Twelve students participated in a six-week solar design workshop series to gain practical skills and develop solar project ideas that address pressing global energy needs. The workshop, sponsored by the Stanford Solar and Wind Energy Project, Stanford’s Atmosphere/Energy program, and the School of Engineering, offered academic credit as well as the opportunity to engage with leading industry specialists to learn from their experiences. Visitors from Armageddon Energy, Scoot Network, and Peta Jakarta spoke about how solar energy is evolving in their industries.

With their new skills in solar design, electrical engineering, industrial design, prototyping, and fabrication, student teams designed their own mobile solar charging station proposals. Their ideas included an outdoor seating structure for Stanford, an earthquake detection alarm system for Nepal, a portable canopy power system for farmers’ markets and refugee tents, and a backpack cover accessory to refrigerate medicine and charge electronics in developing countries.