Events at PVSC

Calling All Photovoltaic Enthusiasts for the High School Photovoltaic Design Competition

On behalf of the 46th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC) Committee, we are continuing our tradition of holding a solar design competition. The competition will be held amongst teams of high school students and their teachers/mentors from the Chicago area, our host city, as well as teams from recent past conferences. The teams are forming now and getting ready to present as part of the PVSC conference. In addition to being sponsored by an adult teacher-facilitator, teams will be mentored by graduate students in photovoltaics. This is an excellent opportunity for our PV specialists and students to engage each other and spread the knowledge of PV.   

During the time leading up to the PVSC, the design teams will build and test their chosen systems. Start-up funding and expert advice will be provided by the PVSC community. This is an exciting time for all of us PV specialists to watch as the thoughts and ideas of these young scientists and engineers form into reality. We look forward to hearing stories from our PV specialists of how they are being inspired by our students for new research ideas, and from our students are being inspired to continue their PV research.

At the conference, the High School Design teams will occupy a dedicated section on the floor during the poster session Monday, June 17 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. This will be an awesome opportunity for the students and teachers to interact with scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs from all facets of PV. Here you can see photos of the High School PV Competition from PVSC-44 in Washington, D.C. and WCPEC-7 in Hilo, Hawaii. This year, the High School teams participating in the High School PV Competition will be judged with the opportunity to win cash prizes. Participants will have the opportunity to display their posters at the exhibition hall for the 1,000+ photovoltaics experts attending the PVSC conference.  

For more information, please contact [email protected].

For competition requirements and to submit your high school team proposal, please click here to download the form.

Peter Bermel, PVSC-46 High School Program Chair
Michelle E. Jordan, PVSC-46 High School Program Coordinator
Silvana Ayala, High School Graduate Student Coordinator