Former Red Deer Polytechnic students receive provincial recognition for Capstone Project
16, Nov, 2022
EDMONTON, Nov. 16, 2022 – With renewable energy resources proving increasingly critical in the battle against climate change, a former team of Red Deer Polytechnic engineering technology students has been honoured at the provincial level for a Capstone Project related to this.
The challenge posed by renewable energy resources (e.g. wind, solar) is that they are only available for certain periods of time. As a result, the windows of opportunity when electricity can be generated by them are finite. The former Red Deer Polytechnic team’s project, Micro Scaled Compressed Air Energy Storage System (CAES), explored how to store energy generated by renewable energy resources for time periods of non-generation or when peak demand is in effect.
As a result, the former team of Kyle Salaway, Tyler Podgorenko, Kyle Bennett, and Mathieu Lapointe was named a provincial finalist for the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta’s (ASET) Capstone Project of the Year Award.
The former team’s goal was to design and build a system that uses stored heat and compressed air, originating from a compressor, to generate power. A compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. The former team’s micro scaled project was intended to demonstrate the capability CAES systems have, and indicate that a larger scaled system could potentially produce a significant amount of electricity.
The system works by taking the intermittent generated electricity involved in operating a compressor and storing the air in a vessel that can be released through an air motor to provide electricity when needed.
“Kudos to the former Red Deer Polytechnic team for exploring how to make renewable energy enduring for future energy needs,” said ASET CEO Barry Cavanaugh.
The former Red Deer Polytechnic team’s project is one of eight finalists named by ASET for the 2022 Capstone Project of the Year Award. The winning project was recently announced.
The Capstone Project of the Year Award was established by ASET in 2017 in response to overwhelming member interest in back-to-school stories about Capstone projects undertaken by teams of engineering technology students from NAIT, SAIT, Red Deer Polytechnic and Lethbridge College as part of their end-of-program requirements.
About ASET
ASET is the professional self-regulatory organization for engineering technologists and technicians in Alberta. ASET currently represents over 17,000 members, including full-time technology students, recent graduates and fully certified members in 21 disciplines and more than 120 occupations across a multitude of industries.
Media Contact:
Michele Penz, Calico Communications for ASET
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