Alex McDonald – Team Orange County 2015 | Casa del Sol

Solar Energy

Alex McDonald — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 00:14:31 +0000

Every hour the sun beams onto Earth more than enough energy to satisfy global energy needs for an entire year. Solar energy is the technology used to harness the sun’s energy and make it useable. Today, the technology produces less than one tenth of one percent of global energy demand.

The Economics of Renewable Energy: Falling Costs and Rising Employment

Alex McDonald — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 22:48:05 +0000

The general public perception of renewable energy is often in terms of saving the environment and reducing global carbon dioxide emissions. While it is true that renewable energy provides great environmental benefits and may yet prove to be our main hope for decarbonization, it is just as true and often overlooked that renewable energy provides considerable economic and social benefits.

Poppy Talk

Alex McDonald — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 21:03:21 +0000

Author: Erica Dean

Last week the annual Engineering Leadership Council meeting for the Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science was held at UCI. During the meeting, the last task on the agenda, but certainly not the least, was a short presentation from Alex McDonald, Team OC’s project leader.

The concept of biomimicry set the tone for Team OC’s presentation. The driving inspiration behind Casa del Sol’s design is the golden poppy, a California native flower with an inherent efficiency for survival in our local environment. Alex discussed a multitude of technological features utilized by our house that mirror features of the golden poppy.
Council members questioned if the exterior of Casa del Sol mirrored the golden poppy. We clarified that it’s not the outside appearance of the house, but the ideological concept of the flower, that Casa del Sol parallels.In addition to biomimicry, Alex touched on Casa del Sol’s custom tailoring for Californians, something that resonated with all attendees. The flexible features of our house are innumerable.

The presentation piqued the interest of numerous council members. Team OC enjoyed sharing a common belief of sustainability and energy efficiency with the Engineering Leadership Council, and left with great advice from many trusted professionals.

Be sure to check out our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for frequent updates about Team OC.

Check our blog again next week for more updates about Team OC in our mission to Make a Sustainable Future Feel Like Home.

Irvine, CA, USA

Department of Energy Workshop

Alex McDonald — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 20:58:29 +0000

Author: Hannah Francis

Solar Decathlon’s Team Orange County attended the DOE workshop on January 9th and 10th. The workshop was a two day event in which the 17 teams, all with a mutual goal of sustainability and innovation, came together to learn more about each other, as well as participate in fun activities. On the first day, each team gave a presentation of their homes. Then, there was a dinner in which tables were assigned so that you were able to interact with different team members from all different areas. Lotus Thai, team leader of the Marketing and Fundraising of Team Orange County said, “It was interesting to learn each teams challenges. I was surprised when learning that many teams have to move here for a month during the actual competition.”

In addition to mingling with the diverse teams, the workshop also featured guest speakers including prominent community leaders such as Mayor Choy of Irvine, the Director of Solar Decathlon Richard King, and Councilwoman Christina Shea. It was even announced that each team would have the opportunity to present at a TedX conference. Team Orange County had a great time at the DOE workshop and learned a lot about the work each team and their supporting communities are putting into the competition.

Energy Efficiency with Edison

Alex McDonald — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 18:37:03 +0000

Author: Erica Dean

Last week Team OC had the opportunity to learn more about one of our first sponsors, Southern California Edison. We spent the morning touring their 31-acre campus in Westminster, California and got a first-hand look at their Advanced Technology Lab facility. At the facility, we learned how the choices we make daily could improve our overall energy-efficiency.

Being in the business of energy distribution simultaneously puts Edison at the forefront of energy-efficiency technology research. One of SoCal Edison’s main foundational concepts is to protect the environment. Two of SoCal Edison’s engineers, Alexsandra Guerra and Stephen Collins, guided us through one of their projects that addresses this: the Irvine Smart Grid Demonstration, more commonly known at SoCal Edison as ISGD. The tour included an interactive walk-through of ISGD’s step-by-step process.

Southern California Edison tested numerous Smart Grid technologies in an attempt to meet the state and federal policy goals for 2020. In its partnership with University of California Irvine, the ISGD project investigates how to measure sustainable energy use through the variety of levels: device level, a house level, a subspace level, and ultimately, the grid at large.
One of our first stops on the tour was in the Garage of the Future. Here we discussed technology that allows an electric vehicle to automatically charge when electricity is at its cheapest. We learned that the most economic time to use electricity is during non-peak hours. Non-peak hours are hours when most people use electricity, resulting in a lower price for consumers during this window of time.
We are fascinated with Smart Grid technologies and the grids’ ability to communicate and operate with one other. At the next stop on the tour, Alexsandra and Stephen explained how residents could utilize their home’s control systems to monitor which appliances utilize the most electricity at any given time. From there, residents can alter using their appliances during non-peak hours to conserve energy, save money, and reduce emissions.

This informative tour of SoCal Edison is just one of the many reasons we are so glad to have them as one of our sponsors. Ultimately, SoCal Edison showed us how the utilization of electricity can coincide with preservation of our environment.

Be sure to check out our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for frequent updates about Team OC.

Check our blog again next week for more updates about Team OC in our mission to Make a Sustainable Future Feel Like Home.

This Week With Team OC

Alex McDonald — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 02:53:13 +0000

Author: Erica Dean

Team OC chased the sun with great strides this first week of June. The organic, cohesive efforts of Team OC are apparent through our consistent progress. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been up to. Some highlights from this week were when we spray painted the outline of Casa del Sol, worked on our SWEC, and revamped our virtual presence.

Team OC officially mapped out Casa del Sol at Irvine Valley College. This white spray paint is just the inception of what’s to come!

Just yesterday graduate student, Moritz Limpinsel, took this candid picture of Zhongyue of UCI working with Dr. Eric Jarvis on the SWEC. The SWEC is a unique prototype for a Sub Wetbulb Evaporative Chiller, and was invented by Dr. Eric Jarvis himself.

Team OC completely revamped our virtual presence. Now there is easier access to our currently trending content such as media from our construction site. In addition, all of our social mediums are linked and visible on our website. Lastly, we updated our sponsor list to show off our amazing sponsors. Be sure to check out our new website and updates about Casa del Sol!

Be sure to visit our blog next week for more updates about Team OC our mission to Make a Sustainable Future Feel Like Home.

UC Berkeley students provide solar energy to Ugandans

Alex McDonald — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 00:15:21 +0000

What are you doing this summer? Taking a class online? Interning from 9 to 5? Traveling a little? This summer, the California-Renewable and Adaptive Energy, or CAL-RAE, team will be helping with the construction of a solar microgrid system in Uganda.

3D Printing Reduces Building Costs, Weight And Waste

Alex McDonald — Sun, 31 May 2015 23:01:15 +0000

The additive manufacturing approach means that manufacturers can create highly complex, individually designed pieces and print them directly in metal. This in itself has tremendous implications for reducing costs and cutting waste. But the latest advances in the design techniques explored by Galjaard’s team mean that far smaller, lighter elements can deliver the same function and strength as those created by traditional methods.

Surge in Renewables Remakes California’s Energy Landscape

Alex McDonald — Tue, 26 May 2015 22:55:23 +0000

Solar farms are blooming across California’s deserts, wind turbines are climbing the Sierra, photovoltaic roofs are shimmering over suburbs, and Teslas are the Silicon Valley elite’s new ride. A clean energy rush is transforming the Golden State so quickly that nearly a quarter of its electricity now comes from renewable sources, and new facilities, especially solar, are coming online at a rapid rate. Last year, California became the first state to get more than 5 percent of its electricity from the sun.

DOE Solar Decathlon: Volunteer for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

Alex McDonald — Thu, 21 May 2015 23:05:41 +0000

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015 would not be possible without the time and commitment of hundreds of volunteers. Their work supports and celebrates the remarkable student teams that bring their solar-powered houses and passion to the Solar Decathlon. The event will take place Oct. 8-18, 2015, at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California.