Sustainable Energy Engineering Undergraduates

This project, called “Sea Spray,” demonstrates water filtration. By using an interactive hand pump, water is forced through a series of filters including a reverse osmosis filter to purify it. 

The team developed a portable system that generates energy to charge an electronic device. The user pulls on the belt, generating mechanical energy through gears which is used to charge a battery. This project demonstrates how motion can be converted into electricity.

This project demonstrates how electricity can be produced by using a hand crank. By turning the crank, rotational energy is used to generate power and light up the lightbulb.

This project uses solar power to produce electrical energy. By placing solar panels on top of a remote-controlled car, light is absorbed to power the toy.

The team developed a model of an electrical storage device that stores potential gravitational energy. When the weight is dropped, it spins the turbine and generates energy which is stored in a battery.

This project illustrates how hydropower could be used to generate electricity to power a house. Rainwater is collected in a tank on top of the house, and when it is released, it produces a current which spins a turbine to create electricity.

The team developed a gardening system that demonstrates vertical farming and could be used for an individual. Unlike traditional gardens, this project illustrates how plants can grow in water without soil. This project also aims to address food scarcity concerns.

This project demonstrates how electrical energy is generated by mechanical stress. By applying pressure on the shoe insole, electricity is produced and displayed on a multi-meter.

This project focuses on sustainable energy generation. As hydroelectricity is the leading source of sustainable power in B.C., the team wanted to develop a prototype to help educate students on the significance of producing energy through hydropower. They used a tank of water and gravitational force to make a water turbine spin which generated electricity.

This project aims to develop a mechanical system that converts wave motion into electrical energy. The linear motion of the waves moves a magnet inside a solenoid to generate power. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the various types of natural resources that are capable of generating clean energy.

The team developed a system for in-door gardening that allows individuals to grow food in their own home. This project strives to bring awareness to the impact of agriculture and deforestation as well as decentralize global systems.

This project aims to tackle concerns regarding microplastic in our environment. The team created an apparatus that can collect and filter microplastics from the ocean by using sound waves.

This project focuses on the conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy. By stepping on the platform, the crystalline materials used in the prototype are deformed which produces an electrical voltage. The project aims to help reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.

The team developed a rechargeable flashlight that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. By turning a hand crank, energy is produced and stored in a capacitor which recharges the light’s battery.

This project aims to convert sunlight into electrical energy through the photovoltaic effect. By using photoresistors to analyze light intensity and a duo access rotation panel, the solar panels have the ability to move toward the best source of light.

This project focuses on producing hydropower through the flow of water. Gravitational force can increase the velocity of water in pipelines in order to spin the turbines used to produce electricity.

This project focuses on the development of an off-grid sustainable solar charger. Its design was based off the most recent iteration of the iPhone charger. As the name of the project indicates, the charger uses the sun to supply power. As grid-based power is not always available and uses unsustainable materials, off-grid solar power offers a solution to this issue as an alternative power source.

This project aims to convert food waste into compost that can re-enter the earth’s soil as opposed to a landfill. Food scrap disposal is time consuming and leads to food waste. A substantial amount of British Columbia’s landfill waste is made up of food that does not get composted. Therefore, this project aims to make a household system that streamlines the composting process for end.

The aim of this project is to develop a household voltage sensing device to reduce unnecessary consumption of power. Have you ever left you phone in the charger beyond one hundred percent? People often leave their electronics plugged into electrical outlets sapping up power that goes to waste. These instances add unnecessary costs to people’s electric bill and wastes energy. To mitigate this, the project aims to switch off the current of energy that devices receive when it detects a certain voltage.

The aim of this project is to provide homeowners a product in their homes that facilitates sustainable living by allowing people to farm and grow their own food. Due to bulk purchasing of food products, a large amount of food does not get consumed and goes to waste. This project seeks to transcend traditional outdoor farms through its ease of use, convenience and control which helps to promote sustainable living and reduces food waste through making farming more accessible.

The aim of this project is to generate electricity using a renewable hydro energy source. Other sources of renewable power generation can be inconsistent such as solar and wind. Since British Columbia has an abundance of water, a small-scale hydro turbine can generate a consistent source of clean energy on a small scale. This project is portable, lightweight, durable and inexpensive to make. The idea is to provide a small scale, personal hydro energy source for outdoor enthusiasts and remote locations.

The aim of this project is to develop a budget friendly and reliable electric bike converter kit. In Canada, the transportation sector makes up a substantial portion of greenhouse gas emissions. This project showcases how a sustainable transportation option like electric bikes can massively contribute to reducing gas, power and energy usage required to operate most cars, trucks and buses.

This project addresses the buildup of organic waste in landfills. This phenomenon leads to greenhouse gas pollution and land destruction. Furthermore, landfills make up a substantial amount of emissions. Improper disposal and sorting of organic waste exacerbate this issue. This project sorts garbage into the right bin for proper recycling or disposal.

The aim of this project is to develop an app that is integrated with the transit system to help minimize the environmental impact of public transportation by removing the need for a physical plastic Compass Cards. Considering that these cards are not recyclable due to the chip contained in them, this app offers a more environmentally sustainable solution. The Scoot app manages users’ Compass Cards and contains bus and SkyTrain schedules. The app is convenient and reduces plastic waste.

The AIM system is a feedback control system that continuously monitors agricultural soil conditions through the use of a sensor unit, and a user interface. The sensor unit built using a micro-controller equipped with a capacitive moisture sensor relays soil moisture data to a computer application-based user interface. The interface, designed in Excel for the prototype, reads the soil moisture data and notifies an operator when irrigation of the cropland is required. The interface can then control an irrigation system, supplying water until a desired soil moisture level is detected by the system.

View project video here.

Laundry systems are leading sources of synthetic material introduced into our biosphere. To help mitigate plastic pollution, we designed the SynthaSift, an inline laundry microplastic filter. Our inspiration draws from existing products, including Lint Luv-R and Filtrol. By enhancing Filtrol's filter range, SynthaSift filters particles approximately ten times finer, while maintaining a competitive sale price. The prototype was 3D printed using biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA), to minimize the environmental impact at each stage of our design. As SEE students, we acknowledge that water is a valuable resource, and it is our responsibility to make positive environmental impacts.

View project video here.

Our team created a biodegradable conversion kit for home printers that turns a traditional ink cartridge printer into a reusable, refillable ink reservoir. By creating a refillable system, home printers become more affordable and sustainable by cutting down on plastic waste, and the use of expensive often unrecyclable cartridges. We created our design to model reservoir printers, which are an expensive printing option that is often inaccessible for students and low-income working professionals. By adapting a system that is already in use, we have created a fully integrated system that works on any home printer that uses a cartridge system.

View project video here.