Dr. Neville Parker, chair, CUTC Awards Committee, The City University of New York (left), and Mr. Greg Winfree, assistant secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, US Dept. of Transportation, Washington, DC.
Mr. Crowe, an engineering student at Valencia College and employee at UCF’s Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), received the award for being responsible for locating and identifying accurate vehicular data in Florida’s main traffic arteries, which will be used for computational modeling of transport systems. He coordinated data collection with the University of Maryland’s Regional Integrated Transportation Information System and the Florida Department of Transportation. Additionally, Mr. Crowe has helped educate students, teachers, consumers, and fleet owners about the benefits of Plug-In Electric Vehicles (PEVs) and using Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment in the public and private environments. Mr. Crowe also recently assisted in the award of a 50-kilowatt Direct Current Fast Charger at FSEC’s research testing facility in Cocoa, Fla.
Central Florida Clean Cities Coalition encompasses a 10-county area.
The Central Florida Clean Cities Coalition was awarded first place for Most Improved Petroleum Reduction, among nearly 100 coalitions nationwide. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Coalitions advance the nation’s economic, environmental, and energy security by supporting local actions to reduce petroleum consumption in transportation.
The Central Florida Clean Cities Coalition territory encompasses a 10-county area consisting of Brevard, Flagler, Indian River, Lake, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, St. Lucie and Volusia Counties. The coalition had a 247 percent increase in petroleum reduction in 2013 compared to the previous year. The Most Improved award was announced at the annual Clean Cities Coordinator Workshop in December 2014.
