In a typical day, students at the University turn on lights, adjust fans and heating, and maybe take a drive in a car. While all these actions are necessary to living a regular life, the Climate Action Society’s Renewables Campaign works to publicize the benefits of more environmentally friendly substitutes at the University.
CAS’s Renewables Campaign hosted a Renewable Energy Panel and question and answer session Wednesday, March 23. Speakers included two professors from the Engineering School as well as the school’s Solar Car team.
The first presentation was given by the Solar Car team’s president and vice president, fourth-year Engineering student David Philpott and third-year Engineering student En De Liow, respectively.
The students explained how the battery works and specified that it is necessary to make the cars aerodynamic and light to maximize efficiency. In future years, the club hopes to travel to Australia to compete on the International level.
“I think a lot of people really like the idea of a solar car — like wow, it can drive just on the sun. But they really explained what goes into building it,” panel attendee Zoe Grippo, a second-year College student, said.
Engineering Prof. John C. Bean then focused on forms of renewable energy, specifically how wind turbines work and what goes into the manufacturing of solar cells. Additionally, Bean addressed the economics and physics of alternative energy.
“One of my favorite comments [was from] someone who came up after the panel [and] said, ‘That was so awesome! I haven’t done equations since high school,’” Renewables Campaign leader Claire Trevisan, a second-year Engineering student, said.
Bean also discussed a new technology that would allow for the installation of offshore wind turbines in a matter of days, which would dramatically cut costs. Offshore wind farms would also address the issue of the turbines being considered unsightly.
“[Companies] put [coal mining] in areas that are really depressed, like in West Virginia,” Trevisan said. “There’s a lot of poverty there and people who have just always been around that, whereas wind turbines can kind of fit in anywhere. It could be near wealthy areas or near people who are going to speak out about those things which is why I think that concept is presenting such a problem.”
Finally, Engineering Prof. Eric Loth shared his work on a wind turbine designed to be 18 stories tall and have blades the length of two football fields. Construction for a sub-scale model of Loth’s wind turbine will start April 1, funded by a 48 million dollar grant from multiple educational institutions. The new turbine will allegedly be able to produce 50 megawatts of energy. For comparison, today’s wind turbines usually produce just two.
Grippo said the turbine’s size was really what was revolutionary.
“Usually when hurricanes happen, wind turbines are destroyed, but this is something that could really change the game,” Grippo said.
Renewables is one of CAS’s three campaigns, alongside Divest U.Va. and No New Fossil Fuels Infrastructure. Students can be involved in just one or all three of these campaigns. The group also has bi-weekly general body meetings and regularly collaborates on “actions,” which are demonstrations publicizing CAS’s views.
In late February, CAS members held up ‘Divest U.Va.’ signs during ESPN College Gameday, which allowed the club a viewership of nearly 2.5 million people.
“The cool thing is the actions are just always really fun and we try to fit them in as best we can to U.Va. culture and what people would be responsive to,” Trevisan said. “We want to put things on people’s minds and make them think about ‘Well why did that happen, why is this the way it is, what does that mean.’”
CAS works outside political systems to foster a strong enough voice in communities to fight for political change.
“Anyone can join CAS,” Grippo said. “You don’t have to be super radical liberal. We don’t all eat kale and drink smoothies and wear Chacos. Anyone’s welcome.”
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