Energy Pitch Contest Winners Announced

The winning entry in the NC State Energy Week Pitch Contest is Katie Nelson, an undergraduate student in the College of Engineering.

Nelson pitched the concept of installing a solar-powered pavilion on the Centennial Campus Oval as a way to save energy and reduce carbon emissions on campus. The installation would also “educate students on the solar profile at NC State while giving them a sustainable space to work,” Nelson said.

A panel of energy industry judges evaluated student pitches on Sept. 27 during the live Pitch Competition Finale in Talley Student Union. Cash prizes for the winning pitches were provided by sponsors Schneider Electric, Duke Energy and Pickett Engineering. The other competition winners are:

• Second Place: Sneha Narasimhan, graduate student in the College of Engineering, for wirelessly charging a future fleet of electric Wolfline buses
• Third Place: Harish Pulakhandam and Nithin Kolli, graduate students in the College of Engineering for an incentive-based app designed to lower commute times and carbon emissions
• Fourth Place: Anthropology 450/550 Course for divestment from fossil fuels

Coordinated by FREEDM Systems Center, the Pitch Competition builds on NC State’s culture of innovation and entrepreneurship while also exploring creative solutions for meeting energy-saving and carbon reduction goals. Students submit a 90 video pitch to showcase their solution, followed by a live pitch presentation to energy industry judges.

NC State Energy Week is hosted each fall as an effort to increase visibility of the university’s energy use, research and opportunity to shape a clean energy future. Learn more at go.ncsu.edu/energyweek.

This post was originally published in Sustainability News.