Independent Research

Gifted & Talented Program

Proposal

Each student in the Independent Research program must complete a research project with a distinct purpose and present such to a professional audience which is capable of evaluating the quality, authenticity, and novelty of the project. The following information provides an overview of the proposed project as currently planned.

Student: Eric Lu 

Date: January 15, 2010

Research Title: Power from Towers in Sunny Skies

Purpose: To explore the technologies used in the solar industry for present power plants including the solar tower, trough, and fresnel lens to produce innovative for the future.

Methods:

•  Identify valid and credible information discussing the concentration of solar power
•  Distinguish solar concentration technologies of the present from the past
•  Comprehend the workings of modern solar concentration technologies
•  Isolate the rotational technology behind the tracking of the sun employed by a heliostat
•  Observe the operation of a solar power plant
• Propose new methods and technology to harvest irradiant energy from the sun
• Complete an outline with information comprehended about the solar tower where documented improvement may be possible
• Compose a paper detailing solar power based on outline completed
• Create a website with the information of the technology behind solar towers

Expected Product and Outcome:

• A research paper describing the current technologies and their potential for improvement
• An interactive website detailing new and past solar concentration technologies employed by a solar tower, including the generator mechanism and heliostat.

Novelty of Product:

The improvement of solar technologies would hopefully bring the technologies employed by solar energy (even if it is only one step) closer to commercial adoption compared to other energy production methods. My products will strive to improve the solar tower and educate others in an intuitive manner with compiled information.

Audience:

The intended audience of this project are those who have advised me, my peers, and potentially the engineers (research developers) in the field of the solar economy.

Presentation:

To present my products, I shall produce an appropriately termed domain name to point to the website with the information collected throughout my research and my conclusions. A website is accessible many, and I shall refer the site to those who I present to locally whether in writing or through the presentation program, Keynote.