Cincinnati State students build solar electric car
April 14, 2009
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It was pretty quiet at Cincinnati State during the short break between winter and spring terms – except for the engineering technologies lab.
There, a group of students from Clark Montessori High School convened to assemble a solar-assisted, battery powered cart that will be used by the Cincinnati Parks Department.
The vehicle kit was donated to the Parks Department by Time Warner. When Clark Montessori teacher Jo Guido heard the department was looking for someone to assemble it as a public service project, she jumped at the chance. It was, she said, a perfect project for her students during their “intercession’’— a two week mini-course that incorporates a public service component.
Serendipity struck twice when Cincinnati State faculty member Larry Feist got wind of the project. Feist heads the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program at Cincinnati State, and he volunteered use of his lab during the break. It proved an ideal venue, as the weather during that period was often cold and wet.
Feist also assembled a team of Cincinnati State students to help with the project.
By the end of the third day, the cart was complete. It runs on marine batteries stored beneath the seat. They can be, and usually are, recharged conventionally through an electrical outlet. But a solar panel mounted on the front of the vehicle also sends energy to the batteries. And left outside for a long enough time, that solar panel could in fact send enough juice to the batteries to operate the vehicle.
The solar/electric vehicle – a cross between a car, a cart and, with its thin, spoke-supported wheels, a bicycle – will be used for maintenance and short-distance trips within Cincinnati’s renowned park system.
When they weren’t working on the vehicle, the high school students were touring Cincinnati State’s renewable energy labs and working on origami projects. (Why origami? Try it sometime – it requires precision, patience and a hands-on understanding of geometry. It’s also part of the Montessori approach to engaging not only the head, but also the heart and hands.)
Hosting the solar/electric vehicle project is just one of the recent green events at Cincinnati State, and it sure won’t be the last. In addition to offering a rich array of hands-on courses involving renewable energy, Cincinnati State has an ambitious curriculum involving the design and construction of energy-efficient buildings, the operation of water and wastewater treatment plants and the installation and maintenance of energy-efficient heating, cooling and generating devices.
Cincinnati State has also been host to other green events, and on April 25 will be home for another: a “Green Energy Ohio’’ regional meeting.
