Tanush Anand

Mechanical & Material Science Engineering Student

PV Pavilion

Relation: Engineers Without Borders -
Case Western Reserve University

Role: Structural Team Lead

Skills: Structural design, CAD (SolidWorks), solar array layout, electrical system planning, wiring diagrams, energy budgeting, stakeholder coordination, technical presentation

Background:
The project focused on retrofitting an underused campus pavilion with a solar power system to provide off-grid electrical capacity for lighting and device charging. The work required coordinating with Campus Facilities and the Office of Student Centers and developing a design that balanced structural constraints, electrical performance, and practical installation.

Direct Contributions:

    Modeled the pavilion and solar panel layout in SolidWorks

    Designed the solar array using six 200 W panels arranged as two series strings of three panels

    Developed wiring to the charge controller

    Created an energy budget of approximately 2.2 kWh/day to support lighting and laptop charging

    Presented the design to campus stakeholders and secured approval and funding to proceed

 

Outcomes:

The project design was approved by campus

stakeholders and funded. Implementation is scheduled for Spring 2026.