Groups that are hosting IESTE Intern Teams

solar store logo

Katharine Kent - The Solar Store

The Solar Store is a full-service supplier of solar products and services.  We provide solar hot water, solar pool heating, solar electric as well as other environmental sensitive or energy efficient products.  As an electrical and plumbing contractor licensed for both commercial and residential work, we have installed over 9,000 solar systems in southern Arizona and southwest New Mexico since our inception in 1998. Intern Projects include:

  1. Installation time study to verify labor hour estimates for various aspects of the installation, this would include videotaping for future training; and
  2. Evaluation of the current contract to job start process and evaluation of efficiency alternatives. 
TEC image

 Perry Li AME - UA

This internship will involve two projects regarding solar thermal energy harvesting and utilization for water production as well as electrical power production

membrane distillation crystallization (MDC) unit

Robert Norwood Optical Sciences - UA

Kerri Hickenbottom, Andrea Achilli, ChEE - UA

This project investigates an integrated membrane distillation crystallization (MDC) - hybrid concentrated solar power (CSP)/PV collector system to realize a self-sustained, zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) technology for inland and off-grid applications.

forecasting graphics

Patrick Bunn, Leland Boeman   Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences - UA

Power Forecasting Group

The Power Forecasting Group (PFG) serves forecasts for 3.1 GW of renewable power generation in the Southwest United States, including 45 utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems. The PFG partners with regional utilities including TEP, APS, and SRP to provide power forecasts for the Western Energy Imbalance Market.

current research topics for solar power include:

  1. - Implementation of state of charge forecasts for co-located PV and Battery Energy Storage Systems.
  2. - Improving sub-hourly Global Horizontal Irradiance forecasts using satellite image processing.
  3. - Development of power forecasts for networks of residential rooftop PV based on zipcode.
Broccoli under solar panels

Greg Barron-Gafford   Arid Lands Resources Sciences - UA

Agrivoltaics

This project investigates the potential for agrivoltaics - the colocation of agriculture + photovoltaics - as an approach to create more resilient energy, food, and water systems. Solar panels provide shade to the soils (reducing evaporation) and plants (protection from too much direct sunlight), and in return transpiration from the plants help cool the solar panels. How do different crops perform in this system? How well do different crops improve panel performance? Helps us answer these and other questions!

TEP solar installation

Gabriel Torres   Tucson Electric Power

Utility Scale Solar

This internship will familiarize the students with utility scale solar across a decade’s worth of different installs.  Potential internship activities include the following:

  1. Data logging
  2. System monitoring
  3. Troubleshooting inverters/trackers
  4. Compatible inventory sourcing
  5. LAN - local area networks
  6. Civil issues/repairs