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  Feasibility of Harvesting Kinetic Energy from Traffic

  Sarah Antolick, Alexander Hyman, Angela Nagelin, Ashley Rosano, and Caitlin Walde

  Many energy sources claim to be alternatives to fossil fuels. Various kinetic energy harvesting materials are not yet readying for widespread use, but they show great promise. Applying this technology to roads could produce a useful source of energy. An important step in developing this technology is spreading awareness.

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  Analyzing the Feasibility of Ocean Wave Energy

  Daniel Banco, John Foody, Eric Germundson, and Dale Laplante

  The search for clean, cheap, and efficient renewable energy resources has been a main concern for researchers in recent years. Offshore wave energy technology provides reliable base load power without emissions or significant visual/environmental impacts. While the technology has the potential to alleviate the energy crisis, the young, expensive technology needs more time to develop.

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  Wind for Water: Improving Living Conditions in the Third World

  Alex Carli-Dorsey, Sam Friedman, Sandra Garcia-Fine, Nick Kepka Calvetti, and Jon Sorrells

  We researched a way to provide water to people in South Sudan. To do this we devised a wind-powered pump system. We found that our system will work in theory, but requires more research and testing before it is put into use.

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  Applications of Hydrogen Power in Transportation

  Michael Delia, Xinping St. Deng, Elise Laurent, and Evan White

  The dependence of the transportation industry on oil based fuels like gasoline and diesel is a major problem in today's world. Comparisons between hydrogen and gasoline cars based on total cost of ownership and carbon emissions were made to decide if a “Hydrogen Economy” was a practical alternative to the current oil economy. It was determined that hydrogen vehicles are a very practical solution to the world’s fuel needs in the years to come.

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  Smart Micro Grids

  Andre Ferreira, Christopher Keane, and Alexander Sitthivantha

  Smart microgrids represent a unique combination of power generation and distribution on a small scale, that, prior to the I.T. revolution has never been seen before. In the US healthcare cost is increasing, but with micro smart grid technology and already well proven co-generation technology energy and fuel usage can be reduced. These systems can lower the hospital’s running cost and allow a hospital to more easily implement renewable technology while still ensuring power reliability.

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  Small Hydrokinetic Power VIVACE

  Alyssa Flaherty, Ben List, Larry McGillicuddy, and David Modica

  The purpose of this research is to examine the potential advantages and issues of implementing a recent development in small hydrokinetic power known as Vortex Induced Vibrations for Aquatic Clean Energy (VIVACE). The objective of this project is to investigate whether VIVACE hydrokinetic energy systems are capable of powering towns, as well as being low impact, cost effective power generators. The analysis in this research includes 1) a review of VIVACE technology, 2) energy estimates for the (test) region of Barcelos, Brazil in the Amazon, 3) calculations per kilowatt hour generated by a VIVACE system for the Barcelos region.

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  Universal Anaerobic Digestion Systems

  Zachary Hartzell, Nathan Martel, Domenick Mantascusa, and William Michalski

  Currently, methane digestion systems present a high initial investment for installation. If one system can be found to work efficiently at any size farm, there is a possibility for mass production of this system which would significantly lower the cost. Lowering the cost would make this technology a financially feasible option for more farms, and allow a growth of energy production from methane digestion.

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  Feasibility of Generation IV Nuclear Reactors

  William Jones, James Klyng, Iveri Prangishvili, Justin Rice, and Fredric Silberberg

  Generation IV nuclear power plants are almost ready for primetime, but there are several things that need to happen first. Test reactors need to be built to test mechanical, fuel, and safety features, the public needs to decide whether to support building of new reactors, and nuclear policy needs to stabilize for the length of time required to really invest in nuclear power.

  Poster Presentation, Judge's Winner (2011)

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  Solar Applications in Chad

  Taylor Landry, Haoran Li, Tushar Narayan, and Anubhav Prasad

  This project uses photovoltaic technologies for the applications of water pumping and lighting in the rural villages of Chad, providing people with greater development opportunities. Research reveals that 70% of the population does not have access to electricity, and most people have to travel at least 2.5 miles to get access to a source of drinking water. Since 80% of the people live below the poverty line, external funding would be necessary to make this project feasible. If funding is provided, this project can be a success in providing affordable lighting and clean water; and can be used as a model for other developing nations.

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  Solar Bus Stop

  Chang Li, Jun Liang, Christopher Tibbetts, and Zhansong Xu

  Current bus stops do not have enough shelters, signage, lighting or information. Our solar powered bus stops can provide passengers with lighting and information while they wait, using energy from photovoltaic panels. Our goal is to not only provide convenience to all the passengers by setting up solar bus stop, but also produce clean energy for the environment.

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  Nuclear Energy Policy

  Tianyu Li, Jacob Manning, Benjamin Morse, and Benjamin Rude

  With our ever-increasing energy demands, the United States is in dire need of an expansion of greener technologies to provide power with a more environmentally friendly means of production. To solve this issue, we evaluated the current status of nuclear power generation and analyzed the possibility of a more dominant role within our society. This broad subject includes aspects of governmental policy, economics, public sentiment, and comparisons to other nations. Through research and surveys, we have determined that nuclear power has a significant role to play in the future of our nation.