UConn and Eversource Students Decarbonize » CBIA

The following article first appeared on UConn Today. It is republished here with permission.

The University of Connecticut is taking bold steps toward a sustainable future, committing to reducing its carbon footprint through innovation and community engagement.

For the second year in a row, UConn has partnered with Eversource Energy to host an exciting innovation competition designed to engage students in designing our energy future.

This unique opportunity invites teams of undergraduate and graduate students to propose their own groundbreaking ideas that aim to facilitate the transition to clean energy.

The competition saw an impressive field of participants, with five teams of 13 students—four undergraduates and nine graduates—making it to the finals.

These talented individuals represent six faculties and schools: the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Public Policy and the Department of Mathematics.

This multidisciplinary approach brings a broad range of perspectives and expertise to solving complex clean energy problems.

Funding, Mentors

Each selected team will receive funding during the summer and will be assigned mentors from UConn and Eversource Energy faculty who will provide invaluable guidance and support as they develop their innovative ideas.

This hands-on training will help students learn the real-world dimensions and details necessary for a successful clean energy transition.

Their efforts will culminate at the 2024 Sustainable and Clean Energy Summit on September 23, where the teams will present their projects to a distinguished audience of experts from industry, utilities, research centers and government institutions.

The partnership between UConn and Eversource Energy exemplifies an ongoing commitment to environmental justice.

The most promising teams will receive additional funding to continue their research into the next academic year, paving the way for concrete advances in the field of sustainable energy.

The renewed partnership between UConn and Eversource Energy exemplifies a continued commitment to environmental justice both locally and globally, preparing for extreme climate events and supporting the innovations necessary for a sustainable future.

Through this initiative, UConn is giving its students the opportunity to lead the clean energy revolution.

Projects

The student projects and teams selected for the 2024 Clean Energy and Sustainability Innovation Program are:

Design: Energy Justice Mapping Tool; Students: Umar Salman (PhD, Electrical Engineering), Binit Gautam (PhD, Civil Engineering), Charitarth Chugh ’25 (CLAS), Mathematics and Statistics.
Design: Real-time probabilistic controller for hurricane recovery control with high renewable energy share; Students: Soroush Vahedi (PhD candidate, Electrical Engineering), Alaa Selim (PhD candidate, Electrical Engineering), Morteza Azizi (PhD candidate, Environmental Engineering).
Design: Leading Connecticut Toward a Sustainable Future: Innovative Energy Forecasting and Resilience Planning; Students: Jiwon Kim ’25 (ENG), Computer Science; Buket Sahin (PhD student, Environmental Engineering).
Design: Integration of green hydrogen production and transport into the natural gas infrastructure on the path to carbon neutrality; Students: Ava Tobón ’25 (ENG), Chemical Engineering; Alana Marquis ’25 (ENG), Civil Engineering.
Design: Potential modernization of micro-hydroelectric power plants in municipal wastewater treatment plants; Students: Zhiqing Li (PhD student, structural engineering), Steven Matile (MPA candidate), Meshach Ojo (PhD student, structural engineering).