Project Description

Exploring Possibilities

Veregy

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Researching Possibilities, Uncovering Solutions

Veregy helps clients cut energy costs, improve energy efficiency and transition to improved, cleaner and more sustainable energy technologies. The company serves a variety of clients across the country, including municipalities and school corporations.

One client wanted to explore whether roadway-based solar generation might be a feasible idea to consider. “It was something the customer asked for—they want to be innovative,” says Scott Brown, director of solutions development and engineering at Veregy and a Rose-Hulman mechanical engineering graduate. Brown turned to Rose-Hulman Ventures to explore the possibilities.

“I had Rose-Hulman Ventures do a gap analysis,” he says. “They located different technologies to see what had been used, and they did some research to understand it.”

The interns and staff from Rose-Hulman Ventures found pertinent technology applications in Europe and China, and a small initiative in the United States. “They did research to determine how it worked out, what does it look like, is it feasible, what are the pitfalls,” Brown says.

“They were able to get some data and came up with a different idea for me,” he continues. “They came up with an alternative technology that we can look into and see what the customer has to say, and they worked out some potential costs. They were able to get some good information.”

Brown felt that this kind of project was ideal for researchers connected to the world of academia. “Part of my thought process was people would be more apt to talk to a student at a college. They might not be as apt to talk to me as a commercial entity.” And while he could have sought his own college interns to staff the research initiative, it was convenient to turn to his alma mater and get the help of interns under the guidance of Jonathan Labayo, Rose-Hulman Ventures engineering manager.

“Instead of hiring my own interns and trying to direct them, I hired Ventures because they could still have engineering students working on the problem, but I had Jonathan to manage them and work with them,” Brown says. “You’re able to tap into a broad knowledge base, and Jonathan is very knowledgeable.”

Brown liked being able to provide a real-world learning opportunity for engineering students, offering them a project with the potential for career-building skills. “I felt like I was helping students get a different flavor on a topic; it wasn’t just theoretical in the classroom,” he says. In return, he benefited from their creative thinking. “They came up with a solution I had not thought of and had not heard of. They were very helpful in helping me create the right story for my client.”

Project Details

CLIENT

Veregy

PROJECT

Research Roadway-Based Solar Generation

PROJECT INDUSTRY

Commercial, Industrial

PROJECT TYPE

Solar, Research

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