So my posts so far have given you some idea of the fun we are having but believe it or not we have been doing a little bit of work as well. I spent my first week researching photovoltaics and solar thermal energy. I also started thinking about some applications of solar energy in rural homes in India. Thank god for the internet. (side note: its crazy how much we rely on electricity...we truly appreciate it when we have power outages here - happens about once a day for an hour or two) Anyways, in the second week I started, and continue to, do some tests outside measuring solar radiation and temperatures at various times of the day (47 degrees is the new highscore haha) Also I have started doing some tests with photovoltaics and seeing how fast it takes a panel to charge a battery. I have lots of help from our research assistant Ritesh (guy in the red shirt - middle picture). Last week we got some new equipment - "Solar Power Generation Experiment Equipment". A couple of people from Korea came down to train us and helped us get familiar with the equipment (made for some hilarious conversations full of language barriers between the two parties). I spent several hours trying out different circuits from the lab manual. I also got to play around with the 3D printer that Jon is using for his project. In addition to our own projects, Jon, Allen and I have been sitting in on a class called 'Energy Water Nexus'. The professor is got a very different style of teaching but is very good. He often asks us questions about Canada during the class (some which we have absolutely no idea how to answer). Any ways, that's it for now...oh, here are some pictures of one of the campus buildings and our new lab equipment.
Good post again! Eager to learn more about your research. Enjoy your trip to Mount Abu. Make sure you have a very safe driver (little older like me will be better)
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